PLEASE NOTE: For non-Columbia guests, registration is required to access the Morningside campus 24 hours prior to the event. After registering you will receive an email with a QR code that must be presented along with a government-issued ID (your name must match exactly the name registered for the event) at either the 116th Street & Broadway or 116th Street & Amsterdam gates for entry. Please register using a unique email address (one email address per registrant) by 12:00 PM on Wednesday, November 18th for campus access.
Names will be submitted for QR codes 1-2 days prior to the event and subsequently reviewed. Registrants will receive an email from CU Guest Access with the QR code before or on the day of the event.
Speaker: Venerable Dowook, Bhikkhuni, Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism; Visiting Researcher, Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Moderator: Seong Uk Kim, Il Hwan and Soon Ja Cho Associate Professor of Korean Culture and Religion, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University
Venerable Dowook is a bhikkhuni, a fully ordained Buddhist nun, of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. She is a researcher at the Institute for World Buddhist Studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, and has been a visiting researcher at Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute since 2025.
What does it mean to become a bhikkhuni in Korea, and what is daily life like at a traditional sangha college? In this talk, Venerable Dowook draws on a short documentary, photographs, and her own experiences to explore the lives of Korean bhikkhunis. She describes how a woman becomes a bhikkhuni and walks through the four-year monastic education at Unmunsa Sangha College, where students put Buddhist teachings into practice through scripture study, chanting, meditation, and communal living. The talk also looks at the many roles bhikkhunis play in Korean society today, including traditional Buddhist rituals, Seon meditation, social welfare work, cultural activities, education, and research. Through these stories, the audience will see how Buddhist practice reaches beyond monastery walls to support the well-being of others.
Venerable Dowook will be delivering her talk on Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 5:00 PM.
Registration:
- To attend this event in-person, please register HERE.
- To attend this event online, please register HERE.