Meditation in Contemporary Monastic Life
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation August 12, 2019 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198808640.013.32
Summary
Meditation plays multiple roles in the lives of contemporary Buddhist monastics, especially among women who have taken ordination in various groups in the British Isles. The chapter explores the experiences of these women and compares their approaches to meditation across different traditions. It highlights the communal aspects of meditation, challenging the notion that it is solely an individualistic practice in the West. This analysis draws on ethnographic data and provides a historical context for meditation within British Buddhist monasticism.
Study at a glance
| Population | women who have taken Buddhist ordination in different Buddhist groups in the British Isles |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The chapter emphasizes the communal role of meditation among monastic women in Britain, challenging assumptions about its individualistic nature in contemporary Western contexts. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter examines the multiple roles that meditation plays in the lives of contemporary Buddhist monastics. Specifically, and drawing on rich ethnographic data, it focuses on the experiences of women who have taken Buddhist ordination within six different Buddhist groups and lineages in the British Isles. This chapter provides a brief history of the lived experience of meditation among emerging and established Buddhist monastic groups in Britain and an analysis of the role, function, and value of meditation practices, particularly among women. It makes comparisons between women of different Buddhist traditions in their approach to meditation and considers the implications of this for understanding the function of meditation in the Buddhist monastic tradition. Underpinning this approach is a challenge to assumptions about the individualistic nature of meditation in the contemporary West, emphasizing its communal role among monastic women in Britain.