Speaker: Jingyu Liu, Assistant Professor, Department of Religion, Rollins College
Description: The Shuilu fahui (水陸法會), or Water-Land Dharma Assembly, stands as one of the most elaborate and enduring Buddhist salvation rituals to emerge from medieval China. Designed to liberate suffering beings across all realms of existence – from the depths of hells to the heavens, and crucially including the vast multitude of wandering ghosts and spirits – it became a cornerstone of Chinese Buddhist liturgical practice and popular religious life. Its influence, however, extended far beyond China. By the 15th and 16th centuries, the ritual and its complex manuals had been transmitted to the Korean peninsula and Japan, where they were adapted and performed, leaving a lasting imprint on East Asian Buddhist cultures.
This workshop invites participants on a journey into the textual core of this remarkable ritual, with a particular focus on its Korean version. While the fundamental structure and liturgical content of the Korean Shuilu manuals remain deeply rooted in their Chinese origins, they serve as a crucial point in the cross-cultural transmission and reception of the ritual. Participants will be "reading" a multi-sensorial text, a ritual text that is not simply “read” but “chanted,” accompanied by incense.

To join virtually: https://cornell.zoom.us/j/99490446393?pwd=BKTvRTNGUizLayWCpHaaWA9XygLhrq.1

About Cornell Classical Chinese Colloquium
The group meets monthly during the semester to explore a variety of classical Chinese texts and styles. Other premodern texts linked to classical Chinese in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese have also been explored. Presentations include works from the earliest times to the 20th century. Workshop sessions are led by local, national, and international scholars. Participants with any level of classical Chinese experience are welcome to attend.  
o    At each session, a presenter guides the group in a reading of a classical Chinese text. Attendees discuss historical, literary, linguistic, and other aspects of the text, working together to resolve difficulties in comprehension and translation.
o    No preparation is required; all texts will be distributed at the meeting.
o    Refreshments will be served.