Living Karma: Ethicized Bodies in Chinese Buddhism
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This paper examines the ethical significance of bodies in Chinese Buddhism – how bodies are “living karma” insofar as they represent the material product of previous karma but also provide a means of producing good karma. I argue that certain Chinese Buddhist practices – slicing off pieces of skin to feed relatives, burning one’s hands and arms, and writing texts in one’s own blood – reflect a view of bodies as sites for revealing and redressing karma. I conclude by considering how such assumptions about the body open up certain ethical possibilities while constraining others.
