This is the fifth installment of AJP’s “Spiritual Asia” series exploring the religious traditions and philosophical foundations that have shaped Asia’s spiritual consciousness. This chapter turns to the ancient texts of Hinduism — the Vedas and Upanishads — and their enduring ideas on cosmos, consciousness and the nature of existence in the emerging AI era.
In the 21st century, humanity once again stands before its oldest questions.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is learning human language, robots are replacing human labor, and algorithms are encroaching upon the realm of human judgment. Yet, as technology advances, humans find themselves asking even more fundamental questions.
Who are we?
Where did we come from?
What do we live for?
And where are we going?
Over the past three installments, we examined the massive roots of Asian spirituality through Indian Hinduism. The Vedas sang of the origins of the universe, the Upanishads explored the divinity within humans, and the Bhagavad Gita presented a path to practicing truth in everyday life.
What answer, then, did the Korean people provide? For thousands of years, the Korean people have asked these same questions.
And the answers remain within Korea's unique spiritual tradition, passed down through the Cheonbugyeong (The Heavenly Code), Samil Singo (The Teachings of the Three-in-One God), and Chamjeongyegyeong (The Classic of the Heavenly Way).
The religion that revived this spirit in the modern era is Daejonggyo.
Today, Daejonggyo is often understood merely as a religion, but in truth, it was a cultural and national spiritual movement aimed at restoring the primordial spirit of the Korean people.
On January 15, 1909 (lunar calendar), patriot Na Cheol revived Dangungyo and renamed it Daejonggyo. At the time, the Korean Empire was on the brink of losing its national sovereignty, and Japanese imperialism was attempting to obliterate the history and spirit of the Korean people.
Na Cheol believed that a nation's soul collapses even before it falls to guns and swords. He believed that spiritual independence was necessary before political independence. Thus, he reestablished Dangun not merely as the founding father of the nation, but as the symbol of the Korean people's spirit. He sought to give back the answer to the question "Who are we?" to a people who had lost their country.
The central scriptures of Daejonggyo are the Cheonbugyeong, Samil Singo, and Chamjeongyegyeong.
Among them, the Cheonbugyeong is a short scripture consisting of only 81 characters. However, it is considered to encapsulate the creation of the universe, the meaning of human existence, and the principles of nature and life. While various academic opinions exist regarding the exact date of its creation, Daejonggyo and the national religious community have long respected it as a spiritual heritage passed down through the ages.
The first sentence of the Cheonbugyeong is highly famous.
"Il-si-mu-si-il (一始無始一)"
It means that One is the beginning, yet it is a beginningless One.
It implies that all existence in the universe originates from One and ultimately returns to One.
Interestingly, this bears a certain resemblance to the concept of Brahman in the Hindu Upanishads. The Upanishads explain that all beings in the universe emerge from a single source and ultimately return to it.
The Cheonbugyeong goes on to say:
"Il-seok-sam-geuk-mu-jin-bon (一析三極無盡本)"
This means that One divides into three, and those three become the inexhaustible root of all things.
This also connects to the Korean cosmic view that flows through Hwanin, Hwanung, and Dangun.
Hwanin symbolizes the foundational existence of heaven (God).
Hwanung is a being who descended to the human world carrying the will of heaven—similar to a figure like Jesus.
And Dangun is the figure who connected heaven and humanity, establishing a nation based on the ideal of Hongik Ingan. To put it simply, seeing as the title was passed down through 47 generations of Danguns, one could compare this role to that of the Pope in Catholicism.
The story connecting Hwanin, Hwanung, and Dangun is not mere mythology.
Within it lies the unique worldview of the Korean people, wherein heaven, nature, and humanity are interconnected in a single order.
This leads to the belief—much like the Indian concepts of Brahman and Atman—that the nature of heaven resides within humans as well.
However, Korean spirituality takes this one step further.
While Indian spirituality placed a major emphasis on individual enlightenment and liberation (Moksha), Korean spirituality placed greater emphasis on a life that benefits the community and the world.
The core of this is Hongik Ingan (弘益人間).
To broadly benefit humanity.
This short phrase can be considered the essence of the Korean people's spiritual culture.
Humans are not beings who reach perfection in isolation. Only when individuals fulfill their roles within a community and benefit the world do they truly complete the meaning of their existence.
The Samil Singo states that divinity exists within humans. The Chamjeongyegyeong details the ethics and virtues people must uphold in life.
And Hongik Ingan explains the ultimate purpose behind all these teachings.
In short, Korean spirituality is a spirit that looks toward heaven without turning its back on the world.
In fact, Daejonggyo became one of the spiritual centers of the independence movement during the Japanese colonial period.
During the March 1st Movement in 1919, while Cheondogyo, Christianity, and Buddhism played central roles within the religious community, Daejonggyo also actively participated in declarations of independence and anti-Japanese movements nationwide and in Manchuria. Notably, independence army organizations in Manchuria and North Gando maintained extremely close ties with Daejonggyo.
General Kim Jwa-jin, the hero of the Battle of Qingshanli, worked closely with Daejonggyo leaders to train the independence army and lead armed anti-Japanese struggles.
General Hong Beom-do also interacted with Daejonggyo factions, sharing in this national spirit. To the independence fighters, Daejonggyo was not simply a religion.
It was the answer to the question, "Who are we?"
It served as the spiritual foundation that, before they even picked up their guns to fight, reminded them that they were the descendants of Dangun and a free people.
Kim Gu also interacted extensively with Daejonggyo figures during the independence movement, highly evaluating the importance of a national spirit centered on Dangun. Baekbeom (Kim Gu's pen name) emphasized the nation's soul and historical consciousness, forming a deep consensus with the spiritual world pursued by Daejonggyo in this regard.
Looking back, Daejonggyo was not just a religion. It was a spiritual movement meant to protect the nation's soul in an era when the country was lost.
The heavenly origin symbolized by Hwanin, the harmony of heaven, earth, and humanity symbolized by Hwanung, and the ideal of Hongik Ingan symbolized by Dangun became a spiritual power stronger than guns and swords for the independence activists.
Today, we are once again living in an era of massive civilizational transition.
AI is imitating human intelligence. However, it cannot completely replace human conscience, love, responsibility, and sacrifice.
It is precisely at this juncture that the Cheonbugyeong, Samil Singo, Chamjeongyegyeong, and the spirit of Daejonggyo come alive once more.
They are not relics of the past.
They are questions directed toward the future.
The questions posed by Indian sages through the Vedas 5,000 years ago and those posed by Korean ancestors through the Cheonbugyeong are ultimately the same.
Who are we?
Why do we exist?
And what does it mean to be human?
As the AI era deepens, ancient wisdom that questions the human soul will become even more precious.
That is exactly why today, we must read the Cheonbugyeong again, look back on Daejonggyo, and reflect on the Korean people's spirit of heaven.
Truth, justice, and freedom always outlast technology. And that pursuit of truth, which began thousands of years ago in the Vedas and the Cheonbugyeong, continues once again in our lives today.
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