The notion of “being Buddhist” is shown as problematic, even for very committed long-term practitioners within traditional Buddhist meditation lineages. Given this, it is not surprising that the process of “becoming Buddhist” is also not well understood. I set out the findings of my doctoral research into this problem, focusing on two aspects: Firstly, I outline the development of a comprehensive model of becoming Buddhist that includes both processual and contextual elements of identity change, and secondly I present a framework for being Buddhist based on Buddhists’ own identity statements. This model can help account for some of the complexities around who ‘counts’ as a Buddhist according to social taxonomers as well as shed some light on how Buddhists talk about identity, which has specific resonances and difficulties in Buddhist thought| Period | 28 Sep 2012 → 30 Sep 2012 |
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| Event title | The British Psychological Society Transpersonal Psychology Section 16th Annual Conference |
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| Event type | Conference |
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| Location | Scarborough, United Kingdom |
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