Buddhism in the West

Unlike in traditional Buddhist countries, Western Buddhism does not reproduce itself in monastic contexts, but primarily as a lay movement. Furthermore, it encounters a highly individualised and differentiated society whose value horizons can no longer be easily integrated into overarching moral and cosmological horizons.

Although there are now a large number of studies on the phenomenon of so-called Western Buddhism, there are very few studies on the question of what people from developed Western associations actually do when they commit to a Buddhist path of practice in the long term and how they can harmonise this with modern lifestyles.

The research project is dedicated to 6 training paths from German-speaking countries with regard to their institutionalisation and the specific forms of practice of their adepts. In the sense of a multiple comparative analysis, both the development dimension (novices, moderately as well as existentially committed students and long-term practitioners) will be taken into account as well as different traditions (2 schools each from Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism). In the sense of a practice-theoretically oriented sociology, close reference is sought to the respective practices of the investigated actors as well as to the specific forms of institutionalisation of the teachings. Contrary to the usual self-stylisation of experience-oriented spirituality, Buddhist cognitive practice is thus viewed in multiple senses as a phenomenon that is both communally and socially embedded.