Haneullim
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Haneullim ("Lord of Heaven"), also spelled Hanalnim, Hananim, Hanunim, Hwanin (in the Dangun myth), also called Sangje, Sangjenim ("Highest Emperor") or simply Haneul ("Heaven") or Cheon ("Heaven", in Sino-Korean), or Cheonsin ("God of Heaven"),[1] is the concept of God in Korean Sinism—the Korean native religion and shamanism[2]—, and in other religions derived from it (for example Cheondoism and Jeungsanism).[3] In some sects he is called Okhwangsangje ("Great Jade Emperor" or "Great Shining Emperor").
Haneullim etymologically means "source [im, in] of all being [haneul, hwan]", indicating the fountain of the universe, the supreme being, the supreme mind.[4] Scholars say that this belief is the heart of all religions in Korea, and it is deeply rooted in the mind of the Korean people.[5]
Dangun myth
In Korean myth, Dangun is the son of Hwanin, the "Heavenly King" and initiator of the Korean nation,[6] as well as ancestor of all mudang.[7]
The myth starts with prince Hwanung ("Heavenly Prince"), son of Hwanin. The prince asked his father to grant him government over Korea.[8] Hwanin accepted, and Hwanung was sent to Earth bearing three Heavenly Seals and accompanied by three thousand followers.[9] The prince arrived under the holy tree of sandalwood on the holy mountain, where he founded his holy city.[10]
At the time of his reign, a bear and a tiger were living in a cave near the humans, praying earnestly that their wish might be granted.[11] The bear patiently endured weariness and hunger, and after twenty-one days she was transformed into a beautiful woman, while the tiger ran away for it could not tolerate the effort.[12] The woman was overjoyed, and visiting the sandalwood she prayed that she might become the mother of a child.[13]
Her wish was appreciated, so that she became the queen and gave birth to a prince who was given the royal name of Dangun, the "Sandalwood King".[14] Dangun reigned as the first human king of Korea, giving the kingdom the name of Joseon, "Land of the Morning Calm".[15]
Dangun was the first shaman, intermediary between the human plain and Haneullim, to whom he worshipped and prayed on the behalf of his people.[16] Also the importance of the worship of other ancestors and gods is a mean of communion with the fountain of the universe, Haneullim.[17] The name Dangun might be derived from the Siberian Tengri;[18] in some provinces of Korea the shaman is still called nowadays Tangol Tangol-ari.[19] Later in the myth Dangun becomes the Sansin, the "God of the Mountain" (of growth, prosperity).[20]
Haneullim trinity
Sinist theology contains a triune idea of God in the myth of Dangun, the third form of Hwanin.[21] With Dangun as Sansin, the godly trinity of the Korean religion represents three generations of Haneullim, the Heavenly King.[22] Hwanin represents the transcendent source, with "haneul", "hwan" indicating "being" or the "Heaven", and "im", "in" the cause of it.[23] Hwanung, second form of Hwanin, is the god of the middle realm; he occupies the central realm between Heaven and Earth.[24]
Dangun, the "Sandalwood King", is the god of the Earth.[25] As Sansin, the "God of the Mountain", he represents the center of the cosmos reaching up to Heaven.[26] Where the heavenly princely lineage was incarnated, the "cosmic mountain" was formed, and the sandalwood became the "holy tree", all aspects fundamental to the shamanic experiences as Mircea Eliade highlights.[27] The concept is also explained in terms of Hwanin the God-Father creator of the universe, Hwanung the God-Teacher or the order of nature, and Dangun the God-King, the human king who directs the kingdom according to the natural order, making well-being.[28]
See also
References
- ↑ All names listed: Sung-wook Hong, 2009. p. 39
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
- ↑ Sung-wook Hong, 2009. p. 39
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 13
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 17
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 17
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 17
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. pp. 17-18
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. pp. 16-18
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. pp. 18-19
- ↑ Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 19
- ↑ Lee Chi-ran, pp. 13-14
Sources
- Jung Young Lee. Korean Shamanistic Rituals. Mouton De Gruyter, 1981. ISBN 9027933782
- Lee Chi-ran. Chief Director, Haedong Younghan Academy. The Emergence of National Religions in Korea.
- Sung-wook Hong. Naming God in Korea. Wipf & Stock, 2009. ISBN 160608626X