What it is
A novella by the Korean writer Choi Seong-gak, read by critics as ecological fiction.
What the work evokes
The Medicine Buddha (Yaksa Yeorae) is the awaited saviour who never comes; a 2025 study analyses this absent symbol.
Quote
« the absence and deferral of the Buddhist symbol of the “Medicine Buddha” (Yaksa Yeorae) opened a space for literary reflection »
Source
- DBpia, 작가세계 (1989-09-01), 최성각 「약사여래는 오지 않는다」 dbpia.co.kr
- ScholarWorks@Dongguk, Nam Jin-sook (2025), DOI 10.14376/lar.2025.30.3.117 scholarworks.dongguk.edu
Checked on 15 October 2026.
Where to find it
No legitimate purchase link known.
All works
- Imee Ooi, “Medicine Buddha Dharani” (album)
- “The Medicine Buddha” (documentary, 2019)
- “Bodies in Balance: The Art of Tibetan Medicine” (Rubin Museum, 2014)
- “Healing Practices: Stories from Himalayan Americans” (Rubin Museum, 2022–2023)
- Deva Premal & Miten, “Day 16: Medicine Buddha” (2020)
- Journey to the West (Xiyou ji), chapter 100
- Hiro Sachiya & Abe Takaaki, “Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of Compassion” (manga)
- “The Buddhas of Tōkōin”, Fukuoka Art Museum (2026–2027)
- Medicine Buddha sand mandala, El Paso (2026)
- Enbo Hu, “From Sūtra to practice” (dissertation, Munich, 2025)