소태산 박중빈의 정신개벽 사상과 변혁적 중도주의 (Sotaesan Park Jung-bin's Thought of the Great Opening of Spirit and the Ideas of Transformative Middle Way)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 원광대학교 원불교사상연구원
· 수록지 정보 : 원불교사상과 종교문화 / 101호 / 9 ~ 39페이지
· 저자명 : 허석

초록

이 글은 원불교를 창립한 소태산 박중빈의 정신개벽 사상을 변혁적 중도주의의 관점에서 새롭게 고찰한 것이다. 소태산은 근대 자본주의 문명의 도래와 식민지 현실을 배경으로 새로운 삶의 비전을 제시한 종교지도자요 사상가다. 식민체제에서 진행된 소태산의 종교운동은 철저하게 자력양성을 위주로 했고, 약자인 조선 민중들이 강자로 진급하는 길을 이소성대(以小成大)의 마음으로 밟아나갔다. 강자와 약자가 서로 진화하는 자리이타법이란 물질개벽으로 급격하게 발전되어가는 모든 바깥 문명을 바르게 사용하는 용심법(用心法)이며, 수양・연구・취사의 삼학을 병진하되 불의를 제거하고 정의를 실행하는 취사를 결실로 하는 마음공부는 중도적 실천을 가능케 하는 체제변혁의 공부길이라 할 수 있다. 이러한 소태산의 정신개벽 사상은 후천개벽이라는 더 큰 변혁의 과제, 즉 자본주의 세계체제를 변혁하는 목표 아래 전 생령을 구원하고자 했기에 일제하에서의 과격한 방법을 배제했을 뿐 그 노선은 분명 ‘변혁적 중도주의’라 할 수 있다. 사회적 변혁과 개인의 수행을 병진하는 공부길과 자리이타를 통해 영원한 강자로 진화하는 길을 제시한 소태산의 정신개벽 사상은 지금 우리의 분단된 현실을 변혁하는 중도적 실천노선으로 재평가되어야 한다.

영어초록

This paper examines Sotaesan Park Jung-bin’s thought of the Great Opening of Spirit from the perspective of the Ideas of the Transformative Middle Way. As a religious leader and thinker, Sotaesan presented a new vision of life amongst the backdrop of the advent of modern capitalist civilization and the colonial occupation of Korea. Through his guiding principle, "With this Great Opening of matter, Let there be a Great Opening of spirit," he advocated the Great Opening of Spirit, proposing spiritual awakening and a new perspective of civilization to overcome the crises brought by material development. Sotaesan’s thought of the Great Opening of Spirit inherited ‘the Later Day’s Great Opening’(huch'ŏn kae-byŏk) of korea, yet sought to advance it by achieving spiritual enlightenment that corresponds to material civilization. He placed the Buddhist worldview at the core of his thought, engaging in a critical reflection and precise analysis of modern capitalist civilization to discern its problems and subsequently plan a new religious movement to address them. This is significant as it not only overcame Western metaphysical frameworks but also opened a globally meaningful path through its integration of Western scientific and rational thought. From the viewpoint of the Ideas of the Transformative Middle Way, Sotaesan’s thought can be assessed as having presented a moderate yet powerful path of transformation within the colonial context of Japanese rule. While distancing himself from extreme nationalism and radical independence movements of the time, his approach was not one of mere compliance but rather a strategic middle path aimed at greater transformation. Sotaesan emphasized ‘Developing Self-Power,’ gender equality, and economic independence, proposing a path for people to assert their own agency and strength. In particular, his ‘Developing Self-Power’ movement uniquely emphasized the integration of spiritual autonomy, physical self-sufficiency, and economic independence. Sotaesan’s thought and activities, grounded in the Buddhist Middle Way, aimed to overcome greed, anger, and ignorance through disciplined practice, while simultaneously striving to carry out justice in the real world. In conclusion, Sotaesan’s thought of the Great Opening of Spirit and the Ideas of the Transformative Middle Way served as a critical intellectual resource for the self-reliance and development of the Korean people during the challenging period of Japanese colonial rule. His thought transcends simple nationalism to pursue universal human values, and its significance remains subject to ongoing reassessment in the present day.

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