Category : Humanities
Target : Young adult, adult
Published Date : 2018-07-16
ISBN : 9788974794354
Pages : 344
Book Size : 180 x 224 Paperback
Keywords :Philosophical Essays; Anthology of Columns; Eastern Philosophy; Four Pillars; Prognostics Studies; Geomancy
This book is an anthology of columns by Jo Yong-heon who raised an East Asian discipline to the realm of a humanities field, that is, prognostication studies of one’s fortune based on the four pillars (the year, month, day, and hour of one’s birth). The humanities are a study of humans, in short, the scholarship of what they are about. In Confucianism, there are two types of scholarly pursuit; the first one is done for the sake of showing off to others whereas the latter is solely for one’s own fulfillment—that is, studying not for the purpose of fame and gain but for self-introspection. The prognostication study of the four pillars, I Ching, yin-yang, and five elements of the cosmos and geomancy are also part of humanities, and is thus a scholarship that serves humanity. How should one live one’s life? Should one pursue fame and riches without resolving the most worthy question? What does it mean to be born as a human? The author asks in the book, “We come empty-handed but what are we going to take back with us?” Readers may be able to answer this question after reading his book.
Jo Yongheon
Jo Yongheon was born in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province. He studied Buddhist folklore and received his doctoral degree in Buddhist Studies from Wonkwang University. He is dedicated to resurrecting the Korean cultural aesthetics and tradition that has been overwhelmed by the Western imperialist values. He is the author of Lectures on East Asian Studies, Buddhist Temple Travelogue, Jo Yong-heon’s Novels 1 and 2, The 500-year History of a Noble Family, Tales of Prognostication of the Four Pillars, To Each His Own, Chronicle of Masters, Jo-Yong-heon’s Salon, Discourses on Artwork, The Distinguished Families of Korea, Tongdo Temple and Its Myths and Tales, and Propitious Sites in Korea.
