Yoo/Korean Religious Texts, 7. Scriptures for Recitation in Donghak (Eastern Learning)

Chapter 7 deals with the recitation of scripture, usually part of it but sometimes all of it, in Donghak. Most readers of this book will be familiar with the other religions I discuss, but not with Donghak. As I will explain in more detail, Donghak is the name of a religion founded in the late 19th century that quickly became widespread in central and southern parts of Korea. I will show that the theology and practices of Donghak were indivisibly intermingled with each other in the recitation of its two basic scriptures, Donggyeongdaejeon and Yongdamyusa. In the early stage of Donghak, recitation was the most important way of ritually serving God while teaching and publicizing the main myths and doctrines of the sect. It was also the most important means for early members to practice self-cultivation. All early members of Donghak were supposed to recite the incantation (jumun) consisting of twenty-one Chinese characters, just as the contemporary adherents of modern denominations derived from Donghak still do. This incantation is included and explained in Dongyeongdaejeon and is believed to summarize the core doctrines of Donghak. Reciting this incantation was a way of affirming Donghak members’ identification with the sect. Members also believed that their recitation was a way of reifying the core doctrine of “Sicheonju,” or serving God. The book of Yongdamyusa comprises nine pieces of gasa, a traditional Korean poetic genre which was meant to be recited aloud. The founder of Donghak, Choe Jeu, composed the Yongdamyusa in Korean in order to propagate the doctrines to the public who did not know classical Chinese. Yongdamyusa passages were regularly recited by members along with simple tunes and cadences.