The Sarim (sometimes known as Saarim), or "forest of scholars", was a powerful faction of literati who emerged in the Early Joseon period under Kil Chae , and would later come to dominate Middle and Late Joseon politics in Korea . After outliving the Hungu faction , the Sarim faction experienced several breakups during and after the reign of King Seonjo (1567–1608) into the Western and Eastern factions; these factions would also experience their very own splits in the coming years. By the 19th century, Joseon court politics would see a shift in control from scholarly factions towards the 'in-law families'; for most of the 19th century, the Jangdong branch of the Andong Kim clan was in control of the government.
76-607: The philosophical lineage of the Sarim scholars originated from the neo-Confucian school of Kil Chae (1353–1419), a Goryeo scholar who studied under Yi Saek and Chŏng Mong-ju . After the fall of the Goryeo dynasty, he retreated to his home village refusing to serve the new Joseon dynasty despite King Taejong 's request. Kil Chae concentrated on cultivating a new generation of neo-Confucian scholars including Kim Suk-ja and his son Kim Chong-jik . When King Seongjong (1469–1495) became
152-649: A gradual realization of the Great Ultimate... Buddhists, and to some degree, Taoists as well, relied on meditation and insight to achieve supreme reason; the Neo-Confucianists chose to follow Reason. The importance of li in Neo-Confucianism gave the movement its Chinese name, literally "The study of Li ". In the view of Neo-Confucians, the true form of Confucianism had been lost after Mencius as "later" Confucians were more concerned with
228-456: A way to safeguard the cultural heritage of China. Neo-Confucianism could have been an attempt to create a more rationalist and secular form of Confucianism by rejecting mystical elements of Taoism and Buddhism that had influenced Confucianism during and after the Han dynasty. Although the neo-Confucianists were critical of Taoism and Buddhism, the two did have an influence on the philosophy, and
304-674: Is intuitive and not rational . These revolutionizing ideas of Wang Yangming would later inspire prominent Japanese thinkers like Motoori Norinaga , who argued that because of the Shinto deities, Japanese people alone had the intuitive ability to distinguish good and evil without complex rationalization. Wang Yangming's school of thought ( Ōyōmei-gaku in Japanese) also provided, in part, an ideological basis for some samurai who sought to pursue action based on intuition rather than scholasticism. As such, it also provided an intellectual foundation for
380-578: Is a moral , ethical , and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism , which originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) in the Tang dynasty , and became prominent during the Song and Ming dynasties under the formulations of Zhu Xi (1130–1200). After the Mongol conquest of China in the thirteenth century, Chinese scholars and officials restored and preserved neo-Confucianism as
456-436: Is based on Buddhist systems of the time that divided things into principle (again, li), and function ( Chinese : 事 ; pinyin : shì ). In the neo-Confucian formulation, li in itself is pure and almost-perfect, but with the addition of qi , base emotions and conflicts arise. Human nature is originally good, the neo-Confucians argued (following Mencius ), but not pure unless action is taken to purify it. The imperative
532-417: Is called Kyungshin hwanguk (경신환국). Now in power, Western faction split into Noron (Old Doctrine) faction, led by Song Siyeol , and Soron (New Doctrine) faction, led by Yoon Jeung. After nine years in power, Noron collapsed when Sukjong deposed Queen Inhyeon, who was supported by Western faction, and named Consort Hee of Jang clan (or Consort Jang) as the new queen. Western faction angered Sukjong when it opposed
608-556: Is generally categorized into two different schools of thought. The school that remained dominant throughout the medieval and early modern periods is called the Cheng–Zhu school for the esteem it places in Cheng Yi , Cheng Hao , and Zhu Xi . The less dominant, opposing school was the Lu–Wang school , based on its esteem for Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming. In contrast to this two-branch model,
