Study on New Religious Materials Preserved at Gobulseonwon Monastery

The abbot of Gobulseonwon Monastery (古佛禪院) in Chungju has disclosed his monastery's possession of materials such as an allegedly handwritten copy of Daesoon Jeongyeong (The Canonical Scripture of the Great Itineration) and Cheonsimgyeong (The Scripture of the Heavenly Mind), gasa (Lyric) collection books, and old letters, and subsequently, investigative research reports and monographs were also published. According to Gobulseonwon Monastery, their copy of Daesoon Jeongyeong was reported to have been written in 1910. In addition, they consider their copies of Cheonsimgyeong, gasa collection books, and old letters to be closely related to Jeungsan (甑山), with the possibility that their copy of Cheonsimgyeong was directly written by Jeungsan. For context, the object of faith in the gasa collection books is Jeungsan, and the old letters describe situation that were contemporary during Jeungsan's time. However, the gasa collection book, To be Learned with True Spirit, is a collection of nearly 20 songs that encourage enlightenment, and Cheonsimgyeong is likely to have come from the Jeondoju (Transmitted Dao-Incantations) used in ritual practices, rather than having been handwritten by Jeungsan. The 36 examples of old letters contain ordinary events in daily life. As such, these materials are not specifically related to Jeungsan. The copy of Daesoon Jeongyeong kept by the monastery was transcribed by Lee Yang-Seop, who resided in Jangseong, Jeonnam, in 1957, and it is significant as it includes various religious gasa such as Chaeyakga and Jeseshinyakga. The materials of unknown origin are especially worthy of attention. The materials preserved in Gobulseonwon Monastery are valuable materials related to various Korean new religions such as Gyeongjeongyudo and various Jeungsan-inspired religions. It is necessary to find the true nature of these materials, and this line of research will contribute to the study of Korean new religions.