Women In Korean Zen

Author : Martine Batchelor,Son'gyong Sunim
Publisher : Syracuse University Press
Page : 152 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2006-03-09
Category : Religion
ISBN : 081560842X

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Women in Korean Zen by Martine Batchelor,Son'gyong Sunim Pdf

In this engagingly written account, Martine Batchelor relays the challenges a new ordinand faces in adapting to Buddhist monastic life: the spicy food, the rigorous daily schedule, the distinctive clothes and undergarments, and the cultural misunderstandings inevitable between a French woman and her Korean colleagues. She reveals as well the genuine pleasures that derive from solitude, meditative training, and communion with the deeply religiouswhom the Buddhists call "good friends." Batchelor has also recorded the oral history/autobiography of her teacher, the eminent nun Son'gyong Sunim, leader of the Zen meditation hall at Naewonsa. It is a profoundly moving, often light-hearted story that offers insight into the challenges facing a woman on the path to enlightenment at the beginning of the twentieth century. Original English translations of eleven of Son'gyong Sunim's poems on Buddhist themes make a graceful and thought-provoking coda to the two women's narratives. Western readers only familiar with Buddhist ideas of female inferiority will be surprised by the degree of spiritual equality and authority enjoyed by nuns in Korea. While American writings on Buddhism increasingly emphasize the therapeutic, self-help, and comforting aspects of Buddhist thought, Batchelor's text offers a bracing and timely reminder of the strict discipline required in traditional Buddhism.

Author : Eun-su Cho
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 227 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2012-01-02
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781438435121

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Korean Buddhist Nuns and Laywomen by Eun-su Cho Pdf

Uncovering hidden histories, this book focuses on Korean Buddhist nuns and laywomen from the fourth century to the present. Today, South Korea's Buddhist nuns have a thriving monastic community under their own control, and they are well known as meditation teachers and social service providers. However, little is known of the women who preceded them. Using primary sources to reveal that which has been lost, forgotten, or willfully ignored, this work reveals various figures, milieux, and activities of female adherents, clerical and lay. Contributors consider examples from the early days of Buddhism in Korea during the Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla periods (first millennium CE); the Koryŏ period (982–1392), when Buddhism flourished as the state religion; the Chosŏn period (1392–1910), when Buddhism was actively suppressed by the Neo-Confucian Court; and the contemporary resurgence of female monasticism that began in the latter part of the twentieth century.

Author : Jin Y. Park
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2017-02-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780824858810

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Women and Buddhist Philosophy by Jin Y. Park Pdf

Why and how do women engage with Buddhism and philosophy? The present volume aims to answer these questions by examining the life and philosophy of a Korean Zen Buddhist nun, Kim Iryŏp (1896–1971). The daughter of a pastor, Iryŏp began questioning Christian doctrine as a teenager. In a few years, she became increasingly involved in women’s movements in Korea, speaking against society’s control of female sexuality and demanding sexual freedom and free divorce for women. While in her late twenties, an existential turn in her thinking led Iryŏp to Buddhism; she eventually joined a monastery and went on to become a leading figure in the female monastic community until her death. After taking the tonsure, Iryŏp followed the advice of her teacher and stopped publishing for more than two decades. She returned to the world of letters in her sixties, using her strong, distinctive voice to address fundamental questions on the scope of identity, the meaning of being human, and the value of existence. In her writing, she frequently adopted an autobiographical style that combined her experiences with Buddhist teachings. Through a close analysis of Iryŏp’s story, Buddhist philosophy and practice in connection with East Asian new women’s movements, and continental philosophy, this volume offers a creative interpretation of Buddhism as both a philosophy and a religion actively engaged with lives as they are lived. It presents a fascinating narrative on how women connect with the world—whether through social issues such as gender inequality, a Buddhist worldview, or existential debates on human existence and provides readers with a new way of philosophizing that is transformative and deeply connected with everyday life. Women and Buddhist Philosophy: Engaging Zen Master Kim Iryŏp will be of primary interest to scholars and students of Buddhism, Buddhist and comparative philosophy, and gender and Korean studies.

