Ch'oe Cheu

Ch'oe Cheu (Korean: 최제우; Hanja: 崔濟愚; 18 December 1824 – 15 April 1864), art name Suun (수운; 水雲), was a Korean religious leader. He was the founder of Donghak, a religious movement which was empathetic to the hardships of the minjung (the marginalized people of Korea), opposed Catholicism and its association with Western imperialism, and offered an alternative to orthodox Neo-Confucianism. He combined Korean shamanism, Daoism, Buddhism and spiritual Neo-Confucianism in an "original school of thought" that valued rebellion and anti-government thought until 1864. He did not have a concrete nationalistic or anti-feudal agenda, rather: "His vision was religious, and his mission was to remind his countrymen that strength lay in reviving traditional values." Nevertheless, Joseon authorities confused his teachings with Catholicism, and he was executed in 1864 for allegedly preaching heretical and dangerous teachings. His birth-name was Ch'oe Chesŏn ("save and proclaim"). During his childhood, he was also called Bok-sul ("blissfully happy"). He took the name Cheu ("saviour of the ignorant") in 1859. His disciples called him Suun ("water cloud"), which was the name he used for his writings, and also called him Daesinsa, the great teacher. His pen name Suun is used hereafter.