Composed in vernacular Korean by Powŏl, P’alsangnok, or Record of the Eight Marks, is an influential pre-modern fictional biography of the Buddha that chronicles the life of Śākyamuni through eight transformative stages, from his celestial origins to his final moments.Life of the Buddha illuminates the rich tapestry of Chosŏn Buddhism as translated by Canadian missionary James Scarth Gale in 1915. With nearly four decades of immersion in Korean culture, Gale’s expertise ensures that this translation retains the essence of the original, while highlighting unique local teachings alongside the broader Buddhist biographical tradition. The book offers a comprehensive introduction to P’alsangnok and compiles an extensive list of Buddha biographies published in European languages from the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, aiming to evaluate Gale’s impact on the discursive formation of Buddhism in the West.Edited by Hyangsoon Yi, this groundbreaking volume examines the dynamic interplay between popular Buddhist practice and literature during the Chosŏn era, offering a vital opportunity to explore intercultural and interreligious dialogues and the enduring relevance of Buddhist teachings.
James Scarth Gale
James Scarth Gale (1863–1937) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary, educator, and Bible translator who spent forty years in Korea.
Hyangsoon Yi
Hyangsoon Yi is a professor of comparative literature at the University of Georgia.
Editorial Reviews
 | “Using a multiperspectival methodology, Williams crafts a narrative ripe with complexity, ambiguity, and unexpected connection. This pathbreaking book will reshape how historians of South Asia consider issues of music and gender, the impact of nawabi culture beyond courts, emotion and aesthetics, modernity, and the spread of Hindustani music.”
—Anna Christine Schultz, University of Chicago
|
| “Weaving together material from untapped texts in a range of South Asian vernaculars, William’s work provides an unparalleled study of north Indian art music’s transregional flows, its complex social histories, and the textures and politics of its performance.”
—Davesh Soneji, University of Pennsylvania
|
| “This is simply the best book on Hindustani music I know. Magisterial, erudite, and superb are inadequate terms for the profound scholarship, deep knowledge, and vast terrain Williams incorporates, made all the more accessible by his outstanding writing.”
—Daniel Neuman, University of California, Los Angeles
|
Books of related interest