Saving the Lost Mind-Heart and Somatic Presence

Abstract

This study attempts to resolve the context of the proposal by relating the suggestion of the essence of studying Confucianism, presented as “saving the lost heart & mind,”(求放心) with “turning around and save from yourself”(anti-求諸己). In this process, we will reinterpret it through the predicate of Somatics, a study of integrating mind and body that is emerging in the modern world. Through this, I think that the meaning of ‘turning around and save from yourself’, which was mainly regarded as a mental activity of self-reflection, can be revealed more concretely and clearly in connection with the living body (soma). In addition, this study intends to rediscover the body that everyone has as a resource for mental and physical integration, and propose it as a philosophical methodology that informs the way back to our own body. It is not an exaggeration to say that our time is the age of the body. The body, which was treated as a hindrance to understanding the truth, quickly emerged as a topic in the spotlight as it encountered the postmodern era. However, it is commodity logic in the era of capitalism that is leading the way in the return of the body, and the body shown to others is being regarded as important. In this regard, the question we must ask is 'are we really in touch with the body that has thus far been lost?' If not, what we need is a way to find a way back to our own body. The process of finding that way requires a logic of mind-body integration in which the body and mind are integrated, not another oppressive dichotomy that overturns the oppressive dichotomy that emphasizes the superiority of the body. This is the focal intention of this study by linking Somatics with ‘saving the lost heart & mind.’