London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

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Selected publications

  • Booklist: Buddhism (59 titles)
    • The World’s Oldest Woodblock Print

      Matthew Jackson explores another of Korea’s contributions to world culture The first printing presses were made out of wood. The process of woodblock printing emerged in the East during the 8th century. For some time, the earliest woodblock print was believed to be a copy of the Diamond Sutra, discovered at Dunhuang in China by … [Read More]

      Koryo Buddhist painting

      Matthew Jackson continues his series of articles about the artistic treasures from Korea’s past The essence of Korea, if you had to sum it up, is ‘hidden virtue’. An innate modesty, or something more profound, means that the good things about Korea tend to hide from me at first glance. While this may make matters … [Read More]

      The Tripitaka Koreana part 2 – the Depository Buildings

      Matthew Jackson continues his series of articles on the important treasures from Korea’s past The depository buildings which house the Tripitaka Koreana library are unique in almost every sense. Officially the largest wooden storage complex in the world, they are registered together with the Tripitaka itself as part of the UNESCO World Heritage (http://whc.unesco.org/). The … [Read More]

      Yi Chul Jin at Durham and SOAS

      Dr Yi Chul Jin (이철진) has been in London for 6 months as part of a residency at SOAS. Dr Yi is head of the Korean Dance Art Academy, and is one of the likely candidates to be the next holder of the national intangible cultural property number 27, the Seung mu. There are two … [Read More]

      The Tripitaka Koreana – part 1

      Matthew Jackson continues his series of articles on the important treasures from Korea’s past One crowning achievement of Korea’s Buddhist heritage that is not included in the Bozar ‘Smile of Buddha’ exhibition is the Tripitaka Koreana. There is a practical reason for this, as it consists of 81,258 woodblocks, weighs 280 tons in total, and … [Read More]

      Crowning glory at the Smile of Buddha

      Matthew Jackson reports from the “Smile of Buddha” exhibition in Brussels I had never been to the Bozar Centre (French: “Palais des Beaux-Arts”) in Belgium prior to the current “Smile of Buddha” exhibition of Korean Buddhist art. It is an impressive place (right) and I highly recommend it if you are ever in Brussels. The … [Read More]

      The Pensive Bodhisattva comes to Brussels

      By Matthew Jackson The centrepiece of the Bozar exhibition of Korean Buddhist Art, beginning in Brussels on the 10th of October, will be the Pensive Bodhisattva statue, Korea’s National Treasure No. 83. It is difficult to describe in words why the statue is regarded so highly as a work of Buddhist art, because its qualities … [Read More]

      Words of inspiration

      NO RIVER TO CROSS: Trusting the Enlightenment that’s Always Right There Zen Master Daehaeng Wisdom Publications, Boston US$14.95 The title refers to the idea that you don’t have to make a grand pilgrimage to find your Buddha nature, as it’s already inside you, and this approachable book offers plenty of inspiring thoughts. It starts with … [Read More]

      Book review: Kim Seong-dong — Mandala

      Kim Sung-dong: Mandala Translated by Ahn Jung-hyo Dongsu Munhaksa, 1990 A novel about the search for truth, and about the nature of corruption in religion. When Pobun takes his priestly vows, he undertakes not to kill, steal, have sex, lie, drink, wear ornaments, sing or dance, sleep in a comfortable bed, possess gold, or eat … [Read More]