베트남 儒學思想 形成過程의 特徵 - 麗末鮮初 儒學 鼎立過程과의 比較를 통하여

Abstract

This paper studies the common and different characteristics of the neo-Confucianism between Vietnam and Chosun by analyzing the similarities and differences in the historical and political backgrounds of the ideological formation of those two different forms of the neo-Confucianism. With this academic work, this paper concludes in four terms. Firstly, in both Vietnam and Chosun, the neo-Confucianism was introduced as a ruling philosophy. For the ruling groups in both countries, the neo-Confucianism was regarded as an effective ideological and ethical means to consolidate the its domination power over the country. The ruling groups in both countries only dealt with the neo-Confucianism as an ideological means for political aims while failing to establish it as a form of religious belief. Secondly, in both countries, the neo-Confucianism was adopted as 'courtesy(禮)', a Confucian culture pattern to dominate people by the ruling group in its initial time. This led to make some differences in the neo-Confucianism between Vietnam and Chosun, however. Whereas the neo-Confucianism was materialized as a form of cultural belief and mode in the Chosun society, the Vietnamese one was hardly accommodated in its society for leaders in its local communities strongly held fast to their traditional values and customs. In addition, the neo-Confucian notion of courtesy was not clearly conceptualized, but its form was only considered in the Vietnamese intellectual field. In particular, the relatively powerful traditional values and Buddhism functioned as a heavy obstacles for the neo-Confucianism to permeate into the Vietnam society. Thirdly, the traditional Confucianism was introduced into both Vietnam and Chosun in their early history. Afterwards, the neo-Confucian ruling ideology was imported by the ruling groups for their political interests in both countries. Despite their common historical background, the Chosun Confucianism had its own pre-constituted theoretical and practical foundation while the social base of the Vietnam one was significantly weaker than the social influence of its tradition and customs. This initial difference resulted in each country's unique characteristics of the neo-Confucianism. Lastly, the neo-Confucianism in both countries was given a fundamental task to check the traditional Buddhism. However, different traditions and customs resulted in different effects. In Chosun, while the neo-Confucianism developed as a powerful politico-social theory of the ruling philosophy and the moral criteria, the general role and effects of the Buddhism was limited within a religious level. Unlike Chosun, there was very little ideological or social space left for the newly introduced neo-Confucianism, which was very realistic, because the Vietnam Buddhism had a wordly success-oriented tendency in Vietnam. For example, a Vietnam Buddhist temple was functioning not only as a sacred area of Buddhism, but also an actual sphere for the political elite's negotiations. Rather, in the Vietnamese society, the Buddhist moral idea of benevolence was more popular and acceptable than the Confucian family ethics and thought of courtesy.