Introduction 011
1. The Natural Environment and the Cultural Temperament 012
2. The Long Duration of Culture 016
3. Traditional Values: Heaven, Earth, and Man as One 025
4. Evolution of the Seonbi Culture 033
5. Challenges for the Future 039
Chapter 1.
The Natural Environment and the Seonbi Culture 043
Chapter 2.
The Origin of “Seonbi” and Terms for the “Seonbi Spirit” 055
Chapter 3.
Seonbi Culture from the Chinese Perspective:
Land of the Man of Virtue, Nation of Propriety in the East 063
1. The Meaning of Dongyi in Explanations of Writings and Letters 064
2. Confucius’ View of Dongyi: Land of the Man of Virtue 068
3. Seonbi Culture as Seen in Ancient Chinese Texts:
Classic of the Mountains and Seas, Classic of Divine Wonders , and
Biography of the Dongyi 070
Chapter 4.
Original Form of the Seonbi Culture:
Cosmology Reflected in the Dangun Myth 075
1. The Dangun Myth 076
2. Cosmology Reflected in the Dangun Myth (1):
Three Deities as One; Heaven, Earth and Man as One 082
1) Unity of heaven, earth and man: the cosmological community 082
2) Reverence for the number three 088
3) Filial piety and the meaning of death 092
4) Reverence for the brightness and east 095
5) Three deities as one reflected in the Korean language and the arts 098
3. Cosmology Reflected in the Dangun Myth (2):
Hongik Ingan and the Three Deities 106
4. Cosmology Reflected in the Dangun Myth (3):
Yin and Yang and the Five Elements 111
Chapter 5.
Seonbi Culture of the Three Kingdoms Period 123
1. Shamanic Seonbi Culture and Fusion with Buddhism and
Confucianism 124
2. The Seonbi Culture of Goguryeo 131
1) Seonbi warriors and rites to heaven 131
2) Seonbi culture in ancient tomb murals 137
3) Three-treatise School of Buddhism and Nation-protecting Buddhism 143
4) Eulji Mundeok and Confucianism 144
3. The Seonbi Culture of Silla 146
1) Hwarang , Seonnang and Hyangdo 146
2) Fusion of Hwarangdo with Buddhism and Confucianism 149
3) Community philosophy of Uisang and Wonhyo 152
4) Seonbi spirit reflected in hyangga 155
5) Palgwanhoe and the hwarang 158
4. The Seonbi Culture of Baekje 160
1) Heavenly rites of Baekje 160
2) Baekje Buddhism and the seonbi spirit 163
3) Baekje Confucianism and the seonbi spirit 167
Chapter 6.
Seonbi Culture of the Goryeo Dynasty 171
1. The Seonbi Spirit in the Ten Injunctions of Wang Geon 172
2. Jaega hwasang: Combination of Seonbi and Hwarang 174
3. Hyangdo: Remains of the Hwarang 179
4. Palgwanhoe: Remains of Traditional Rites to Heaven 182
5. Seonbi Culture Reflected in Confucianism 187
1) Seo Hui and Yi Ji-baek 188
2) Choi Seung-no 190
3) Choi Hang and Kang Gam-chan 192
4) Choi Chung and the twelve private schools of Gaegyeong 194
5) Deference to the Rites of Zhou 196
6. Seonbi Culture in Buddhism 198
1) Gyunyeo and Myocheong 198
2) The Jogye Order and communities of believers 201
3) Posthumous honor of Wonhyo and Uisang 203
7. Seonbi Spirit in the Historical Consciousness 204
8. The Seonbi Spirit in Geomancy 207
Chapter 7.
Seonbi Culture of the Joseon Dynasty 215
1. Fusion of the Seonbi Culture and Neo-Confucianism 216
2. Rural Communities (1): Hyangdo 218
1) Positive evaluation of hyangdo 218
2) Negative views of hyangdo 223
3. Rural Communities (2): Geosa and Sajang 231
1) Criticism of sajang by Yang Seong-ji and Han Chi-hyeong 231
2) Protection of the sajang by King Sejong and King Sejo 236
3) Criticism of the sajang by the Sarim faction 237
4. Rural Confucian Communities: Hyangyak 243
1) Zhu Xi’s local community covenant 243
2) Yi Hwang’s hyangyak 244
3) Yi I’s hyangyak 246
4) Hyangyak in the late Joseon Dynasty 250
5. Rural Military Communities (1):
Righteous Armies in the Japanese Invasions 253
6. Rural Military Communities (2): Modern Righteous Armies 257
7. The Seonbi Spirit and Idealism 260
1) Public spirit (1): integrity and moderation 260
2) Public spirit (2): people-based politics and benevolent politics 265
3) Public spirit (3): pubilc land 268
4) Public spirit (4): public appointment 271
5) Public spirit (5): public opinion and public appeal 274
6) Public spirit (6): education, publication, and recording 275
8. Joseon Seonbi’s Deference to the Rites of Zhou 282
9. The Self-confident Spirit of Joseon Seonbi 288
10. Joseon Seonbi’s Philosophy of Peace and the Unity of Heaven,
Earth and Man 293
11. Reinterpretation of the Nobi System 296
12. Eminent Seonbi of the Joseon Dynasty 299
1) Jeong Do-jeon: revolutionary of minbon ideology 299
2) King Sejong: symbol of a seonbi king 305
3) Yang Seong-ji: patriotic historian and geographer 311
4) Jo Gwang-jo: an impatient idealist 320
5) Yi Hwang: crusader for Neo-Confucianism 325
6) Jo Sik: seonbi carrying a sword 331
7) Kim In-hu: Zhou Dunyi of Haedong, Confucius of the Honam region 335
8) Yi I: the great reformist 348
9) Yi Sun-sin: a hero skilled in the literary and military arts 354
10) Yi Su-gwang: silhak scholar and pioneer who rejected Sino-centrism 363
11) Hong Man-jong: philosopher who fused the three religions 370
12) Yu Su-won: pioneer of northern learning who resisted factional and family ties 381
13) Yi Ik: scholar and teacher of the Namin faction 387
14) Yi Jong-hwi: pioneering nationalist historian 393
15) Jeongjo: reformist king who dreamt of a people’s nation 401
16) Jeong Yak-yong: the man who synthesized Silhak 410
Chapter 8.
Modern Seonbi Culture 419
1. Theory of Eastern Ways, Western Technology in the Modern Period 420
2. Daehan Empire: Referring to the New Based on the Old 424
3. Seonbi Culture of the Japanese Occupation Period (1): Nationalism 429
4. Seonbi Culture of the Japanese Occupation Period (2):
Daedong Ideology and Anarchism 432
5. Seonbi Culture of the Japanese Occupation Period (3):
Left-right Unity and the Principle of the Three Equalities 436
6. Seonbi Culture of the 1940s: Neo-Nationalism 440
7. Seonbi Culture after Liberation:
Emergence of a Distorted “Self-reliance” 444
Conclusion 446
Glossary 449
Chronology 472