Buddhist Non-self as Relational Interdependence: An NTU-Inspired African American Lesbian Interpretation?
Pamela Ayo Yetunde
Buddhist-Christian Studies 2018 DOI: 10.1353/bcs.2018.0027 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 31 |
| Population | African American Buddhist same-sex-loving women (lesbians) who grew up in Christian churches |
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | The text argues that existing academic research on American Buddhist practitioners excludes the culturally specific experiences of African American practitioners, and that among the thirty-one African American Buddhist same-sex-loving women studied, non-self is largely understood as relational interdependence, a possible contrast with how other Insight Meditation practitioners interpret the teaching. |
Abstract
Virtually every published academic study on American Buddhist practitioners excludes the culturally specific experiences of African American Buddhist practitioners. In the Insight Meditation Community (initially created by white Jewish American practitioners who studied and practiced in Southeast Asia before bringing the Theravada-influenced practices and teachings to the United States), there seems to be a growing number of African American practitioners who may interpret the teachings on non-self differently than other Insight practitioners. In this study of thirty-one African American Buddhist same-sex-loving women (lesbians) who grew up in Christian churches, non-self is largely understood as relational interdependence.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... | 2017 | Qualitative study with mixed-methods | |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Common Core Thesis and Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Mysticism in Chinese Buddhist Monks and Nuns Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns | 2011 | Mixed-methods study | n = 139 |
| Anger regulation in traumatized Cambodian refugees: the perspectives of Buddhist monks. Buddhist Cambodian monks in Massachusetts | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 6 |
| The Lived Experiences of Experienced Vipassana Mahasi Meditators: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Experienced Vipassana Mahasi meditators | 2018 | Qualitative study |