684-507: Is reputed that he wrote many essays attempting to explain how his ideas were not Buddhist or Taoist and included some heated denunciations of Buddhism and Taoism. After the Xining era [ zh ] (1068–1077), Wang Yangming (1472–1529) is commonly regarded as the most important Neo-Confucian thinker. Wang's interpretation of Confucianism denied the rationalist dualism of Zhu's orthodox philosophy. There were many competing views within
760-414: Is then to purify one's li . However, in contrast to Buddhists and Taoists, neo-Confucians did not believe in an external world unconnected with the world of matter. In addition, neo-Confucians in general rejected the idea of reincarnation and the associated idea of karma . Different neo-Confucians had differing ideas for how to do so. Zhu Xi believed in gewu ( Chinese : 格物 ; pinyin : géwù ),
836-667: The Goryeo dynasty . At the time that he introduced neo-Confucianism, the Goryeo dynasty was in the last century of its existence and influenced by the Mongol Yuan dynasty . Many Korean scholars visited China during the Yuan era and An was among them. In 1286, he read a book of Zhu Xi in Yanjing and was so moved by it that he transcribed the book in its entirety and came back to Korea with it. It greatly inspired Korean intellectuals at
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#1732779968101912-558: The New Confucian Mou Zongsan argues that there existed a third branch of learning, the Hu-Liu school , based on the teachings of Hu Hong (Hu Wufeng, 1106–1161) and Liu Zongzhou (Liu Jishan, 1578–1645). The significance of this third branch, according to Mou, was that they represented the direct lineage of the pioneers of neo-Confucianism, Zhou Dunyi, Zhang Zai and Cheng Hao. Moreover, this third Hu-Liu school and
988-516: The Western learning to seek a way to modernize Chinese culture based on the traditional Confucianism. It centers on four topics: The modern transformation of Chinese culture; Humanistic spirit of Chinese culture; Religious connotation in Chinese culture; and Intuitive way of thinking, to go beyond the logic and to wipe out the concept of exclusion analysis. Adhering to the traditional Confucianism and
1064-610: The bureaucrats and Chinese gentry actually believed those interpretations, and point out that there were very active schools such as Han learning which offered competing interpretations of Confucianism. The competing school of Confucianism was called the Evidential School or Han Learning and argued that neo-Confucianism had caused the teachings of Confucianism to be hopelessly contaminated with Buddhist thinking. This school also criticized neo-Confucianism for being overly concerned with empty philosophical speculation that
1140-474: The 15th century, the esteemed philosopher Wang Yangming took sides with Lu and critiqued some of the foundations of the Tao school, albeit not rejecting the school entirely. Objections arose to Yangming's philosophy within his lifetime, and shortly after his death, Chen Jian (1497–1567) grouped Wang together with Lu as unorthodox writers, dividing neo-Confucianism into two schools. As a result, neo-Confucianism today
1216-606: The 18th century, the kings pursued a strict policy of equality, favoring no faction over another. However, in Jeongjo's reign, strife re-emerged as the ruling Noron faction split further between the Byeokpa and Sipa , two groups which cut across the earlier factions and differed in their attitudes concerning Yeongjo's murder of his son, who was also Jeongjo's father. The division and subsequent conflicts of these factions generally revolved around minor issues and reflected dogmatic and
1292-656: The Easterners back in power. However the Easterners would soon split over the level of punishment of the now-exiled Jeong Cheol, into the hardline Northern faction ( Buk-in ) and the moderate Southern faction ( Nam-in ). The Northerners were largely disciples of Jo Shik and Seo Gyeong-deok and suffered more from Jeong Yeo-rip's "rebellion" while the Southerners were largely Yi Hwang's disciples and less affected. The Southerners , led by Yu Seong-ryong , were initially in power after Japanese Invasion in 1592, and maintained
1368-470: The Investigation of Things, essentially an academic form of observational science, based on the idea that li lies within the world. Wang Yangming (Wang Shouren), probably the second most influential neo-Confucian, came to another conclusion: namely, that if li is in all things, and li is in one's heart-mind, there is no better place to seek than within oneself. His preferred method of doing so
