Maya Kerstin Hyun Stiller

The Kumgang Mountains (Korean: Kumgangsan) have traditionally been one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Korea. This project is a case study of Kumgangsan’s Buddhist communities surviving in the hostile environment of early modern Korea (1650–1900). Survival strategies included collaborating with the cultural elite, appealing for state support, and maintaining an extensive support network of wealthy donors. Religiously motivated conflicts and violence continue today, but this case study demonstrates an alternative to violent behavior and contributes to a deeper understanding of how a religious community can survive in a hostile environment by adopting non-violent survival tactics.