Events

Past Event

Should Sweating Statues Be Shattered? Confucian Discourses on Buddhist Miracles at the Chosŏn Court

October 31, 2024
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
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Kent Hall at Columbia University, 1140 Amsterdam Ave, Kent Lounge 403, New York, NY 10027

For non-Columbia affiliates, registration is required to access the Morningside campus. Registering will generate an email with a QR code which must be presented along with a government-issued ID (your name must match exactly the name registered for the event) at either 116 Street & Broadway or 116 Street & Amsterdam gates for entry. Please register by Oct. 30, 4pm for campus access.

Speaker: Youn-mi Kim, Professor, Ewha Women’s University, Korea

Moderator: Seong Uk Kim, Assistant Professor of Korean Religions and Culture, Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures, Columbia University

Professor Kim explores why the perspiration miracles of Buddhist statues posed a persistent challenge at the Confucian court of Chosŏn. Unlike other Buddhist miracles, which the court largely ignored, reports of sweating statues from across the country were consistently brought to the attention of both the court and the king. The heated 1662 debates over whether to destroy the stone Buddhas at Poguksa, reported for their recent perspiration, provide key insights into the political significance of such miracles. Prof. Kim reveals that Confucian scholars interpreted perspiration miracles as chaeyi 災異 (ominous portents), signaling potential disasters, uprisings, or even the king’s death. In so doing, Prof. Kim traces the origins of these beliefs to ancient China and examines how the perception evolved in Korea, spreading to other media.

This event is hosted by the Center for Korea Research, Columbia University.

Registration: To attend this event in-person, please register HERE.

Contact Information

Julie Kwan