Teacher-Student Relations in Two Tibetan Buddhist Groups in Helsinki

Based on sixteen interviews with members of two Tibetan Buddhist groups in Helsinki, Finland, this article investigates how the role of the guru, power imbalance and power abuse are perceived by the students. This qualitative study aims at understanding what shape the reverence to the Vajrayana teac...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Contemporary buddhism
Authors: Sharapan, Maria (Author) ; Härkönen, Mitra (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Routledge [2017]
In: Contemporary buddhism
Year: 2017, Volume: 18, Issue: 2, Pages: 437-454
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:Based on sixteen interviews with members of two Tibetan Buddhist groups in Helsinki, Finland, this article investigates how the role of the guru, power imbalance and power abuse are perceived by the students. This qualitative study aims at understanding what shape the reverence to the Vajrayana teacher takes in the egalitarian environment of a European country, where Buddhism is a relatively new phenomenon. The interviews show that while teachers are not losing importance, ways of choosing and paying respect to them changes. They also reveal confusion in defining abuse, and emphasis on personal agency and teachers' accountability for avoiding it.
ISSN:1476-7953
Contains:Enthalten in: Contemporary buddhism
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/14639947.2017.1373436