The Emergence of Secular Insight Practice in Australia
In recent years insight (<em>vipassana</em>) practice in Australia has diversified in content and spawned new institutions that present a more secular face. These changes exemplify the development of global Buddhism elsewhere rather than some local, sui generis divergence from internatio...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Society for the Study of Global Buddhism
2015-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Global Buddhism |
| Online Access: | http://www.globalbuddhism.org/jgb/index.php/jgb/article/view/79 |
| _version_ | 1811323965547741184 |
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| author | David Bubna-Litic Winton Higgins |
| author_facet | David Bubna-Litic Winton Higgins |
| author_sort | David Bubna-Litic |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent years insight (<em>vipassana</em>) practice in Australia has diversified in content and spawned new institutions that present a more secular face. These changes exemplify the development of global Buddhism elsewhere rather than some local, sui generis divergence from international trends. Nonetheless, the unusual prominence of Buddhist migrants in the Australian population has influenced the interaction between “traditional” and “western” Buddhists, and thus the emergence of the new trends. In interpreting the transformations in question, we make heuristic use both of Martin Baumann’s periodization of Buddhist history, with its characterization of the present stage as global, and Stephen Batchelor’s distinction between “religious Buddhism” and “<em>dharma</em> practice.” The Australian experience highlights the value of the earlier interaction between migrant and locally-born Buddhists, and the formative effect their later separation has on lay practice. This experience also points to the salience of forms of association when secular Buddhist practice melds with the Western values of inclusiveness and equality, not least in gender relations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T14:05:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca3976938fe44622b81909d0f9caa739 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1527-6457 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T14:05:49Z |
| publishDate | 2015-02-01 |
| publisher | Society for the Study of Global Buddhism |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Global Buddhism |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca3976938fe44622b81909d0f9caa7392022-12-22T02:43:55ZengSociety for the Study of Global BuddhismJournal of Global Buddhism1527-64572015-02-018015717380The Emergence of Secular Insight Practice in AustraliaDavid Bubna-Litic0Winton Higgins1University of Technology, SydneyUniversity of Technology, SydneyIn recent years insight (<em>vipassana</em>) practice in Australia has diversified in content and spawned new institutions that present a more secular face. These changes exemplify the development of global Buddhism elsewhere rather than some local, sui generis divergence from international trends. Nonetheless, the unusual prominence of Buddhist migrants in the Australian population has influenced the interaction between “traditional” and “western” Buddhists, and thus the emergence of the new trends. In interpreting the transformations in question, we make heuristic use both of Martin Baumann’s periodization of Buddhist history, with its characterization of the present stage as global, and Stephen Batchelor’s distinction between “religious Buddhism” and “<em>dharma</em> practice.” The Australian experience highlights the value of the earlier interaction between migrant and locally-born Buddhists, and the formative effect their later separation has on lay practice. This experience also points to the salience of forms of association when secular Buddhist practice melds with the Western values of inclusiveness and equality, not least in gender relations.http://www.globalbuddhism.org/jgb/index.php/jgb/article/view/79 |
| spellingShingle | David Bubna-Litic Winton Higgins The Emergence of Secular Insight Practice in Australia Journal of Global Buddhism |
| title | The Emergence of Secular Insight Practice in Australia |
| title_full | The Emergence of Secular Insight Practice in Australia |
| title_fullStr | The Emergence of Secular Insight Practice in Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Emergence of Secular Insight Practice in Australia |
| title_short | The Emergence of Secular Insight Practice in Australia |
| title_sort | emergence of secular insight practice in australia |
| url | http://www.globalbuddhism.org/jgb/index.php/jgb/article/view/79 |
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