Living Buddhism : negotiating practice, meaning and identity in contemporary Australia /
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(Published version)
Date
2013
Authors
Koch, Gretta,
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thesis
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Abstract
The dramatic growth of Buddhism in Western countries over the past 40 years has been particularly evident in Australia; it is currently the second largest and fastest-growing religion in the country (Rocha & Barker 2011). Research on Buddhism in Australia has tended to focus on history, demographics and ethnic identity (Spuler 2000). There has been very little ethnographic research investigating the significance and meaning of Buddhist practices for those actually engaged in them. This thesis reports an ethnographic research project that explores the lived experience (through in-depth interviews, autoethnography and participant observation) of twenty-two Australian practitioners committed to both meditation practice and study of Buddhist philosophy. It investigates how practitioners, who do not necessarily identify with being Buddhist, negotiate meaning, identity and space to practice, and the kinds of understandings that sustain their commitment. The research therefore presents a view from Australia, and attempts to reveal individuals’ rich and complex engagement with Buddhist practices, rather than attempting to define an ‘Australian Buddhism’.
School/Discipline
University of South Australia. School of Communication, International Studies and Languages.
School of Communication, International Studies and Languages.
School of Communication, International Studies and Languages.
Dissertation Note
Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2013.
Provenance
Copyright 2013 by Gretta Koch. This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Australia 3.0 licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/au/)
Description
1 ethesis (viii, 220 pages)
Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-220)
Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-220)
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