Toxic Waste From the Family Line – Korea

Event

Generational Issue

Shamanism – attempt to control nature. Pantheistic. All natural objects are thought to possess souls. Sun and celestial objects are worshiped. Spiders are bad luck.

Dead souls travel freely and relation to the living.

House gods control happiness or misfortune of family.

Central role of shamans. They control natural events for man’s benefit by exercising control over the spirits (healers, seer, priest.)

400 BC – 108 AD – heavy taxation. Social structure slaves,
peasants, elite

53 AD-668 AD (Three Kingdom era). Rigid hierarchical social structure and strong military. Kingship-father to son. Man’s position fixed at birth – Aristocracy (2 ranks) General Aristocracy (6 ranks), Free Commoners (3 ranks), Slaves.

Buddhism came in 372 AD – brought by monk from Tibet. Became state religion. It was used as a way to control the population.

Reincarnation reinforced social structure. The poor were poor because they did not do well in the previous life.

668-891 – Aristocrat become immensely wealthy at the expense of the poor who were very impoverished.

889 – Peasants revolt over taxation.

891 – 1392 – period of civil disturbance and military rule.

Confucianism becomes the orthodox doctrine by which to govern family relations and the state.

Aristocrats would charge 50% of the harvest for private lands, 25% for public land and then lend their harvest at high interest rates.

Many accept all belief systems

Neo-Confucianism plays the major role in determining social structures and individual order.

Shamans are consulted for cure to illnesses, inter-personal conflicts, and mate selection. Koreans went to these Shamans whether they are Buddhist, Confucianism or Christians.

Shamanism is the worship of a pantheon of gods in household or village.

Shaman “spirit post” and bright cloth tied to trees are placed to repel evil spirits.

Symbols such as the cranes, dragon, tiger, phoenix or turtle are used to keep evil spiritual away.

Buddhism is the state religion by 6 c.AD Human sacrifices were suppressed gradually.

Gods – Sanshim (non-Buddhist mountain god), Sajik-the god of land and harvest.

The spirits live in every part of a Koreans house and yard (gate, kitchen, well, etc.)

Buddhism, biggest religion had 18 sects. The Chogye sect does not permit marriage

The Hwarangdo was developed—a sort of chivalric youth order, which combined Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Complete loyalty to the monarch, filial piety, harmony, and valor in battle were emphasized.

Pain
Suffering
Torture
Torment

Confucian teaching –moral background of modern Korea (subjection of son to father, younger to older, wife to husband, subject to throne)

1392 – General Yi Song–gye establishes ancestral worship and rigid adherences to social law.

Women were at the bottom, in virtual bondage throughout their lives to father, husbands and sons.

1866 – King Konjong orders decapitation of Seoul’s Catholic bishop and their French priest. Persecution of Christians continued until 1876.

Peasants underwent increased hardship. They would pay heavy rent for private land, tribute tax and males between 16 and 60 had to perform labor services (when doing these services they had to provide for their own food and were required to work all day.)

Many peasants would run away or would be caught and become slaves.

Marriage would take place around the age of 13. Upper classes had several wives. Wives could be dismissed at will but it was difficult to dismiss the first wife.

1215 – 1368 Mongol. Many killed during this period. 100 of 1000’s captured

With the Mongol invasion, the peasants suffered enormously – financially and physically.

During this time neo-Confucianism (combination of Confucianism, Buddhism, and religious Taoism). Things came into being through the union of li and chi (energy).

1392-1750 Strong caste system. The highest class was elitist and there was much discrimination (because of generational purpity). Heavy tax of peasants. Peasants were required to do labor and military service.

During this time 1/3 of the population was unfree (slaves and outcaste). A significant portion of outcasts were women

Anguish
Misery

There was a Confucius disdain for commerce. Merchants were inferior, greedy and dishonest. They could not use the language of the upper class.

Every family was required to establish a shrine for ancestor worship.

Legalism
Sexism
Favoritism

Inadequacy
Hatred
Anger
Rage
Curse on women

Women legally subordinating to men by Confucian ethic. Women did not have names and were identified only by position (so and so’s daughter, etc.)

High death rate of children

1800’s-1864 Breakdown of class system (had begun in 1700’s)

Slavery decreases and is abolished in 1801.

Oppression
War
Murder
Maiming
Loss of identity
Anger
Rage
Fear