Choosing Buddhism : the life stories of eight Canadians /
Mauro Peressini.
- Ottawa, Ontario : Canadian Museum of History and University of Ottawa Press, (c)2016.
- 1 online resource.
- Mercury series Cultural studies paper ; 86 .
Includes bibliographies and index.
Cover; Title; False-title; Copyright; Abstract; Résumé; Table of Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; The Life Story of a Project; An Introduction to Buddhism; The Narrators; Methodology; Part I: Contexts ; The Text Boxes; The Glossary; The Commentaries; Conventions for Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan Words; Bibliographic Sources on Buddhist Spirituality; Abbreviations Used in This Book ; PART I -- Contexts; CHAPTER 1 -- Buddhism: Origins, Diversification, Teachings and Practices; The Origins and Diversification of Buddhism; Buddhist Teachings and Practices: An Overview. The Question of Suffering and Its CausesThe Ultimate Nature of Reality; The Other Aspect of Awakening: Compassion; Buddhist Training and Practices ; Nirvana; CHAPTER 2 -- Buddhism in Canada: An Overview; Before 1967; After 1967; The Appeal of Buddhism in Canadian Society; A Favourable Context; The Multiple Ways of Being "Buddhist"; PART II -- Life Stories; Chapter 3 -- Ajahn Viradhammo; A Fundamental Childhood Experience ; "That's Not It!"; Travelling to Gain Understanding; The Road to India; A State Beyond Suffering; Introduction to Monastic Buddhism; Loss of Direction; Back on the Path. Box 1 Sámatha-VipasýanaBecoming Ajahn Chah's Student; Box 2 Ajahn Chah (1918-1992); Monastic Life; Working with Ajahn Sumedho; Box 3 Ajahn Sumedho (born 1934); Monasticism-Its Benefits for the Mind and the Heart; Box 4 The Four Noble Truths; Bringing the Dhamma to the West; The Death of Ajahn Chah ; The Return to Canada; A Monastery in Canada; Box 5 Interdependence Between Monastics and the Laity; At the Heart of It; A Rewarding Life ; Commentary; Chapter 4 -- Jim Bedard; A Doubting Thomas; The Martial Arts; An Intuitive and Experiential Christian Practice. Mysterious Energies and Unanswered Questions The Ocean in a Cup; Letting Go of Christian Beliefs; The Appeal of Zen; Box 6 Zen Buddhism; Meeting Roshi Philip Kapleau; The First Sesshins; Formal Training; Roshi Sunyana Graef: A Change of Tone; The Turning Point; Facing Death; Box 7 Impermanence and the Three Characteristics of Conditioned Existence; A Timeless Peace; A Glimpse of the Process of Death ; Box 8 Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Buddha-Fields and Pure Land Buddhism; Seeing into Some Old Karma; Moving Away from Zen; A Different Approach: Theravada Buddhism; Concentration and Mindfulness. Box 9 The Noble Eightfold Path Box 10 Mindfulness Meditation; Cultivating Loving Kindness ; Meeting Ajahn Viradhammo; Teaching at Satipaññā Insight Meditation Toronto; The Benefits of Knowing Zen and Theravada; The Intention of Relinquishment; To Be or Not to Be Buddhist: That's Not the Question; Commentary ; Chapter 5 -- Albert Low ; The Origin of a Question; The War; Experiences that Pointed to Something Else; Doctor Nothman's Group; A False Start: Scientology; The Move to South Africa; Breaking Away from Scientology; A Time of Crisis; Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff ; Hubert Benoit.
"Mauro Peressini presents the experience of Canadians who chose to convert to Buddhism and to embrace its teachings and practices in their daily lives. Choosing Buddhism presents the life stories of eight Canadians who first encountered Buddhism between the late 1960s and the 1980s, and are now ordained or lay Buddhist teachers. In recent census records, over 300,000 Canadians identified their religious affiliation as Buddhist. The great majority are of Asian origin and were born into Buddhist families or were Buddhist at the time of their arrival in Canada. Since the late 1960s, however, the number of Canadians converting to Buddhism has doubled every decade, and this demographic now includes more than 20,000 individuals. The eight Canadians whose life stories are featured in this book are among the very first to have chosen Buddhism. Their first-hand accounts shed light on why and how people convert to a religion from such distant shores. Choosing Buddhism also offers contextual material that complements the eight life stories. This material enriches the reader's understanding of the life stories by offering additional information on the meaning of the Buddhist notions mentioned and by providing the broader historical and spiritual contexts that underpin the biographical accounts. While Choosing Buddhism will be of interest to specialists because of the first-hand accounts, it is primarily aimed at a wider audience interested in Buddhism, religions or spirituality in general. It will also be of use to teachers whose courses touch upon any of these subjects. By combining life stories and contextual material, and placing an emphasis on the concrete experiences of Canadians with whom readers can identify, this book is an introduction to Buddhism and to what it means to lead a Buddhist life in contemporary Canada."--
9780776623337 9780776623320
Buddhist converts--Canada--Biography. Buddhists--Canada--Biography. Buddhism--Canada.