Author : Kim Iryŏp
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2014-03-31
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780824840235

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Reflections of a Zen Buddhist Nun by Kim Iryŏp Pdf

The life and work of Kim Iryŏp (1896–1971) bear witness to Korea’s encounter with modernity. A prolific writer, Iryŏp reflected on identity and existential loneliness in her poems, short stories, and autobiographical essays. As a pioneering feminist intellectual, she dedicated herself to gender issues and understanding the changing role of women in Korean society. As an influential Buddhist nun, she examined religious teachings and strove to interpret modern human existence through a religious world view. Originally published in Korea when Iryŏp was in her sixties, Reflections of a Zen Buddhist Nun (Ŏnŭ sudoin ŭi hoesang) makes available for the first time in English a rich, intimate, and unfailingly candid source of material with which to understand modern Korea, Korean women, and Korean Buddhism. Throughout her writing, Iryŏp poses such questions as: How does one come to terms with one’s identity? What is the meaning of revolt and what are its limitations? How do we understand the different dimensions of love in the context of Buddhist teachings? What is Buddhist awakening? How do we attain it? How do we understand God and the relationship between good and evil? What is the meaning of religious practice in our time? We see through her thought and life experiences the co-existence of seemingly conflicting ideas and ideals—Christianity and Buddhism, sexual liberalism and religious celibacy, among others. In Reflections of a Zen Buddhist Nun, Iryŏp challenges readers with her creative interpretations of Buddhist doctrine and her reflections on the meaning of Buddhist practice. In the process she offers insight into a time when the ideas and contributions of women to twentieth-century Korean society and intellectual life were just beginning to emerge from the shadows, where they had been obscured in the name of modernization and nation-building.

Author : Young-Key Kim-Renaud
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 301 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2015-02-24
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781317473657

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Creative Women of Korea: The Fifteenth Through the Twentieth Centuries by Young-Key Kim-Renaud Pdf

This book introduces important contributions in the humanities by a select group of traditional and modern Korean women, from the 15th through the 20th centuries. The literary and artistic works of these women are considered Korean classics, and the featured artists and writers range from a queen, to a courtesan, to a Buddhist nun, to unknown women of Korea. Although women's works were generally meant only to circulate among women, these creative expressions have caught the attention of literary and artistic connoisseurs. By bringing them to light, the book seeks to demonstrate how Korean women have tried to give their lives meaning over the ages through their very diverse, yet common artistic responses to the details and drama of everyday life in Confucian Korea. The stories of these women and their work give us glimpses of their personal views on culture, aesthetics, history, society, politics, morality, and more.

Author : Chungwhan Sung
Publisher : Dorrance Publishing
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2023-02-28
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781649138170

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Women in Gray Robes by Chungwhan Sung Pdf

About the Book Women in Gray Robes explores the lives and practices of the Korean Buddhist nuns of the famous seminary of the Unmunsa by combining historical analysis and ethnographic research and by applying a hermeneutic perspective. About the Author Chungwhan Sung received her B.A. and M. A. with a concentration in Buddhism from Dongguk University. She received her Ph.D. from the Department of Religion at the University of Florida. Throughout her academic career, she has studied Buddhism through the intersection of texts, history, and culture. She has worked on issues relating to cultural heritage in religion and Buddhism during globalization.

Author : Tae-heng Se Nim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 164 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 1990
Category : Buddhism
ISBN : UVA:X030214505

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Teachings of the Heart by Tae-heng Se Nim Pdf

Author : Grace Schireson
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 321 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2009-10-27
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780861714759

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Zen Women by Grace Schireson Pdf

This landmark presentation at last makes heard the centuries of Zen's female voices. Through exploring the teachings and history of Zen's female ancestors, from the time of the Buddha to ancient and modern female masters in China, Korea, and Japan, Grace Schireson offers us a view of a more balanced Dharma practice, one that is especially applicable to our complex lives, embedded as they are in webs of family relations and responsibilities, and the challenges of love and work. Part I of this book describes female practitioners as they are portrayed in the classic literature of "Patriarchs' Zen"--often as "tea-ladies," bit players in the drama of male students' enlightenments; as "iron maidens," tough-as-nails women always jousting with their male counterparts; or women who themselves become "macho masters," teaching the same Patriarchs' Zen as the men do. Part II of this book presents a different view--a view of how women Zen masters entered Zen practice and how they embodied and taught Zen uniquely as women. This section examines many urgent and illuminating questions about our Zen grandmothers: How did it affect them to be taught by men? What did they feel as they trying to fit into this male practice environment, and how did their Zen training help them with their feelings? How did their lives and relationships differ from that of their male teachers? How did they express the Dharma in their own way for other female students? How was their teaching consistently different from that of male ancestors? And then part III explores how women's practice provides flexible and pragmatic solutions to issues arising in contemporary Western Zen centers.

