서애 류성룡의 통곡과 서애학의 본질 = Seoae Ryu Seongryong’s Lamentation and the Essence of Seoae’s Life and Thought

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

During the Imjin War, Seoae Ryu Seongryong, the wartime prime minister of a weak and impoverished nation, often found himself in tears. On one occasion, he even knelt before the Ming general Li Rusong, endured his harsh scolding, and wept bitterly. In the midst of such lamentation, Seoae reflected deeply on past errors and contemplated measures to ensure that such failures would never be repeated. Jingbi(懲毖), w hic h means reflection upon the past and preparation for the future, was born out of his lamentation. Yet all human beings, in some way, reflect on the past and prepare for the future. What distinguishes Seoae’s jingbi is that he undertook it at the risk of his life. The essence of what may be called Seoae Studies lies precisely here: within his tears, he staked his very life on pastreflection(懲) and futurereadiness(毖) for his nation and people. Through this resolute, life-risking jingbi, Seoae advanced toward an anti-Chuhsist path of strengthening the nation’s wealth and military power. Military science and economic statecraft were the inevitable conclusions of his thought. Yet Seoae never once imagined himself to be anything other than a follower of Chuhsi. Perhaps the most profound dimension of the ontology of Chuhsi’s learning ultimately converges with Yangming learning, with Daoist thought, and even with an anti-Chuhsist program of national enrichment and military strengthening.