What is true reading according to Yulgok Yi, and how can we overcome reading sickness?

Yulgok Yi, a representative scholar of the Joseon Dynasty, emphasized reading that reveals the reason for reading and emphasizes reading that is practiced, and he called the wrong way of reading “reading sickness” and divided it into four types. For correct reading, it is important to understand the book in depth, practice it, abandon preconceived notions, and have a reverent attitude.

 

Yulgok Yi, a representative scholar of the Joseon Dynasty, emphasized reading that reveals the reasoning behind a book and puts it into practice. He emphasized the importance of reading and believed that true reading is not just reading a book, but practicing the contents of the book in life. He called the wrong way of reading as reading sickness, and divided it into four types and solutions.
The first type of reading sickness is just reading books. This is when a person reads only the surface meaning of the words and text without thinking deeply, and fails to grasp the hidden meaning of the text. In order to overcome this, you need to make an effort to deeply consider the rightness or wrongness of the text, or to reflect on whether your daily life is in line with the reasoning in the book.
The second type of binge-reading is when the mind overtakes the body, and you read many books at once. In general, binge reading is useful because it allows you to connect book to book, understand the meaning of each other, and gauge the depth of the book, but if you are too greedy, your mind will be too busy to savor each book one by one. This can be overcome by reading a book in depth, so that you can fully appreciate its meaning before moving on to another book.
The third type is when the book and the person have an advantage. This is when a person has understood the will of the Supreme Being and expanded their knowledge through reading, but they have not been able to put it into practice because they have not been able to accept it in their body and mind. This can be overcome by cultivating the unity of one’s life with the teachings of the Holy Master.
The last type of illness is caused by preconceived notions about books, which can be categorized into two types. First, there is the fear of books. This is when a person believes that a book is too difficult for them to understand, so they give up reading it without trying to read it with all their heart. There is also the disease of being fascinated by the strange. This is when a person believes that a book contains transcendental knowledge and is impatient to obtain it, but fails to grasp the knowledge it contains. These preconceived notions can be overcome by reading carefully, paragraph by paragraph, and approaching the book one step at a time.
On the other hand, Yulgok emphasized the basic reading posture for proper reading. Before reading, one should groom oneself, quiet one’s mind, and treat the book with reverence and respect. This is because when dealing with the profound truths contained in a book, a scattered mind will not allow us to read correctly. Also, we should not give up reading because we have many questions. Even if you put your heart and soul into your reading, you won’t always get to the bottom of things, and sometimes the deeper you dig, the more questions you’ll have. However, if we can overcome these obstacles, our doubts will be resolved and we will be able to understand the text.
This lesson is still relevant today. In the modern world, we are bombarded with information. The internet and other media make it easy to access a lot of information, but it’s still important to think about how to sift through it, understand it in depth, and put it into practice. Beware of the reading sickness emphasized by Yulgok, and having the right reading posture is an important virtue for modern people. We need to remind ourselves that reading is not just about acquiring knowledge, but about enriching our lives and understanding the world.
He saw the ultimate purpose of reading as self-cultivation and service to society. It’s not just about personal intellectual growth, but also about using that knowledge to change society for the better. Therefore, reading is not only a tool for personal reflection, but also an important act of social responsibility.
In conclusion, Yulgok Yi’s teaching on reading has many implications for us today. His reading challenges and solutions, as well as his emphasis on proper reading posture, can serve as important guidelines for how reading should be approached and utilized in the modern world. The way to put his teachings into practice is to create a mature reading culture that can enrich individual lives and positively impact society.