1444-467: The Sarim after its split is very complicated because there is a wealth of conflicting historical accounts written by each faction. This is especially true with what became known as Gichuk Treason Case of 1589 (기축옥사), the bloodiest purge in Joseon history by far. There is still a dispute about the nature and purpose of Jeong Yeo-rip's group of armed supporters and whether it was treason or frame up. His group
1520-592: The Sarim faction maintained political power for much of the Joseon dynasty. After the Sarim faction replaced the Hungu faction as the predominant political force in the late 16th century, a nationwide split occurred between the Eastern faction ( Dong-in ) and Western faction ( Seo-in ). Political divisions intensified even further as the Eastern faction in turn split between the hard-line Northern faction ( Buk-in ) and
1596-598: The Western faction back in power. The Southern faction would never recover from this blow, also called Gapsul hwanguk (갑술환국). Sukjong demoted Queen Jang to Consort Jang and reinstated Queen Inhyeon. Consort Jang was eventually executed (with poison) for cursing Queen Inhyeon after the latter died. Soron faction supported the crown prince, Consort Jang's son, while Noron faction supported Consort Choi's son, Yeonying-gun (later to become Yeongjo ). Late Queen Inhyeon and newly installed Queen Inwon were childless. In 1718, Sukjong let
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#17327799681011672-572: The Western faction was becoming more powerful. In the early years of Sukjong 's (1674–1720) reign, the Southern faction and Western faction clashed over the Royal Funeral Dispute, a seemingly minor issue regarding the mourning period for Queen Insun. The Southern faction claimed that the mourning period should last one year while the Western faction argued for a nine-month mourning period. A one-year mourning period meant that Hyojong
1748-584: The Zhou and Han dynasties. Although the neo-Confucianists denounced Buddhist metaphysics, Neo-Confucianism did borrow Taoist and Buddhist terminology and concepts. One of the most important exponents of neo-Confucianism was Zhu Xi (1130–1200), his teachings were so influential that they were integrated into civil-service examination from approximately 1314 until 1905. He was a rather prolific writer, maintaining and defending his Confucian beliefs of social harmony and proper personal conduct. One of his most remembered
1824-485: The aftermath. It is also believed that Seonjo used this incident to weaken the Sarim's power. This incident put the Westerners in power, but did not last long because of intrigue involving the appointment of the crown prince. In an Easterner plot to make it seem the Westerners were attempting to murder Prince Sinseong, Jeong Cheol was exiled in 1591. Being the head Westerner figure in government, Jeong Cheol's exile put
1900-468: The belief that the universe could be understood through human reason, and that it was up to humanity to create a harmonious relationship between the universe and the individual. The rationalism of neo-Confucianism is in contrast to the mysticism of the previously dominant Chan Buddhism . Unlike the Buddhists, the neo-Confucians believed that reality existed, and could be understood by humankind, even if
1976-462: The court and arranging truce between Easterner Yi Bal and Westerner Jeong Cheol . After Yi I's death, however, the conflict between two factions became more intense as the Easterners impeached Shim Eui-gyeom and Jeong Cheol, leading to their dismissal, and gained upper hand. In 1589, Easterner Jeong Yeo-rip was accused of treason because he had formed a society with his supporters that met each month to study and receive military training. The history of
2052-439: The crown prince, soon to be Gyeongjong , rule the country as regent. He died in 1720 supposedly after telling Yi Yi-myoung to name Yeonying-gun as Kyungjong's heir, but in the absence of a historiographer or recorder. This would lead to yet another purge which led to the execution of four Noron leaders in 1721, followed by another purge with executions of eight Noron followers in 1722. Under the reigns of Yeongjo and Jeongjo in
2128-530: The dethronement of his mother resulting in the victory of the extremist Greater Northerners. During Prince Gwanghae's reign, Greater Northern faction split further and persecuted other factions until Southerners and Westerners joined their forces in a coup d'état that deposed Prince Gwanghae and placed Injo on the throne. With the Westerners back in power, Joseon politics entered more stable stage in which they competed with Southerners in relatively peaceful coexistence for about 100 years. But under Hyojong 's reign,
