이 논문은 왕양명(王陽明: 1472-1528)의 종교적 경험을 윌리엄 제임스(W. James)의 시각에서 탐구하는 것을 목적으로 한다. ‘종교적 경험’을 구체적으로 탐구하기 위한 방법론적 틀로 본 논문은 제임스의 ‘종교적 경험’에 대한 이론을 사용할 것이다. 제임스는 ‘급진적 경험론’을 통해 경험을 단지 심리학적 대상이 아니라 형이상학과 결합시킴으로써 그 이해의 폭을 넓혔다. 일반적으로 경험은 주체들이 겪는 주관적인 체험(體驗)으로 이해된다. 그러나 이것이 다른 사람들에게도 타당하게 다가가기 위해서는 모종의 객관성이 필요하다. 제임스는 경험이라는 용어를 ‘의식의 흐름’으로 새롭게 정의함으로써 객관성을 확보한다. 곧 주관적 체험은 의식의 흐름(경험) 안에서 만나게 되는 일시적인 사건인 셈이고, 경험은 보다 넒은 의미에서 이것을 가능하게 해주는 인식론적이고 형이상학적인 근거이다. 왕양명의 종교적 경험을 살핌에 있어서는 그가 제자들과 함께 성인의 길을 지향하던 과정을 잘 담고 있는 『전습록』을 중심으로 탐구한다. 이를 해석하고 설명함에 있어서는 왕양명의 삶과 사상에서 중요하게 간주되는 주제들을 중심으로 기존의 해석을 수용하면서도 제임스의 시각으로 새롭게 설명할 수 있는 부분들을 드러나게 하는데 초점을 둔다. 이를 통해 기존의 연구가 신비경험만을 종교적인 것으로 보고 이를 이성주의와 대립시키는 시각을 가진 것과 달리, 왕양명이 ‘보이지 않는 것의 실재성’인 천리와 그것이 주체에 내재된 양지를 어떻게 경험하고, 이 과정 안에서 영적 훈련을 통해 ‘자기중심성’을 넘어서 ‘보다 넓은 자아’와 합일을 하는 경험을 하게 된다는 것을 살폈다. 이때 양지를 제임스가 제안한 잠재의식으로 설명함으로써 기존의 선험적 성격을 부여한 연구와는 다른 시각으로 양지가 갖는 내재적이고 보편적 의식의 성격을 종교적 경험과 연결시켰다. 왕양명의 종교적 경험의 특징은 일상을 떠나지 않는다는 것이다. 양명에게 모든 영적 수련은 매일 겪는 일에서 하는 것이며[사상마련 事上磨煉], 그 결과 갖게 되는 삶의 열매로서 모든 관계에 조화로운 삶을 살게 되는 것이 종교적 천인합일 경험의 증표이며, 이 수양방식에는 감성적 요소와 지성적 요소가 잘 결합되어있다. 요컨대 양명은 자기 존재의 불안감인 인욕을 자각하고 이를 해소하기 위해 ‘치양지’라는 구원의 길을 끊임없이 걸어가면서 ‘세상 속에서 종교적’으로 살아간 인물로 평가할 수 있다.

This paper purports to explore religious experiences of Wang Yang-ming(王陽明: 1472-1528) from the perspective of William James. As a methodological tool to explore ‘religious experience’, this paper will use James’ theory on ‘religious experience’. Through ‘radical empiricism’, James combined experiences with metaphysics, expanding people’s understanding on them. They are no longer a mere psychological object. Generally, experiences are understood as personal ones. However, there must be a certain objectivity if they can be accepted properly to others. James achieved objectivity by defining “experience” as “stream of consciousness”. That is, a personal experience is a temporary case encountered in the ‘stream of consciousness’ and in a broader term, an experience is on an epistemological and metaphysical basis. It mainly explores Instructions for Practical Living which well shows his journey with his followers to find the way of “being a Sage”. In understanding and explaining it, this paper accepts conventional explanation on important themes in his life and philosophy, while focusing on revealing some parts which can get new explanation from the perspective of James. Previous studies believe only mysterious experiences are religious and place them in a confronting position with rationalism. However, this paper investigates how Wang Yang-ming experienced “Heavenly Principle - Reality of the Unseen”, and liangzhi which is embedded in subject and finds out that through spiritual training, he experienced the unity with “Wider-self”, overcoming egocentrism. By explaining liangzhi as subliminal consciousness self suggested by James and with different viewpoint from transcendental, conventional studies, it connects the intrinsic and universal characteristic of liangzhi with religious experiences. A characteristic of religious experiences of Wang Yang-ming is that they always happen in the daily life. To Yang-ming, every spiritual exercise should start from things people experience daily[shishang molian : 事上磨煉]. The exercise bears a life fruit of living a harmonious life in every relation, which is “religious unity experience” and this cultivation well combines emotional elements and intellectual elements. In short, Wang Yang-min was well aware of “human desire - uneasiness” and in order to deal with this matter, he walked on the way to salvation, zhi liangzhi. In that sense, he can be considered a man living ‘religiously in the world.’

This paper purports to explore religious experiences of Wang Yang-ming(王陽明: 1472-1528) from the perspective of William James. As a methodological tool to explore ‘religious experience’, this paper will use James’ theory on ‘religious experience’. Through ‘radical empiricism’, James combined experiences with metaphysics, expanding people’s understanding on them. They are no longer a mere psychological object. Generally, experiences are understood as personal ones. However, there must be a certain objectivity if they can be accepted properly to others. James achieved objectivity by defining “experience” as “stream of consciousness”. That is, a personal experience is a temporary case encountered in the ‘stream of consciousness’ and in a broader term, an experience is on an epistemological and metaphysical basis. It mainly explores Instructions for Practical Living which well shows his journey with his followers to find the way of “being a Sage”. In understanding and explaining it, this paper accepts conventional explanation on important themes in his life and philosophy, while focusing on revealing some parts which can get new explanation from the perspective of James. Previous studies believe only mysterious experiences are religious and place them in a confronting position with rationalism. However, this paper investigates how Wang Yang-ming experienced “Heavenly Principle - Reality of the Unseen”, and liangzhi which is embedded in subject and finds out that through spiritual training, he experienced the unity with “Wider-self”, overcoming egocentrism. By explaining liangzhi as subliminal consciousness self suggested by James and with different viewpoint from transcendental, conventional studies, it connects the intrinsic and universal characteristic of liangzhi with religious experiences. A characteristic of religious experiences of Wang Yang-ming is that they always happen in the daily life. To Yang-ming, every spiritual exercise should start from things people experience daily[shishang molian : 事上磨煉]. The exercise bears a life fruit of living a harmonious life in every relation, which is “religious unity experience” and this cultivation well combines emotional elements and intellectual elements. In short, Wang Yang-min was well aware of “human desire - uneasiness” and in order to deal with this matter, he walked on the way to salvation, zhi liangzhi. In that sense, he can be considered a man living ‘religiously in the world.’

Religious experience, Wang Yang-ming, William James