| Kwon Geun | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 권근 |
| Hanja | 權近 |
| Revised Romanization | Kwon Geun |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kwŏn Kŭn |
| Pen name | |
| Hangul | 양촌 |
| Hanja | 陽村 |
| Revised Romanization | Yangchon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yangch’on |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | 가원,사숙 |
| Hanja | 可遠,思叔 |
| Revised Romanization | Gaweon,Sasuk |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kawŏn, Sasuk |
| Posthumous name | |
| Hangul | 문충 |
| Hanja | 文忠 |
| Revised Romanization | Munchung |
| McCune–Reischauer | Munch‘ung |
Kwon Geun (1352–1409) was a Korean Neo-Confucian scholar at the dawn of the Joseon Dynasty, and a student of Yi Saek. He was one of the first Neo Confucian scholars of the Joseon dynasty, and had a lasting influence on the rise of Neo Confucianism in Korea.
Contents |
Kwon Geun (1352–1409) was a Korean Neo-Confucian scholar at the time of change from Goryeo dynasty (during which Buddhism was a prominent philosophy) to Joseon.[1] He was a member of the Andong Kwŏn clan that was very influential in the Goryeo court. He was a student of Yi Saek, and passed the first level of civil service examinations at the age of fourteen. He later went to Yuan China, and during his six years stay there he passed the second and the third level examinations. After his return to Korea, he became associated with the loyalist fraction, and was exiled in 1389 for his defense of the loyalist minister Yi Sungin (1349–1392). While in exile he got involved in the fraction’s attempt to prevent the rise of Yi Seonggye, by alerting the Ming Dynasty. His was acquitted when a flood that stopped the trial was accepted as an omen. A year later he returned from his exile and retired to the village of Yangchon, on which he based his pen name. However, king Taejo (R. 1392 - 1398) convinced him to devote his talent for the new dynasty.[2]
At first, resentment from Jeong Do-jeon's fraction kept his role minimal, but Jeong Do-jeon and many of his colleagues were wiped out during the succession straggle of 1398. From that point until his death, Kwŏn Kŭn became the most important scholar in the government. During this time Kwŏn Kŭn directed the education system back toward literary accomplishments.
Kwon Geun lived and served during the dynastic change, and became eventually one of the architects of the Neo-Confucian ideology that provided both reasoning for the change, and ideological framework for the Joseon literati. He introduced Zhu Xi to the Korean audience, and his writings served as the basis for future scholars.
Among his writing on Neo Confucianism, the most influential is probably the Iphak toseol (Diagrammatic Treatise for Entering upon Learning). He created this book for some students who came with questions in 1390 while he was in exile. He also wrote commentaries on the Book of Rites – A task entrusted by Yi Saek. He rearranged the text and added his own commentaries as well as those of Chinese contemporaries. The work began in 1391 but ended only in 1404. Unfortunately his commentaries on the other classics are lost now.Kwon Geun developed a theory of ritual and emphasized the role of ritual in social order. He rearranged the Classic of Music, taking the first part as the original and the second part as a commentary.[3]
Kwŏn Kŭn was a prolific writer, and he is also known for his contributions to several anti Buddhist texts, including his preface to Jeong Do-jeon’s Pulssi chappyeon (Arguments Against Mr. Buddha), as well as a contribution to the standardization of the sacrifices to pacify restless spirits.[4]