2204-698: The development of Japanese neo-Confucianism. In 1070, emperor Lý Thánh Tông opened first Confucius university in Hanoi named Văn Miếu . The Lý, Trần court expanded the Confucianism influences in Vietnamese Mandarin through year examinations, continued the model of Tang dynasty until being annexed by the Ming invaders in 1407. In 1460, emperor Lê Thánh Tông of Lê dynasty adopted Neo-Confucianism as Đại Việt's basic values. Neo-Confucianism became
2280-420: The early 16th century, Jo attempted to transform Joseon into an ideal neo-Confucian society with a series of radical reforms until he was executed in 1520. Despite this, neo-Confucianism soon assumed an even greater role in the Joseon dynasty. Soon neo-Confucian scholars, no longer content to only read and remember the Chinese original precepts, began to develop new neo-Confucian theories. Yi Hwang and Yi I were
2356-430: The equals of officials, capable of bottom-up collective action, constrained the authority of the local officials. Neo-Confucianism was a heterogeneous philosophical tradition, and is generally categorized into two different schools. In medieval China, the mainstream of neo-Confucian thought, dubbed the "Tao school", had long categorized a thinker named Lu Jiuyuan among the unorthodox, non-Confucian writers. However, in
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2432-415: The established Hungu faction , the Sarim faction suffered a series of bloody purges during the reigns of Yeonsangun , Jungjong , and Myeongjong . They enjoyed a brief period of power during Jungjong's reign through Kim Gueng-pil's disciple Jo Gwang-jo , who pursued radical reforms to transform Joseon into an idealistic neo-Confucian society. However, the Sarim faction, whose origin stems from denial of
2508-409: The imperial court and instead argued for more local autonomy and the creation of lateral, community-centred institutions for social improvement. These voluntary local literati organizations focused on local education and local relief instead of aligning with the requirements of government service or government officials. The growing numbers of literati who did not serve in government but saw themselves as
2584-480: The initial split of Sarim into the Western and Eastern factions, there was a large element of generational conflict. The Westerners were largely older Sarim scholars who had entered politics during Myeongjong 's (1545–1567) reign while the Easterners, led by Kim Hyo-won (김효원) were mainly a younger generation who had become officials in Seonjo 's reign and saw themselves uncorrupted by excesses of Myeongjong's era, which
2660-621: The interpretation of Confucianism whose mastery was necessary to pass the bureaucratic examinations by the Ming , and continued in this way through the Qing dynasty until the end of the Imperial examination system in 1905. However, many scholars such as Benjamin Elman have questioned the degree to which their role as the orthodox interpretation in state examinations reflects the degree to which both
2736-423: The interpretations of reality were slightly different depending on the school of neo-Confucianism. But the spirit of Neo-Confucian rationalism is diametrically opposed to that of Buddhist mysticism. Whereas Buddhism insisted on the unreality of things, Neo-Confucianism stressed their reality. Buddhism and Taoism asserted that existence came out of, and returned to, non-existence; Neo-Confucianism regarded reality as
2812-457: The legitimacy of Joseon dynasty, was vulnerable to Hungu's attacks because it questioned the legitimacy of King Sejo's usurpation and primarily engaged in the censorate role against the king and ministers. After four major purges that saw Jo Gwang-jo and many others executed, the Sarim scholars again retreated to rural villages where they continued to spread their philosophy through local schools called seowon and maintained their power base through
2888-546: The moderate Southern faction ( Nam-in ) and the Western factions split between the Old Doctrine ( Noron ) and the Young Doctrine ( Soron ). These factional splits grew out of allegiance to different philosophical schools and regional differences. For instance, the Eastern faction was largely Yeongnam -based, and its subfaction Southerners were mainly followers of Yi Hwang while Northerners coalesced around