Author : Ko Un
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 94 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 1997
Category : Poetry
ISBN : STANFORD:36105028963580

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Beyond Self by Ko Un Pdf

Korea's premier poet, the former Buddhist monk Ko Un, presents 108 Zen poems. From these poems we can taste hear, smell and see the life of Ko Un, who is affectionately called "the great mountain peak" by his friends.

Author : Pae-yong Yi
Publisher : Ewha Womans University Press
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : History
ISBN : 8973007726

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Women in Korean History 한국 역사 속의 여성들 by Pae-yong Yi Pdf

Author : Jin Y. Park
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 395 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2012-02-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781438429236

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Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism by Jin Y. Park Pdf

An overview of Korean Buddhism and its major figures in the modern period.

Author : Stephen Addiss,Stanley Lombardo,Judith Roitman
Publisher : Hackett Publishing
Page : 309 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2008-01-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780872209091

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Zen Sourcebook by Stephen Addiss,Stanley Lombardo,Judith Roitman Pdf

Introduction by Paula Arai. This is the first collection to offer selections from the foundational texts of the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Zen traditions in a single volume. Through representative selections from their poetry, letters, sermons, and visual arts, the most important Zen Masters provide students with an engaging, cohesive introduction to the first 1200 years of this rich -- and often misunderstood -- tradition. A general introduction and notes provide historical, biographical, and cultural context; a note on translation, and a glossary of terms are also included.

Author : Sŏng-mi Yi
Publisher : 대원사
Page : 188 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Art
ISBN : UOM:39015060828046

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Fragrance, Elegance, and Virtue by Sŏng-mi Yi Pdf

Author : Barbara Ambros
Publisher : NYU Press
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2015-05-29
Category : History
ISBN : 9781479827626

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Women in Japanese Religions by Barbara Ambros Pdf

A comprehensive history of women in Japanese religious traditions Scholars have widely acknowledged the persistent ambivalence with which the Japanese religious traditions treat women. Much existing scholarship depicts Japan’s religious traditions as mere means of oppression. But this view raises a question: How have ambivalent and even misogynistic religious discourses on gender still come to inspire devotion and emulation among women? In Women in Japanese Religions, Barbara R. Ambros examines the roles that women have played in the religions of Japan. An important corrective to more common male-centered narratives of Japanese religious history, this text presents a synthetic long view of Japanese religions from a distinct angle that has typically been discounted in standard survey accounts of Japanese religions. Drawing on a diverse collection of writings by and about women, Ambros argues that ambivalent religious discourses in Japan have not simply subordinated women but also given them religious resources to pursue their own interests and agendas. Comprising nine chapters organized chronologically, the book begins with the archeological evidence of fertility cults and the early shamanic ruler Himiko in prehistoric Japan and ends with an examination of the influence of feminism and demographic changes on religious practices during the “lost decades” of the post-1990 era. By viewing Japanese religious history through the eyes of women, Women in Japanese Religions presents a new narrative that offers strikingly different vistas of Japan’s pluralistic traditions than the received accounts that foreground male religious figures and male-dominated institutions.

Author : Karma Lekshe Tsomo
Publisher : SUNY Press
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2014-08-25
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781438451312

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Eminent Buddhist Women by Karma Lekshe Tsomo Pdf

Explores the exemplary legacy of Buddhist women across the centuries and across the Buddhist world. Eminent Buddhist Women reveals the exemplary legacy of Buddhist women through the centuries. Despite the Buddha’s own egalitarian values, Buddhism as a religion has been dominated by men for more than two thousand years. With few exceptions, the achievements of Buddhist women have remained hidden or ignored. The narratives in this book call into question the criteria for “eminence” in the Buddhist tradition and how these criteria are constructed and controlled. Each chapter pays a long-overdue tribute to one woman or a group of women from across the Buddhist world, including the West. Using a variety of sources, from orally transmitted legends to firsthand ethnographic research, contributors examine the key issues women face in their practice of Buddhist ethics, contemplation, and social action. What emerges are Buddhist principles that transcend gender: loving kindness, compassion, wisdom, spiritual attainment, and liberation. “In her chapter ‘What Is a Relevant Role Model?’ Rita Gross describes the need for more stories about Buddhist women, particularly those whose feats are not so fabled as to seem out of reach for contemporary practitioners. This volume advances that objective, mapping the paths of numerous, often lesser-known women who have dedicated their lives to Buddhism and inspired their communities.” — Buddhadharma “Educational and inspirational, this important collection will appeal to scholars and practitioners alike.” — Hsiao-Lan Hu, author of This-Worldly Nibb?na: A Buddhist-Feminist Social Ethic for Peacemaking in the Global Community