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Stanford
The Ho Center for Buddhist Studies
School of Humanities & Sciences

Julia Cross: "Buddha Bones: The Materiality and Textuality of Relics in Medieval Japanese Religions"

Date
Wednesday May 24th 2023, 12:00 - 1:20PM
Location
TBA
Julia Cross
Abstract
 
In medieval Japan, Buddha relics were coveted, stolen, traded, and gifted. They were known to jump out of windows, emit light, scatter, or even disappear in the depths of night. Such movements of relics reflected larger socioreligious trends, which can be studied through extant reliquaries, statuary, and manuscripts. Accordingly, this talk will argue that how Buddha relics were worshipped, enshrined, and written about in medieval Japan illuminates deeper religious, social, and gender-based concerns from this period.
 
This event is part of the Department of Religious Studies Colloquium Series limited to faculty and graduate students of the Department of Religious Studies only. By invitation only.