2964-469: The most prominent of these new theorists. Yi Hwang's most prominent disciples were Kim Seong-il (金誠一, 1538–1593), Yu Seong-ryong (柳成龍 1542–1607) and Jeong Gu (한강 정구, 寒岡 鄭逑, 1543–1620), known as the "three heroes". They were followed by a second generation of scholars who included Jang Hyungwang (張顯光, 1554–1637) and Jang Heung-Hyo (敬堂 張興孝, 1564–1633), and by a third generation (including Heo Mok , Yun Hyu , Yun Seon-do and Song Si-yeol ) who brought
3040-650: The naming of Consort Jang's son as crown prince. Southern faction, who supported Consort Jang and her son, regained power and drove out Western faction, executing Song Siyeol in revenge. This is called Gisa hwangguk (기사환국). Five years later in 1694, Southern faction was planning another purge of Western faction, accusing them of conspiracy to reinstate deposed Queen Inhyeon, when Sukjong began to regret deposing Queen Inhyeon and favor Consort Suk of Choi clan (Consort Choi), an ally of Queen Inhyeon and Noron faction. Angry with Southern faction's attempt to purge Westerners, Sukjong abruptly turned around to purge Southerners and brought
3116-488: The neo-Confucian community, but overall, a system emerged that resembled both Buddhist and Taoist (Daoist) thought of the time and some of the ideas expressed in the I Ching (Book of Changes) as well as other yin yang theories associated with the Taiji symbol ( Taijitu ). A well known neo-Confucian motif is paintings of Confucius , Buddha , and Lao Tzu all drinking out of the same vinegar jar, paintings associated with
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3192-539: The neo-Confucianists borrowed terms and concepts. However, unlike the Buddhists and Taoists, who saw metaphysics as a catalyst for spiritual development, religious enlightenment, and immortality, the neo-Confucianists used metaphysics as a guide for developing a rationalist ethical philosophy. Neo-Confucianism has its origins in the Tang dynasty; the Confucianist scholars Han Yu and Li Ao are seen as forebears of
3268-499: The neo-Confucianists of the Song dynasty. The Song dynasty philosopher Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073) is seen as the first true "pioneer" of neo-Confucianism, using Taoist metaphysics as a framework for his ethical philosophy. Neo-Confucianism was both a revival of classical Confucianism, updated to align with the social values of the Song dynasty, and a reaction to the challenges of Buddhism and Taoism philosophy and religion which emerged during
3344-493: The neo-confucianism, the modern neo-Confucianism contributes the nation's emerging from the predicament faced by the ancient Chinese traditional culture in the process of modernization; furthermore, it also promotes the world culture of industrial civilization rather than the traditional personal senses. Myeongjong of Joseon Myeongjong ( Korean : 명종 ; Hanja : 明宗 ; 13 July 1534 – 12 August 1567), personal name Yi Hwan ( 이환 ; 李峘 ),
3420-456: The newly emerging ruling class called Sarim (사림, 士林) also split into political factions according to their diversity of neo-Confucian views on politics. There were two large factions and many subfactions. During the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) , many Korean neo-Confucian books and scholars were taken to Japan and influenced Japanese scholars such as Fujiwara Seika and affected
3496-400: The ninth king of Joseon, he invited Kim Chong-jik and his disciples, who came to be called Sarim scholars, to his court and supported their political growth. They primarily served in so-called Three Offices , from which challenged the entrenched "Hungu" officials, who accumulated great power and wealth by supporting King Sejo when he usurped the throne from his nephew. In their conflict with
3572-406: The policy of coexistence with Northerners and Westerners until its effort to reach peace agreement with Japan failed. The Northerners, now in power, split again over the proper successor to Seonjo, who had no legitimate son. Greater Northern faction supported Prince Gwanghae while Lesser Northern faction supported the newly born Grand Prince Yeongchang , with the death of Grand Prince Yeongchang and
3648-603: The populace. In the 19th century, Joseon politics shifted as in-law families rather than scholarly factions came to dominate the throne. For most of the 19th century, the Jangdong branch of the Andong Kim clan was in control of the government, which led to rampant corruption throughout the country. Sarim --> Neo-Confucian Neo-Confucianism ( Chinese : 宋明理學 ; pinyin : Sòng-Míng lǐxué , often shortened to lǐxué 理學, literally "School of Principle")
