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| Why do Americans Practice Tibetan Buddhism? | ||
| 作者 | Capper, Daniel Stuart, Jr. (著) |
|---|---|
| 出處題名 | Dissertation Abstracts International |
| 卷期 | v.61 n.3 Section A |
| 出版日期 | 2000 |
| 出版者 | ProQuest LLC |
| 出版者網址 | https://www.proquest.com/ |
| 出版地 | Ann Arbor, MI, US [安娜堡, 密西根州, 美國] |
| 資料類型 | 期刊論文=Journal Article |
| 使用語言 | 英文=English |
| 學位類別 | 博士 |
| 校院名稱 | University of Chicago |
| 指導教授 | Homans, Peter; Doniger, Wendy |
| 畢業年度 | 2000 |
| 附註項 | 272p |
| 關鍵詞 | Tibetan Buddhism |
| 摘要 | Tibetan Buddhism has grown rapidly since it arrived on American shores only a few decades ago. Yet to date there are few scholarly and no monograph length studies which specifically treat Tibetan Buddhism as it is practiced on the ground in the United States. No study explores the basic question of why Americans would pursue so difficult a religious path. This project responds to this situation by probing American Buddhist practitioners' reasons for involvement in Tibetan religion. Following a postmodern, “reflexive” ethnographic strategy, fieldwork spanning more than two years was undertaken at a major center for Tibetan Buddhism in the United States. Buddhists' environmental and life historical data were collected through interviews and participant observation. Self-reports indicated that the charismatic presence of Tibetan gurus, or lamas, dominated other reasons for Buddhist practice. Practitioners often described their relationships with lamas to be sufficient reasons for pursuing Buddhism. The attraction of lamas also often subsumed other important attractions such as meditation, Buddhism's moral system, personal cognitive congruence with Buddhist metaphysics, or mystical experiences. Practitioners consistently reported that their relationships with lamas led to long-term improved holistic well-being. They claimed that these positive relationships with Buddhist spiritual teachers drew them deeper into Buddhism. To understand these findings the life historical self-reports of seven Buddhists were first contextualized within the theory and practice of the guru-disciple relationship as manifested at the center. These reports then were examined with Kobutian self psychological theories of healing through the transference and countertransference. Contrary to the assumptions of other studies, in self psychological analysis most life histories suggest a pattern of increased personal autonomy, self coherence, and empowerment due to devotion to a lama. The psychological analysis lends suggestive support to the validity of most practitioners' self-reports in terms of self psychological transference healing. That is, as practitioners claimed, Americans' long-term relationships with Tibetan lamas can be psychologically enhancing and make Buddhism attractive. However, some practitioners seem not to have benefitted as much from their guru-disciple relationships and their analyses are also discussed. |
| ISBN | 0599695773; 9780599695771 |
| 點閱次數 | 601 |
| 建檔日期 | 2005.09.23 |
| 更新日期 | 2022.03.25 |
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