5 papers in the library · publishing 2021
Drifting through Samsara December 2, 2021 Masoumeh Rahmani
Abstract This chapter offers a detailed examination of the narratives of individuals who left Goenka’s Vipassana movement after years of intense commitment. The analysis is done in light of the recent developments in religious disengagement literature. Through detailed linguistic analysis of a case study, the chapter argues that Vipassana disaffiliation narratives are characterised by an...
Drifting through Samsara December 2, 2021 Masoumeh Rahmani
Abstract This chapter explores deconversion as a rare exit pattern from Goenka’s Vipassana movement. Through a detailed exploration of a single case study, this chapter explores the narrator’s attempt to flee the movement’s universe of discourse. The chapter introduces the term ‘authenticity talk’ to refer to a style of discourse that functions both as (1) a recourse for self-reconstruction...
Drifting through Samsara December 2, 2021 Masoumeh Rahmani
Abstract This chapter adopts Gooren’s conversion career model as a heuristic framework to demonstrate how one’s universe of discourse changes with increased participation and identifies the linguistic markers of this change. The chapter is divided into four sections and is rich with data: the first section explores the participants’ preaffiliation context by looking at their biographical...
Drifting through Samsara December 2, 2021 Masoumeh Rahmani
Abstract This chapter introduces the concept of tacit conversion as an analytical framework for conceptualising the process of personal transformation and increased commitment to Goenka’s Vipassana movement. This chapter is based on a detailed examination of an old student’s language and his performance of the role of a Vipassana meditator. By paying attention to the content of speech, as well...
Drifting through Samsara December 2, 2021 Masoumeh Rahmani
Abstract This chapter explores (1) drifters in samsara and (2) pursuers of the gateless gate as two common Vipassana disaffiliation trajectories. The chapter argues that deconversion or migration outside of the movement’s universe of discourse is a rare exit pattern in this movement. It shows that in the vast majority of cases the participants’ search for an alternative universe of discourse...