Discovering Buddhism Online

A Translocative Analysis of Tibetan Buddhist Forum Discussions

  • Maria Sharapan (Author)

Abstract

The study investigates how tenets, meanings and practices of Tibetan Buddhism are re-contextualized by non-Tibetan students of online courses offered by a major Tibetan Buddhist organization. The research adopts transcultural and translocal perspectives and aims to enrich the understanding of how Tibetan Buddhism is establishing itself globally through online facilities. A 'translocative' analysis, suggested by Tweed (2011) for the study of Buddhism, is employed as the main lens for analysing the online program’s closed forum discussions. The data analysis reveals general trends in the development of Tibetan Buddhism as a transnational religion, and invites an extension of Tweed’s (2011) model.

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Published
2018-12-06
Language
English
Keywords
religion online; Buddhism in the West; Tibetan Buddhism; Buddhist postmodernism