Abstract

This paper overlooks the cosmology of Daesoon Jinrihoe (大巡眞理會, the Fellowship of Daesoon Truth) in the aspects of time and space. Daesoon thought is the term indicating the thought of Daesoon Jinrihoe, and is established by Jeongsan Jo Cheol-Je (鼎山 趙哲濟, 1895~1958). The universe is full of divine beings, and exists by each action. The world consisting of these divine beings have strict rules, and the one standing in the peak is Jeungsan. The divinity of Jeungsan is Gucheon Eungwon Nwehseong Bohwa Cheonjon Kangseong Sangje [九天應元雷聲普化天尊姜聖上帝, thereinafter Gucheon Sangje 九天上帝, the Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven, Celestial Worthy of Universal Creation through His Thunderbolt, the Originator with Whom All Beings Resonate]. Gucheon Sangje (上帝, the Supreme God) means the most divinity directing overall universe in every aspect, and also the title of honor for almighty god. In Jinbeob-ju (眞法呪, the Incantation of Perfected Dharma), the system of Daesoon Jinrihoe’s gods is explained. With Gucheon Sangje as the top, a coherent structure to each envoy is shown. We can acknowledge that they have a certain order, as we look at 24 Jeol-hu-shin-myeong (節候神明, Divine Generals of the Twenty-Four Seasonal Divisions) and 28 su shin-myeong (28宿神明, Divine Generals of the Twenty-Eight Constellations) who represent views of time and space in Daesoon thought. In the view of Daesoon thought, the change of time does not happen by itself, but by the rotation of shin-myeong (divine beings), and jeol-hu-chi-seong (節候致誠, devotional offerings for the seasonal divisions), the religious ceremony, follows to it. Also, the paper examines Jeungsan’s perception towards China and the reason why these Chinese divine beings were included in the incantation of Daesoon Jinrihoe through 24 jeol-hu 28 su shin-myeong. An attempt to knowing Jeungsan’s perception towards China should require one to look at his Reordering Work on China (中國公事) first. This Reordering Work may have a correct interpretation when viewed in grievance-resolution (haewon 解冤) and reciprocation of gratitude (boeun 報恩). Such awareness of circumstances should be reinterpreted on the perspective of reciprocation for gratitude and reveal it by Jeungsan’s order. Through this process, his Reordering Work is established. Jeungsan diagnosed that because Joseon (朝鮮) had been serving China from long time ago, in turn, it is appropriate that Chinese divine beings serve Joseon as a reward. The cosmology of Daesoon thought is Jeungsan’s religious reinterpretation of oriental traditional vision of universe in aspects of grievance-resolution and reciprocation of gratitude. It is not only succession of traditional perception, but also the reinterpreted vision of the universe by Jeungsan. In other words, it is the cosmology in which Jeungsan himself becomes the subject.