Discourse on Awaiting an Immortal in Honam Daoism and the Birth of Kang Jeungsan

This paper examines whether the dynamic and practical nature of Daoism has a significant relationship with the messianic figure Kang Jeungsan ( 姜甑山 ) via Honam ( 湖南 ) Daoism’s Jinindaemangron ( 眞人 待望論 , discourse on awaiting an immortal). To this end, the historical implementation of Daoism’s social transformation of consciousness in China and Korea is explored, and then the circumstances of Honam Daoism, in particular, are considered. Following that, analysis turns to the ‘Jinindaemangron’ in the late Joseon Dynasty that developed in Honam. As a result of the discussion, Daoism’s social transformation of consciousness was expressed in China through the anti-establishment activities of the early Daoist groups such as Wudoumidao ( 五斗米道 ) and Taipingdao ( 太平道 ), movements that sought to build utopias. Throughout this process, the term, zhenren ( 眞人 , ‘jinin’ in Korean), that originally meant ‘master,’ was transformed into the idea of a future savior. In the case of Korea, the dynamic and practical nature of Daoism can be found in the preface of Nanrang tombstone ( 鸞郎碑序 ) written by Choi Chi-won ( 崔致遠 ) which was later inherited by the Danhak sect ( 丹學派 ) practitioners who struggled against Buddhist monastics. Additionally, examined is the Docham theory of geomancy ( 圖讖說 ) that rose after Goryeo, the prophecy of ‘Mokjadeuksul ( 木子得國說 a Lee clansman shall attain the kingdom)’ that appeared thereafter, and the Prophecies of Jeong Gam ( 鄭鑑錄 )’s ‘Jinindaemangron’ in the Joseon Dynasty. Next, the circumstances of Honam Daoism can be considered with regards ti Choi Chi-won and Doseon ( 道詵 ) in ancient times, and it can be confirmed that Nam Gung-du ( 南宮斗 ) and Kwon Geuk-jung ( 權克中 ) were entangled behind Kang Jeungsan. The close relationship among the Daoist Jeong family of Onyang ( 溫 陽鄭氏 ), the Koh family of Jangheung ( 長興 高氏 ), and Kwon Geuk-jung was also confirmed in this study. Finally, in dealing with the ‘Jinindaemangron’ of Honam in the late Joseon Dynasty and the birth of Kang Jeungsan, Honam Daoism’s intense consciousness of social transformation receives first focus, and this is expressed through Prophecies of Jeong Gam, and the religious ideologies of Donghak ( 東學 ) and Namhak ( 南學 ). These expressions are analyzed through Song of Gungeul ( 弓乙歌 ), composed by Jeongryeom ( 鄭磏 ), and through Daesoon Jinrihoe’s The Canonical Scripture ( 典經 ). As a result, it can be confirmed that the messianic significance of the Kang Jeungsan’s advent lay on the basis of the people’s desire for an ideal future, which is a notion that had been ripening for several centuries.