Da-seok Ryu Young-mo (多夕 柳永模, 1890-1981) was a thinker who tried to open the horizon of Korean philosophical thinking based on the meaning of heaven contained in Hangeul. He seeks a method of philosophical thinking to recover the natural realm of the "Human Seeds" (善爲者) while going through the turbulent period of Korean modern and contemporary history. Da-seok finds the way of "Ruling People and Serving the Heaven" (治人事天) to restore the way of human existence through Lao-tzu philosophy. And in The Old Man, which is an interpretation of Tao Te Ching in Korean, he sees that it contains a way of thinking that can embody the world of nothingness and realize the meaning of existence of the human seeds. Da-seok seeks the path of inner cultivation that transforms human thought through the philosophy of nothingness contained in the philosophy of Lao-tzu.
Therefore, this thesis pays attention to the practical cultivation that expands the horizon of the "Middle Humans" (常善人), examines the original text of Tao Te Ching based on Da-seok's various ideas, and studies how humans practice nothingness through it. Da-seok asks Lao-tzu the answer to the problem of human beings who have lost their way between heaven and earth, and seeks a way to restore the position of the Tao through Tao Te Ching. It is the wisdom of the Tao according to humans "Stacked Inner Grains" (重積德). And even if humans do not want to do anything, they find a way to realize the unity of mind and body (玄同) through the realm of self-becoming, or 'Becoming the Seeds for Themselves' (我無爲而民自化).
In the overall process of Da-seok's world view, human view, cultivation view that unfold in The Old Man, it is worth noting that the "Middle Humans" (常善人) are realized with the benefit of nothingness. For example, it is a world view that sees the flow of the world correctly through the Even Knowledge (知和) of humans being Self-evident(自知者明) and Self-loving (慈己). Therefore, it has significance in realizing the example of a just (共正) world (天下式) according to the practice and cultivation method of humans "Ruling People and Serving the Heaven" (治人事天).
To summarize this thesis, first, it examines the process of "Stacked Inner Grains" (重積德) through human gradual cultivation. Second, it explores expanding the realm of Self-Becoming(自化) of the "Middle Humans" who practice nothingness. Third, it explores the process of establishing an order of "Ruling People and Serving the Heaven" (治人事天) in which there is nothing that cannot be ruled out (無不治) by establishing the domain of free thought of the human seeds with the Tao.
In the process of thinking about the Human Seeds, Da-seok finds the place of the Tao through the Even Knowledge (知和) knowing that there is oneness with the human inner order with the Permanent Knowledge(知常) of "Becoming for Themselves Even in the Absence of Doing" (無爲自然). By substituting such a way of thinking with the theoretical system of living, gain, and law, he explains the system of thinking that restores the place of the "Tao Following the Spontaneity" (道法自然) and protects it by the "Even Harmony" (自均) between heaven and earth.
By converting the wrong perception of humans into the thought which "Prevents Them from Doing" (不敢爲), they enter the world of nothingness and become humans with the "Stacked Inner Grains" (重積德). These Middle humans develop the thought of the Good Path (善行) not to be deluded by any external environment without undergoing Great Tribulation (大患) by the regimen of "Not Fighting Inner Grains" (是謂不爭之德). Da-seok believes that humans are able to maintain "Being Good" (善爲) as a result of Good Path according to the action of the "Even Harmony and Self-Becoming" (自均自化). The Good Path, which is the flow of the Tao, is obtained by riding on the flow of the natural realm where there is No Life and Death (無死地) in which the discernment of things has disappeared. Da-seok believes that if humans live a life of playing with nothingness, they can achieve unity in mind and body. Therefore, it embraces the inevitable relativity of life into one and restores the realm of the subtle unity(玄同), which extinguishes human desire, hatred, and delusion. If you switch to this thinking of "Becoming for Themselves Even in the Absence of Doing" (無爲自然), you will know that everything happens automatically, and you will come to know the changing principles of the world, and you will learn the thoughts that do not remain in the value of things (自賓). Da-seok connects the philosophical thought that restores the original position of humans with the benefit of nothingness "Using the Corner that is Not There" (當其無用) in order to dissipate the human greed, with the inner cultivation of "Keeping the Middle" (守中). And it has modern significance in resolving the social problems of injustice that we face in the modern times through the human life of nothingness. It is to unfold an utopia that fulfills the central role of society by faithfully fulfilling each role with the Good Life (善攝生) of the human seeds and realizing the Example of the World (天下式).
The vital value of the regimen provides the basis for preserving the dignity of human life. Therefore, to explain it as a field of philosophy, the value of the research is very diverse and contains a comprehensive concept of life. Therefore, the philosophy of regimen should be discussed through various disciplines of astronomy, physics, and science. The remaining task of this study is to expand Korean philosophical thinking by studying and examining the meaning and concepts of Da-seok's creative Hangeul in The Old Man.