Abstract

The term, ‘Daesoon’ in Daesoon Jinrihoe is the foundation of the order and its representative concept, which leads to the core to understand the doctrine. As The Canonical Scripture (典經) of Daesoon Jinrihoe was published in English and introduced abroad, the academic events related to the publication became active. Accordingly, the terms such as Daesoon Jinrihoe or Daesoon Thought have become widely known to the academic circles home and abroad. Considering Daesoon represents the identity of the order, an attempt to analyzing the meaning or concept of the term should require more attention. Daesoon can be classified into the meanings of belief on the Great Itineration of the three realms by the Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven, the dharma of the Great Opening, the cultivation including the itineration and spread of the Reordering Works, and the substantial and metaphysical Limitless and Great Ultimate. Daesoon thought is a frame of the concept that reveals the true meaning of Daesoon, which enable to establish the reasonable system in consistency. In addition, it is necessary to regenerate and expand the systematic and rational thought in terms of the Great Itineration. However, an attempt to systemizing and conceptualizing such Daesoon thought based on the tenets, creeds, and objectives seems to somewhat have a limit in revealing the substantial meaning of metaphysical Limitless and Great Ultimates. The system based on the existed tenets, creeds, and objectives has been established in religious tendency. Thus, the discussion regarding Daesoon thought in general has been prone to making the approach to the meaning of Daesoon difficult in terms of the theories of substance, human nature, and cultivation. Summarizing the existed researches related to the concept of Daesoon, the mainstream of study includes the transcendence and presiding of personified supreme god. Henceforth, as the research of Daesoon thought accelerated, the comparative studies of religion, or philosophy regarding the personified supreme god and rationality have continued. Then, the implication about the Substance of Limitless and Great Ultimate has been discussed. As a result, the academic approach to Daesoon thought has been conducted more elaborately.