Su-un and His World of Symbols

Paul Beirne's book is not only engagingly informative; it is flat-out inspirational. His study of Ch'oe Su-un, the founder of Korea's first indigenous religion, shows the vital links between mysticism and liberation, between religion and revolution. This is a book that will interest not just historians but comparative theologians, liberationists, students of mysticism. Paul F. Knitter, Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World Religions, and Culture, Union Theological Seminary, New York With this study of the founder of Korea’s first indigenous organized religion, Paul Beirne has opened a new window onto Korea’s recent past. Most previous scholarship has focused on the dramatic political and economic transformation Korea has undergone over the last couple of centuries. Beirne reminds us that Korea has gone through equally dramatic changes in its religious culture, as Koreans have responded to the challenges of the modern world by creating new spiritual resources to help them navigate this transformed political and economic environment. Though Beirne focuses on Choe Su-un, a mid-19th century religious visionary, Choe’s ideas continue to reverberate in Korea today. This fascinating book helps us better understand the beliefs and values of modern Koreans. Don Baker, Professor, Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia ’Paul Beirne’s book is a valuable, compelling, and informative work that sheds much light on the foundation of one of the most influential religious movements in Korea in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It brings out well the context in which Tonghak was founded, the ideas and practices which influenced its founder, and most importantly, the interaction of thought, practice, and the process of theological development even within a few years of the formation of a new religion. It is a welcome and important contribution to studies on Tonghak and the history of Korean religion.’ Acta Koreana 'Beirne’s book is