근대기 한국과 일본 신종교의 생사관 비교연구 ‒증산교와 천리교를 중심으로‒

Abstract

Jeungsangyo’s viewpoints of life and death(生死觀) in early korean modern times is considered to have been formed from a combination of three established religions: Buddhism(佛敎), Confucianism(儒敎), Taoism(道敎). In particular, the existence of an ideal world-to-come called the heaven-after(後天) implies that human being’s quests for immortality(不老不死) can be achieved after becoming hermit(神仙), which is close to the idea of Taism. Japanese Tenrikyo holds creative viewpoints of life and death, merging the ideas of pure land buddhism and folk beliefs. Tenrikyo defines the aspects of reductive existence who pass away for rebirth(出直) as the realities of ideal. The similarity between these two religions is that both religions aim at realization of the world of the existence equal to hermit神仙 or the world of harmonic life of god and human being(神人和樂). The difference between two religions is about different viewpoints about the reality of existence in new time-space. To be specific, Jeungsangyo assumes independent and self-reliant reality while Tenrikyo supposes dependent and evolved existence.