Yi I

From New World Encyclopedia
This is a Korean name; the family name is Yi.
Yi I
Hangul 이이
Hanja 李珥
Revised Romanization I I
McCune-Reischauer I I
Pen name
Hangul 율곡
Hanja 栗谷
Revised Romanization Yulgok
McCune-Reischauer Yulgok


Courtesy name
Hangul 숙헌
Hanja 叔獻
Revised Romanization Suk Heon
McCune-Reischauer Suk Hŏn



Yi I (1536-1584), Yulgok according to his pen name, which means("Chestnut valley"), is as great as Yi Hwang T'oegye (1501-1570). The two lived in the same period and met in 1558 when T'oegye was at the peak of his notoriety. However T'oegye recognized the talent of the young scholar, remembering Confucius's words that you should respect young peole for what they may become in the future. T'oegye and Yulgok exchanged letters and when the Master who just completed "The Ten Diagrams of Sage Learning" passed away, Yulgok expressed in a moving way his admiration for this gentle figure who had showed a very profound research and an exemplar right behavior within difficult circumstances.

T'oegye is much more known for having developed Zhu Xi's Thought in Korea and set the path of Korean-Neo-Confucianism leading the reflection on specific questions like the mind-and-heart in his famous Four-Seven Debate. He is maybe the most studied Korean philosopher internationally since 30 years and in 2001 on his 500 years birth anniversary an important international gathering took place in Andong in his honour. Yulgok is less known although he is very admired by the Koreans. The first major conference on Yulgok took place in 1984 in the Academy of Korean Studies, Seoul, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of his death.

Yulgok came from the area of Kangnung on the Eastern coast near the Eastern sea below the mountain ranges of the Kangwon area. These landscapes had a profond impact on Yulgok who always loved the infinity of the sea and the steep, rocky cliffs as it is reflected in many of his poems.

Yulgok crossed a relatively short life of 48 years at a high pace exhausting his strength by an intense research and a tirless dedication to the nation. When he died he was quite poor, like Confucius, but the king stopped his activities for thre days to grieve him. At the moment of his death King Sonjo (1567-1608) had named him again minister of home affairs. He previously had served as minister of home affairs (1581), minister of justice (1582), and minister of defense (1583).

Sonjo grieving for Yulgok remembered well the "Songhakchipyo" or "Anthology of Wisdom Learning" that Yulgok wrote for him in 1575 to guide him in his duties of a young king. This enormous work is the quintessence of the Confucian wisdom accompanied by remarkable philosophical insights of Yulgok.

As the Western approach often draws a clear separation between roles and fields, from the early history Asians have developed flexible relations between politics, philosophy and arts. Consequently Yulgok was not just a brilliant state man, he was a philosopher, a poet and an educator. He had furthermore interests in medicine, economy, military affairs, having already a kind of encyclopaedic mind. That is why he he was admired by the Korean Sirhak scholars like Yi Ik and Tasan in the 18-19th centuries.

The role of a mother is often important in the maturation of a great man. The mothers of both Confucius and Mencius are famous in Asia. In Korea Shin Saimdang remained examplar for having guided her son in education, the classics, poetry, calligraphy but also for her own creativity for example in painting. As the father of Yulgok was often on duty in Seoul a special bond mother-son developed and when in 1551 Yulgok suddenly lost his mother it was a terrible shock.

At the age of 15 he had already absorbed the majority of the Confucian classics but now he was facing death. According to the Confucian tradition he stopped all actiiites to mourn for his mother during three years. In his deep sadness he went to the diamond mountains, kumgangsan and intensely meddtated and read numerous texts of Neo-Confucianism, Zen Buddhism and Taoism. In 1554 he went further and felt attracted by Buddhism. He chose to have the experience of Zen meditation and monastic life for one year.

From that period Yulgok kept an open mind that was not usual ammong Korean Neo-Confucians. It is known that Koreans have a stronger sense of orthodoxy than the Japanese and even the Chinese. Although Yulgok was a Neo-Confucian he complained that many scholars had lost the true Confucian spirit. He was ready to recognize other thoughts like those of Taoism and Wang Yang-ming, which was not accepted at that time.

Similarly to Ch'oe Ch'i-won in the 9th century, Yulgok was in fact looking for the highest truth, for grasping more about the mystery of life and death, about the mystery of man and of the cosmos. He went as far as he could in Buddhist meditation but realized that he had some duty to fulfill in his life especially in relation to the improvement of society. That is what decided him to come back to the secular world in 1556. After numerous hesitations he chose the Confucian way and wrote his famous "Letter of Resolution.”In his new beginning he emphasized the importance of setting the will, ipchi, concept which he kept throughout his life. The will is a crucial philosophical problem and without it one cannot reach any accomplishment, which became essential for Yulgok, either Self-accomplishment or social accomplishment.