3724-435: The populace. Nevertheless, factional conflicts had some positive side effects as well. Compared to the late Jungjong and Myeonjong periods, corruption was limited since any faction engaged in excessive corruption would become an easy target for impeachment by its rival faction. Sukjong's reign, which saw some of the most intense factional struggles since Seonjo and Gwanghaegun 's time, was one of more prosperous periods for
3800-617: The radical political actions of low ranking samurai in the decades prior to the Meiji Restoration (1868), in which the Tokugawa shogunate (1600–1868) was overthrown. Defunct In Joseon Korea, neo-Confucianism was established as the state ideology. The Yuan occupation of the Korean Peninsula introduced Zhu Xi 's school of neo-Confucianism to Korea. Neo-Confucianism was introduced to Korea by An Hyang during
3876-479: The rigid nature of their philosophical interpretations. Sarim philosophy, which was progressive in Jo Gwang-jo 's time, became very conservative and fundamentalist over time. The power struggle between these factions were marked by bloody purges with each change of power and resulted in a vicious cycle of revenge. The minor issues that divided these factions distracted the officials from real problems that affected
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#17327799681013952-410: The royal authority. With each change of government, which was called hwanguk (환국 換局), literally turn of the state, the losing faction was completely driven out of politics with executions and exiles. Sukjong at first sided with the Southern faction, but in 1680, Huh Jeok was accused of treason by Western faction, which led to execution of Huh Jeok and Yoon Hyu and purge of Southern faction. This incident
4028-538: The ruling class and rooting out corruption of earlier period while Westerners emphasized reforms that would strengthen the country and improve livelihood. (Easterners blamed Shim Eui-gyeom's ill-willed opposition to Kim Hyo-won's appointment at a key position in Ministry of Personnel for split while Westerners blamed Easterner's self-righteous attack.) Yi I attempted to prevent the factional split by appointing Shim Eui-gyeom and Kim Hyo-won to provincial posts far away from
4104-599: The school into the 18th century But neo-Confucianism became so dogmatic in a relatively rapid time that it prevented much needed socioeconomic development and change, and led to internal divisions and criticism of many new theories regardless of their popular appeal. For instance, Wang Yangming 's theories, which were popular in the Chinese Ming dynasty , were considered heresy and severely condemned by Korean neo-Confucianists. Furthermore, any annotations on Confucian canon different from Zhu Xi were excluded. Under Joseon,
4180-598: The school of Jo Shik. Gyeonggi and the Chungcheong -based Western faction were largely followers of Yi I , of which the followers of Seong Hon then split to form the Soron faction, while Song Siyeol 's followers became the Noron faction. These divisions were often further driven by questions concerning royal succession or appropriate royal conduct. The factions were often named after the location of their leader's house. In
4256-741: The second Lu–Wang school , combined, form the true mainstream of neo-Confucianism instead of the Cheng–Zhu school. The mainstream represented a return to the teachings of Confucius , Mengzi , the Doctrine of the Mean and the Commentaries of the Book of Changes . The Cheng–Zhu school was therefore only a minority branch based on the Great Learning and mistakenly emphasized intellectual studies over
4332-521: The second sister-in-law to Queen Munjeong. Yun Won-hyeong allowed corruption to flourish in the government. And while the kingdom was unstable, Jurchens , Japanese , and rebellious troops rampaged at will and threatened the government itself. Rebel leader Im Kkeok-jeong was arrested and executed in 1552, but outside invasion continued; the Joseon Dynasty had to re-mobilize its army and navy along to protect its borders. Myeongjong tried to reform
4408-546: The slogan "The three teachings are one!" While neo-Confucianism incorporated Buddhist and Taoist ideas, many neo-Confucianists strongly opposed Buddhism and Taoism. Indeed, they rejected the Buddhist and Taoist religions. One of Han Yu 's most famous essays decries the worship of Buddhist relics . Nonetheless, neo-Confucian writings adapted Buddhist thoughts and beliefs to the Confucian interest. In China , neo-Confucianism
