This talk looks at five major Buddhist sites in Japan, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, built over 2,500 years, that reveal a variety of strategies for memorializing Buddhist relics and historical moments. These massive projects range from museums to parks, from golden reliquaries to statues twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty. Looking at both the visionaries that planned these sites and the range of activities for Buddhist pilgrims and tourists, we will see the ways in which the Buddhist teachings of impermanence and non-attachment are negotiated and debated.
Speakers: Justin McDaniel, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Professor of the Humanities, Religious Studies UPenn