From "Respect" in Confucianism to "Three Respects" in Korean Donghak

Abstract

Confucianism advocates jing 敬 [Respect], and the Neo-Confucianism of Song and Ming considers chijing 持敬 [Maitaining Respect] as a method for cultivating awareness and virtue. Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was formally introduced to the Korean peninsula at the end of the Goryeo period, having greatly enriched the Korean Confucianism and created a Neo-Confucianism with Korean local characteristics. The Joseon Dynasty had Confucianism as its founding philosophy, as a result the basic virtues of Confucianism such as Maintaining Respect and Sincerity (持敬存诚)are well known to the common people. In the 19th century, Donghak emerged as a major trend of thought championing self-cultivation through "Three Respects" (i.e., respect for heaven, for people and for things), a concept that is, this article argues, grounded in the teaching of jing（敬） and chijing（持敬） in Confucianism. It emphasizes "Respect for Things", promoting a warm and thoughtful attitude towards nature, thus setting it in sharp contrast with the apathy of modern Western anthropocentrism and individualism that leads to environmental pollution, ecological imbalance，and human indifference. “Respect for Things” in Donghak, as a reverberation of “Respect” in Confucianism, serves well as a forward-looking insight in addressing the current human condition.