Outsider Buddhism : a study of Buddhism and Buddhist education in the U.S. prison system

• Main Author: McIvor, Paul
• Other Authors: Clasquin, M. (Michel)
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Buddhism; Prison ministry; Prison outreach; Victor Turner; United States of America; Pastoral care; Ashis Nandy; 294.30973; Buddhism > United States; Prisoners > Religious life > United States; Prisoners > Pastoral counseling of > United States
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5105

Buddhist prison outreach is a relatively recent development, in the United States of America and elsewhere, and has yet to be chronicled satisfactorily. This thesis traces the physical, legal and social environment in which such activities take place and describes the history of Buddhist prison outreach in the USA from its earliest indications in the 1960s to the present day. The mechanics of Buddhist prison outreach are also examined. Motivations for participating in Buddhist prison outreach are discussed, including Buddhist textual supports, role models and personal benefits. This paper then proposes that volunteers active in this area are members of a liminal communitas as per Victor Turner and benefit from ‘non-player’ status, as defined by Ashis Nandy. The experiences of the inmates themselves is beyond the scope of this thesis. === Religious Studies and Arabic === M.A. (Religious Studies)