4484-512: The study of sagehood. Zhu Xi's formulation of the neo-Confucian world view is as follows. He believed that the Tao ( Chinese : 道 ; pinyin : dào ; lit. 'way') of Tian ( Chinese : 天 ; pinyin : tiān ; lit. 'heaven') is expressed in principle or li ( Chinese : 理 ; pinyin : lǐ ), but that it is sheathed in matter or qi ( Chinese : 氣 ; pinyin : qì ). In this, his system
4560-494: The system of Hyang'yak . While the Hungu faction declined over the years without any ideological successor to replace it, the Sarim faction maintained its identity through the "martydom" of the earlier generation and came to dominate court politics during the reign of King Seonjo in the latter half of the 16th century. By then, Sarim philosophy coalesced around the teachings of the philosophers Yi Hwang and Yi I . From that time,
4636-446: The time and many, predominantly from the middle class and disillusioned with the excesses of organized religion (namely Buddhism) and the old nobility, embraced neo-Confucianism. The newly rising neo-Confucian intellectuals were leading groups aimed at the overthrow of the old (and increasingly foreign-influenced) Goryeo dynasty. After the fall of Goryeo and the establishment of the Joseon dynasty by Yi Song-gye in 1392, neo-Confucianism
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#17327799681014712-614: The vehicles of knowledge such as Classics or literary writing rather than the "values that all should share," They claimed that "later" Confucians focused on correct governance (found in the canonical texts) to the exclusion of "correct learning," the necessary basis for moral order. Their ideal of moral order, which could be inculcated by scholars outside of government, stood in contrast with previous ideas of moral instruction by ruling authorities. Neo-Confucians could be distinguished by their stronger concern with personal ethics and morals. Politically, Neo-Confucians also opposed centralization in
4788-442: Was jingzuo ( Chinese : 靜坐 ; pinyin : jìngzuò ; lit. 'quiet sitting'), a practice that strongly resembles Chan (Zen) meditation , or zuochan ( Japanese : 座禅 ; Chinese : 坐禪 ; pinyin : zuòchán ; lit. 'seated meditation'). Wang Yangming developed the idea of innate knowing , arguing that every person knows from birth the difference between good and evil . Such knowledge
4864-567: Was a third cousin once removed of Yun Brothers.) Greater Yun took power in 1544, when Injong succeeded Jungjong; but they failed to wipe out their opposition, since Queen Munjeong protected the Lesser Yun faction and other opposition officials. After the death of Injong in 1545, Lesser Yun replaced Greater Yun as the majority in the royal court and brutally ousted their adversaries in the Fourth Literati Purge of 1545 . Yun Im
4940-438: Was an effective administrator, distributing to the common people land formerly owned by the nobility. However, she held on to rule even after the king reached his majority at the age of 20. After the death of Queen Munjeong in 1565, the king decided to rule the kingdom by himself and had his uncle, Yun Won-hyeong, put to death, along with his second wife Jeong Nan-jeong, who also rose to power due to her close friendship and being
5016-465: Was an officially recognized creed from its development during the Song dynasty until the early twentieth century, and lands in the sphere of Song China ( Vietnam , Korea , and Japan ) were all deeply influenced by neo-Confucianism for more than half a millennium. Neo-Confucianism is a social and ethical philosophy using metaphysical ideas, some borrowed from Taoism, as its framework. The philosophy can be characterized as humanistic and rationalistic, with
5092-433: Was considered a barbarian government (as opposed to Ming Dynasty ) that threatened Joseon's national security. The Southern faction, led by Huh Jeok and Yoon Hyu, supported war against the Qing while the Western faction wanted to focus first on improving domestic conditions. Under Sukjong's reign the factional fight became more intense and deadly since Sukjong frequently replaced factions in power with another one to strengthen
5168-481: Was considered the eldest son while a 9-month period would suggest that Hyojong was considered not the eldest son, following the rules that governed the yangban class. In other words, the Western faction viewed the royal family as the first of the yangban class rather than a separate class for which different rules applied. The two factions were also in conflict over the issue on fighting the Qing Dynasty , which
