Lineage of Orthodox Religious Authority

This is not a mere thing which is given and taken
in the conventional sense,
but rather it is a profound source of holiness
which has been bestowed directly by Heaven.

Fountainhead

Daesoon Jinrihoe traces its origin back to when the Lord of the Dao (Doju) Jo Jeongsan received a Heavenly command in 1909 through a divine revelation from the Supreme God (Sangje) Kang Jeungsan. Then he gained enlightenment to Daesoon Truth in 1917. In addition, the Lord of the Dao received a sealed letter from the Supreme God through His younger sister in 1919. She transferred it to the Lord of the Dao 10 years after Sangje's passing into Heaven in accordance with His wishes. This is yet another piece of evidence verifying the heavenly transmission of the lineage and authority from the Supreme God.

The 'Orthodox Religious Authority' began when the Lord of the Dao established the religious body of Mugeukdo in 1925 and enshrined Sangje as 'Gucheon Eungwon Noeseong Bohwa Cheonjon Kangseong Sangje.' This lineage was then inherited by the Leader of Principle (Dojeon) Park Wudang as the Lord of the Dao spoke his last words. The Orthodox Religious Authority of Daesoon Jinrihoe is not a mere thing which is given and taken in the conventional sense, but rather it is a profound source of holiness which has been bestowed directly by Heaven. In general, the Orthodox Religious Authority refers to the genealogy or inheritance of a legal tradition in a given religious denomination. In Daesoon Jinrihoe, it is a continuous heavenly endowment that originated from the Supreme God and was later established by the Lord of the Dao and then inherited by the Leader of Principle.

These three holy figures had their own unique roles in realizing the Earthly Paradise of Later World. Their main roles were that the Supreme God made designs to realize the Earthly Paradise through His Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth, the Lord of the Dao founded the religious body and created specific methods of spiritual cultivation, ceremonial procedures, and other regulations based upon the Reordering Works, and lastly, the Leader of Principle built many temples, fellowship buildings, and other institutions (such as a university and hospitals) for our spiritual practices while guiding all the Dao cohorts along the right path to achieve the aims of Daesoon Jinrihoe based upon the teachings of the two previous holy figures: the Supreme God and Lord of the Dao.

Therefore, there is no further succession in the Orthodox Religious Authority required beyond that of these three holy figures (the Supreme God, the Lord of the Dao, and the Leader of Principle). Furthermore, nobody beyond these three figures could be eligible for the Religious Orthodoxy as it was directly endowed from Heaven according to the Degree Numbers of Heaven and Earth (Cheonji-dosu) that could only have been calibrated by the Supreme God. These three holy figures are otherwise known as the ‘Fountainhead’ because they are the source of all beings and all things in the universe.

Hence, the proper guidance of all current Dao cohorts in their efforts to achieve the aims of Daesoon Jinrihoe must be restricted to only the bequeathed teachings and disciplinary regulations, legacies from the Leader of Principle.

History of Fountainhead

Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven (Guchon Sangje)
Kang Jeungsan (1871–1909)

Upon the plea and petition of the great deities of Heaven and Earth, The ‘Great Creator and Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven (Gucheon Daewon Johwa Jushin) descended to Cheon-gye Tower in ‘the Land of Great Law’ in the West. Here, He made ‘a Great Itineration (Daesoon)’ around the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

He spiritually entered a Golden Maitreya Buddha statue and stayed there for thirty years. This statue is enshrined at the Maitreya Hall of Geumsansa Temple at Moak Mountain in North Jeolla Province, Korea.

On September 19, 1871, He was born as a human being in the Kang family in North Jeolla Province. His honorific name was Jeungsan.

From the year 1897 onward, He travelled around the whole country for three years with His great intention and aspiration to save the world.

In July 5, 1901, He opened the Great Dao (Daesoon Truth) through His unremitting efforts accomplished during a 49 day fast at Daewonsa Temple and exercised judgment upon the deities in charge of the Former World.

From 1901 to 1909, He carried out ‘Reordering Works of the Universe’.

Having completed that nine-year duration of those Great Works, the Supreme God passed into heaven on June 24, 1909.

Lord of the Dao (Doju)
Jo Jeongsan (1895–1958)

On December 4, 1895, Lord of the Dao Jo Jeongsan was born in Gyeongsang Province.

In April 1909, at age 15, Lord of the Dao left Korea to live in exile in Bongcheon, Manchuria in China where, with his father and uncle, he devoted himself to the Korean independence movement. Afterwards, he committed himself to solitary spiritual cultivation in the mountains to find a way to liberate his country and save the world.

On February 10, 1917, with a profound realization of Sangje’s Daesoon Truth, he received the revelation of orthodox religious authority from Sangje at age 23.

In April 1917, after nine years of self-exile, he returned to Korea to save the nation and the populace.

In April 1925, he launched the religious body ‘Mugeukdo’ in Taein, Jeolla Province.

In 1941, when the Religion Dissolution Act was proclaimed by the Japanese colonial government, he temporarily quit his formal religious activities and performed his religious practices while travelling throughout the country.

In 1945, with Japan’s defeat in World War II, Lord of the Dao resumed his religious activities.

In 1948, he reestablished the headquarters of Mugeukdo in Busan, South Gyeongsang Province (present-day Busan Metropolitan City, Korea) and reformed the organization.

In 1950, Mugeukdo’s name was changed into Taegeukdo.

In November 1957, he generated the methods of cultivation, ceremonial procedures, and other regulations.

In March 1958, he reformed the religious order and reassigned his executive members.

On March 6, 1958, at the age of 64, he bestowed the Orthodox Religious Authority upon Leader of Principle with his last words and passed into heaven.

Leader of Principle (Dojeon)
Park Wudang (1917–1996)

On November 30, 1917, Leader of Principle Park Wudang was born at Goesan, Chungcheong Province, Korea.

On March 6, 1958, he received the religious orthodoxy from Lord of the Dao as Lord of the Dao spoke his final words.

In April 1969, he made sweeping organizational changes and reconstructed a religious order called 'Daesoon Jinrihoe'.

In June 1969, Junggok Temple Complex was built.

In 1972, he carried out Three Major Works (Charity Aid, Social Welfare, and Education) more systematically, all of which have been continually developed every following year.

In 1976, the Daesoon Scholarship Foundation was launched.

In February 1984, Educational Foundation of Daejin Academy was established.

In June 1984, Daejin High school was established.

In 1986, Yeoju Temple Complex was built.

In December 1987, the Foundation of Daesoon Jinrihoe was established.

In 1989, Jeju Training Temple was built.

In March 1992, Daejin University was opened.

In June 1992, Pocheon Cultivation Temple Complex was built.

In December 1992, Daejin Medical Foundation was established.

In February 1993, the headquarters was relocated from Junggok Temple Complex to Yeoju Temple Complex.

In March 1994, Bundang Daejin High school was opened.

In 1996, Geumgangsan Toseong Training Temple Complex was built.

On January 23rd, 1996, Leader of Principle passed into heaven.

In March 1996, Busan Daejin High School of Electronics and Telecommunications was opened.

In August 1998, Bundang Jesaeng Hospital was opened.

In 2006, Daejin University of China opened two campuses (located in Harbin and Suzhou respectively).

In October 2009, Daejin Geriatric Hospital and Daejin Elderly Nursing Facilities were opened.

In March 2013, Daejin Youth Training Center was opened.

In September 2013, Daejin International Volunteers Association (DIVA) was launched.