Hanism As Korean Mind

Korean history and experience testify to the depth of human suffering, 'haan.' Those who are familiar with the 'han' from minjung theology may question the word 'haan' since the spelling, han, is more commonly known among Koreans and Westerners. Although they are two distinct concepts, haan and han, minjung theologians use the spelling 'han' indiscriminately for both and so foster a confusion, particularly for English speaking readers. This study delineates the nature of han and differentiates it from haan.

The problem of the barbarous excess of human suffering is becoming the main question of global Christianity. In an intercultural, globalizing world, how do we envision the wounds of sin and God's saving work of healing, liberation, and redemption? Salvation for the Sinned-Against attempts to address these questions and to suggest a renewed understanding of God's salvation for the victims of sin within the intercultural and globalizing context of the twenty-first century. It offers a thorough treatment of Edward Schillebeeckx, intercultural hermeneutics, and the Korean concept of han, and brings them into dialogue with the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et spes. This book is the first in-depth study of han from a Roman Catholic perspective and the first to attempt to integrate han into Roman Catholic theology in order to begin to envision salvation for the sinned-against creature. Its insights into the experience and message of salvation for the sinned-against (as well as the perpetrators) speak not only to the ecclesial sphere but to the public sphere and beyond. Although written from a Western, North American social location, this is a book that can be useful far beyond this context.

A Korean theologian approaches the issue of racial conflict-including discrimination between minority communities-and constructs a theology of seeing that aims to heal the ruptures of racism. As ethnic tensions continue to simmer and occasionally erupt, immigration and affirmative action laws are hotly debated in every ethnic minority: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans-even Asian Americans (the so-called model minority) struggle in the racially-charged atmosphere of contemporary America. In the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots of 1992 and the ensuing violence against Korean Americans, Andrew Sung Park seeks a theological model that will help transform a society of oppression, injustice, and violence into a community of equity, fairness, and mutual consideration. Park emphasizes that such a transformation does not and cannot begin only with good intentions, but must be grounded in an understanding of all the socio-economic and cultural issues that lead to oppression and tension. Using the Korean term han to describe the deep-seated suffering of racial oppression, he then suggests resources for understanding and healing in both Christian and Asian traditions. Part I of Racial Conflict and Healing describes the status quo from a Korean American perspective, including discrimination against ethnic minorities and the discrimination they inflict on one another. In Parts II and III, Park suggests that American society as a whole needs a superordinate vision to form a unified community. Park argues that our profoundly individualistic society must learn to understand an idea of self that is formed through relationship with others. Finally, in Part IV, he presents a theological model, a theology of seeing, as a way to genuinely understand the other and to promote healing within our society.

Incorporating cultural and religious contexts, this unique Encyclopedia provides a vital guide to the main concepts and thinkers in Asian philosophy - starting with Abhidharma and ending with Zurvan. The main philosophical trends and thinkers in each geographical area are featured, with an emphasis on endtemporary developments and movements. The A-Z structured encyclopedia emphasizes that Asian philosophy is not merely an ancient form of thought but that it is a living philosophy, with roots in the past, and also a potent and animate presence today. This translates into the reciprocal exchange of theories between Eastern and Western thinking, for example of new schools of thought such as orientalism. Requiring no prior knowledge of philosophy, religion or Asian cultures, this book is essential reading for students, teachers and the interested individual who wishes to gain an understanding of the philosophical basis to Asian cultural systems.

This groundbreaking book reexamines the Taiping and the Tonghak movements in 19th-century Asia. Providing an understanding of the movements as an expression, in part, of deeply rooted Asian spiritual ideas, the work also offers historical and philosophical reflections on what studies of Asian millenarianism can contribute to the comparative study of millenarianism.