The point of departure of thinking was for Yulgok nature, the cosmos, that is why his philosophy is called sometimes a philosophy of the ki/qi, vital energy. Yulgok has been presented sometimes as a materialistic thinker, which is not correct. A true appreciation of Yulgok needs a correct understanding of Neo-Confucianism and a precise reading od Yulgok's works. Some schools of Neo-Confucianism privileged the li/i principle dimension of existence with the limitation of neglecting the concrete life. Yulgok, while emphasizing reality, qi/ki, wanted to keep the value of principles. Furtherfore he was looking how to harmnonize these two dimensions expressed by i and that whe find in spiirtual and material, mind and body.

Yulgok manifested the strength of his thinking at the young age of 22 in 1558 with two works that have been praised in China. These works both show an intense experience of nature, the profound meditation in relation to Buddhism and Taoism and an extraordinary knowledge of Confucian classics, and in particular of the "Book of Changes".

The Ch'ondo ch'aek or Essay on the Tao of Heaven is a philosophcial meditation with poetic accents on what is moving all beings and is bringing harmony within the universe.

"The action of the eminent Heaven cannot be heard or smelt. Its principles are hidden but its symbols are clear. Everyone who understands this is able to speak about the Tao of Heaven." (Ch'ondo ch'aek)

The Yoksu ch'aek or Essay on the Changes and the numbers combines Yulgok's knowledge of the Chinese classic and his profound Ontological experience. Yulgok was fascinated by the changes at work in the universe. Beyond all the commentaries existing on the Yijing he wanted to reach the mind of the first sages who composed this classic. He wanted also to pierce the relation between man and the cosmos.

"Heaven and Earth are waiting for a sage and then show him the numbers. The sage waits for the writings and then presents to people the principles. Heaven cannot but make rise a sage and cannot but transmit to him the writings. Such is the natural correspondence. The communication between Heaven and man is very subtile." Yoksu ch'aek)

In this work he expressed his longing for the unity underlying the relation of the two main forces at work in the universe that one one finds in various concepts as the yin-yang, qian-kun, li-qi.

"A unique principle unites, two qi/ki evolve. The immensity of the universe and the che change of all beings, nothing is done without the mysterious relation between the li and he qi." (Yoksu ch'aek)


Regularly Yulgok wrote poetry on nature not just to express aesthetic emotions but to convey philosophical impressions that are not always easy to convey through pure concepts. That is why the study of his poems is fruitful to understand his philosophy.

         "During a winter solstice evening at midnight, the yang starts moving.
          It is difficult to express the mysterious imension of Heaven's heart.
          When the earth shakes at the sound of thunder,
          Kindle a newe fire in the middle of the night
          And stay without falling asleep,
          Silently thinking of the mysterious foundation."
                                          (Yulgok's Poetry, "Writing one's inmost thoughts on a winter solstice evening)

For Yulgok what is basic in the universe remains hidden but at the same time on lcose consideration it is clearly manifest. There exists a deep correspondence between the world of essence and the world of phenomena. This onto-metaphysical research for him was not foreign to an ethical quest. The East has never disconnected Ontology and Eyhics.

References

Philippe Thiebault, "Yi I, Yulgok (11536-1584), A path to maturation and fulfillment, poetry, philosophy and wisdom", Royal Asiatic Society, Korea Branch, transactions, volume 74-1999, p.59-85


At the age of 29, Yi I passed a higher Civil Service examination—with full marks—and he started government service. His winning thesis, titled Cheondochaek, was widely regarded as a literary masterpiece, displaying his knowledge of history and the Confucian philosophy of politics, and also reflecting his profound knowledge of Taoism.

At 34, Yi I authored "Dongho Mundap", an eleven article treatise devoted to clarifying his conviction that righteous government could be achieved even within his own lifetime, showing his aspirations and also measures to achieve it.

He is also well-known for his foresight about the national security of Joseon Dynasty. He proposed to draft and raise 100,000 men against possible Japanese attack. Rejected by central government, his worry was found to be well-founded soon after his death, when Hideyoshi Toyotomi's Japanese forces invaded Korea in 1592. The "Yulgok Project", a recent modernization project for the South Korean military, was named after him.

According to a legend, he had a villa built near the ford of the Imjin River in his lifetime and instructed his heirs to set it ablaze when the king had to flee northward from Seoul, to provide a guiding beacon. This took place during Hideyoshi's Invasions of Korea in 1592. (see Battle of the Imjin River (1592))

Reference

  • Haboush, JaHyun Kim, and Martina Deuchler, eds. Culture and the State in Late Choson Korea. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999.

See also

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