Korean Buddhist Literature

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

In this course we will read fiction and poetry in translation that demonstrates how Buddhist thought is expressed through literature. This means something more than the use of literature to teach Buddhist ideas: instead, our focus will be on how Buddhist teachings about the illusory nature of life creates literature that raises questions about its own status in relation to “real life.” The majority of literary selections will be Korean, supplemented as needed by some Chinese and Japanese sources in order to paint a broader picture of the impact of Buddhist philosophy on the East Asian understanding of the religious significance of the literary and creative imagination.