Religion in Korea today faces the absence of spirituality. The positive roles of Buddhism and Christianity have been lost to the ‘past,’ leaving religious spirituality marginalized in Korean society. In the 21st century, Koreans have widespread awareness of the need for ‘spirituality’ in both Buddhism and Christianity. Not until religion is fundamentally reformed can it be re-established in political, social, cultural, and other sectors. It is, therefore, necessary to reflect on the roles Korea’s two major religions, Buddhism and Christianity (especially Protestantism), can play. The present paper looks for answers from the revolutionist Korean Buddhist Chinul (知訥) and the German Protestant Reformer Martin Luther. These two figures believed that religious ‘Reformed Spirituality,’ e.g. ‘Spirituality of Self-emptying,’ could drive religious and social restoration of the source. In this paper, we shall examine ‘Spirituality of Self-emptying’ for Chinul and Luther, as demonstrated in two reformation movements: Chŏnghye Kyŏlsa (定慧結社, association of Samādhi (定) and Prajnā (慧)) and the Protestant Reformation. We shall also explore spirituality as an existential ‘movement’ involving participation in reforming reality, not as ‘emptying’ in mere existence. First, ‘Spirituality of Selfemptying’ reflected in Chinul’s Chŏnghye Kyŏlsa (Encouragement to Practice: The Compact of the Samadhi and Prajna Community) shall be investigated. This includes exploring the Chŏnghye Kyŏlsa as a ‘Restoration Movement.’ Second, ‘Spirituality of Self-emptying’ reflected in Luther’s Protestant Reformation shall be analyzed. Luther’s ‘Spirituality of Self-emptying’ is examined in the four sources of the Protestant Reformation — sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, and solus Christus — and the three elements of ‘Reformed Spirituality’ — oratio, meditatio, and tentaio. Third, based on these analyses, ‘Spirituality of Self-emptying’ for Chinul and Luther shall be compared and analyzed. Finally, Chinul’s and Luther’s ‘Spirituality of Self-emptying’ shall be applied to Korea’s present religious and social situations.
I. Introduction: Why ‘Spirituality of Self-emptying’?
II. ‘Spirituality of Self-emptying’ in Chinul’s Chŏnghye Kyŏlsa
III. ‘Spirituality of Self-Emptying’ in Luther’s Protestant Reformation
IV. Characteristics of Chinul’s and Luther’s ‘Spirituality of Selfemptying’
V. Korea’s ‘Spirituality of Self-emptying’: Present and Future
VI. Conclusion: Finding Answers in Chinul and Luther