Joey Beckerman | 2026 I.S. Sympsosium
Name: Joey Beckerman
Title: Buddhist Transformation of the Body through Korean Image Consecration and Death Ritual
Majors: Religious Studies, History
Advisors: Mark Graham, Madonna Hetting
This study examines the connections between funerary practices and image consecration rituals in Korean Seon Buddhism. These two ritual areas share a metaphysical logic that intertwines the 鈥渂ody鈥 with sacred objects, and involve processes through which 鈥渂odies鈥 are materially transformed and replicated. These connections are examined through the record of a modern Korean monastic funeral, Shakyamuni鈥檚 funeral in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, and the bokjang enlivening process. The historical continuity of these practices is considered by challenging the prevailing idea that Buddhism was broadly suppressed during the Joseon period. A tradition of textual authority and honoring eminent masters in Seon communities continues to be visible in contemporary Buddhist practices in South Korea. This study highlights the broader ritual logic through which Buddhist communities create, and interact with embodied forms that sustain sacred presence beyond death.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
