• Guru Devotion and the American Buddhist Experience

    Author(s):
    Daniel Capper (see profile)
    Date:
    2002
    Subject(s):
    Ethnology--Fieldwork, Psychoanalysis, Buddhism
    Item Type:
    Book
    Tag(s):
    American Buddhism, guru devotion, self psychology, Ethnographic fieldwork, Tibetan Buddhism
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M68S1X
    Abstract:
    This book explores why numerous Americans currently adopt the practice of Tibetan Buddhism. It suggests that many Americans become Tibetan Buddhists because of satisfying long-term relationships that they develop with Tibetan religious teachers, or lamas. To reach this conclusion, life stories of several practitioners were collected in the course of more than two years of field work at a major Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the United States. Analyses of these life stories, following self psychology, reveal enhanced self-esteem, personal autonomy, and creation of meaning in conjunction with Buddhist practice. The final chapter suggests that Tibetan Buddhist practice may respond in growth-enhancing ways to the psychological and social dimensions of some Americans’ lives.
    Metadata:
    Published as:
    Book    
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    5 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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