5244-470: Was executed, as were many of his followers. The Lesser Yun faction continued to attack their opposition. In 1546, Yun Won-hyeong impeached his older brother, Yun Won-ro, who was executed a few days later along with his followers. Facing no opposition from the government, Yun Won-hyeong became Minister of Personnel 이조판서 in 1548, Left State Councilor in 1551 and ultimately Chief State Councilor 영의정 in 1563. Despite Yun Won-hyeong's violent rule, Queen Munjeong
5320-519: Was installed as the state ideology. Buddhism, and organized religion in general, was considered poisonous to the neo-Confucian order. Buddhism was accordingly restricted and occasionally persecuted by Joseon. As neo-Confucianism encouraged education, a number of neo-Confucian schools (서원 seowon and 향교 hyanggyo ) were founded throughout the country, producing many scholars including Jo Gwang-jo (조광조, 趙光祖; 1482–1520), Yi Hwang (이황, 李滉; pen name Toegye 퇴계, 退溪; 1501–1570) and Yi I (이이, 李珥; 1536–1584). In
5396-640: Was marred by his maternal uncle Yoon Won-hyeong 's corruption. The Westerners were led by Shim Eui-gyeom (심의겸), Myeongjong's brother-in-law whose house was on the west of the palace. Although Sarim scholars were usually hostile to royal in-laws as a corrupting influence, Shim was Yi Hwang 's disciple and protected Sarim scholars by impeaching his uncle who was planning another literati purge. In addition, many Westerners were disciples of Yi I and Seong Hon and followers of Giho school while many Easterners were disciples of Yi Hwang and Jo Shik and followers of Youngnam School. Easterners emphasized moral purification of
5472-586: Was not a secret society as it helped the local government in the fight against the Japanese marauders. On the other hand, it appears that Jeong truly had revolutionary ideas that were close to republicanism. He believed that the world was something to be shared and therefore could not have one master. His group, called "Great Common Society"(대동계), could be joined by anyone regardless of his social status, and it spread throughout Honam province and to other regions as well. Jeong Yeo-rip committed suicide after his arrest
5548-739: Was ordered, which was considered the admission of guilt, and letters of Easterners were discovered in his house. Jeong Cheol , famous poet and head of the Western faction, was in charge of investigating the case and used his authority to start the widespread purge of Easterners during the Treason Case of 1589 who had slightest connection with Jeong Yeo-rip. According to Easterners' accounts, Jeong Cheol tortured even 80-year-old mother and 8-year-old son of Yi Bal, leader of Eastern faction. According to Westerners' accounts, Jeong Cheol tried heroically to save Yi Bal and Choe Yeong-gyeong from Seonjo's wrath. In any event, 1,000 Easterners were killed or exiled in
5624-658: Was the 13th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea . He was the second son of King Jungjong , born to Queen Munjeong . He ascended to the throne in 1545 at the age of 12 following the death of his elder half-brother, King Injong . Since he was too young to govern, his mother became regent . There were two political factions at the time Myeongjong came to power; Greater Yun, headed by Yun Im , Injong 's maternal uncle, and Lesser Yun, headed by Myeongjong's maternal uncles, Yun Won-hyeong and Yun Wonro. (Yun Im and Yun Brothers were close relatives by that period's standards - Yun Im
5700-525: Was the book Family Rituals , where he provided detailed advice on how to conduct weddings, funerals, family ceremonies, and the veneration of ancestors. Buddhist thought soon attracted him, and he began to argue in Confucian style for the Buddhist observance of high moral standards. He also believed that it was important to practical affairs that one should engage in both academic and philosophical pursuits, although his writings are concentrated more on issues of theoretical (as opposed to practical) significance. It
5776-713: Was unconnected with reality. The Confucian canon as it exists today was essentially compiled by Zhu Xi . Zhu codified the canon of Four Books (the Great Learning , the Doctrine of the Mean , the Analects of Confucius, and the Mencius ) which in the subsequent Ming and Qing dynasties were made the core of the official curriculum for the civil service examination. In the 1920s, New Confucianism , also known as modern neo-Confucianism, started developing and absorbed
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