Vulnerability and Healing in Medieval Chinese Buddhism

This paper extends current scholarly discussions of embodiment and healing in religious studies to the domain of material objects. By analyzing a corpus of medieval Chinese narratives that foreground the vulnerability and pain of Buddhist statues, the paper redefines disability not as a marker of alterity but as a vulnerable phase of existence shared by both sentient beings and Buddhist icons. The analysis further demonstrates that religious agents in medieval China often occupied simultaneous roles as caregivers and care-receivers, allowing healing to emerge through reciprocal relationships. This paper also shows that medieval Chinese monks employed Buddhist narratives to transform the material vulnerability of Buddhist images into sites of compassion and doctrinal reflection, thereby highlighting the significance of Buddhist literature beyond being mere didactic tools or records of social memory.