Category | Arts & Living

Korean Buddhist waxes philosophical

Published on March 2, 2010 by Tori Wester

Robert Buswell, a Korean Buddhist, visited KSU Thursday and spoke at an event hosted by the Philosophy Student Association and the Atlanta Center for Asian Studies. The lecture, Korean Buddhism in East Asian Context, was part of the Mike Ryan Lecture Series. Buswell’s address served as the PSA’s contribution to “Year of Korea.”

Dr. David Jones, a philosophy professor at KSU, the faculty advisor to the PSA and the director of the Atlanta Center for Asian Studies, spent several minutes introducing Buswell to the crowd and listing his many accomplishments.

Buswell earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He has taught at Berkeley and Stanford and is currently a professor of Chinese and Korean at the University of California, Los Angeles. He also serves as chair of the department of the Asian Studies and is the president of the Association of Asian Studies - the first Korean specialist to hold the title.

Jones jokingly stated that he hates Buswell.

“I walked in to my office and he was sitting in my chair, at my computer, in the full lotus position,” he said. “I assure you I cannot do that.”

Buswell spoke at the beginning of his lecture of the wonderful memories he has of visiting KSU’s campus five years ago.

“I love that I was able to connect with the students on a personal level,” he said.

Buswell spoke of the historical events that led to Korean Buddhist principles being diffused throughout all of Southeast Asia and emphasized the “importance of understanding the role Korea has played in Buddhism.” His  goal was to dispel the stereotype that Korea is simply a bridge between China and Japan.

After sharing his extensive knowledge on the history of Korean Buddhism, Buswell opened up the floor for questions. Many students asked him more about the methodology and practice of Korean Buddhism versus the Buddhist traditions of other Asian nations. He also spoke on the physical landscape of Asian countries and how many mountains have been renamed to “remap the Korean (and other Asian countries) landscape to fit Buddhist culture.”

Buswell also explained the difference between the daily routine of a Korean monk and monks in Thailand. He said the subtle differences are “variations [of Buddhism] cut from the same cloth.”

Sarah Christopherson, a senior majoring in philosophy and Spanish, attended the lecture and ate lunch with Buswell and other KSU students.

“All the history was new to me,” Christopherson said. “I’ve studied Buddhism on my own and in class. He did a really good job of explaining concepts that are hard to put in to words.”