Author affiliation: Department of Languages and Communication, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland; Study of Religions, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
摘要
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.
目次
Introduction 437 Guru in Tibetan Buddhism 437 Gurus in the West 440 The context 441 Method 443 Results 445 The role and meaning of the guru 445 Perception of the teacher’s authority 448 Awareness of and attitude to power abuse 449 Discussion 450 Conclusion 451 References 453
