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Dhamma Education: the Transmission and Reconfiguration of the Sri Lankan Buddhist Tradition in Toronto

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Dhamma Education: the Transmission and Reconfiguration of the Sri Lankan Buddhist Tradition in Toronto Wilfrid Laurier University Scholars Commons @ Laurier Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) 2010 Dhamma Education: The Transmission and Reconfiguration of the Sri Lankan Buddhist Tradition in Toronto Deba Mitra Bhikkhu Wilfrid Laurier University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd Part of the Other Religion Commons Recommended Citation Bhikkhu, Deba Mitra, "Dhamma Education: The Transmission and Reconfiguration of the Sri Lankan Buddhist Tradition in Toronto" (2010). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 1112. https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/1112 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) by an authorized administrator of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-75400-9 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-75400-9 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extra its substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada Dhamma Education: The Transmission and Reconfiguration of the Sri Lankan Buddhist Tradition in Toronto By Deba Mitra Bhikkhu Pundit Degree in Oriental Studies, Sri Lanka 1997 Bachelor of Arts in English and Buddhist Philosophy, Sri Jayawardenepura University, 2000 Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2000 Master of Arts in Religious Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2005 DISSERTATION Submitted to the Department of Religion and Culture in the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies Wilfrid Laurier University © Deba Mitra Bhikkhu 2010 Abstract This research documents the transition of a religious tradition from a foreign- born generation to a new generation who call Canada home. It examines how first- generation Sri Lankan Buddhists in Toronto transmit their Buddhist tradition to their Canadian children, how the latter receive what is passed on to them, and what happens within the tradition through the process of transmission and reception. These issues are of paramount concern not only for Buddhist communities in North America but also for other immigrant and refugee groups undergoing the process of resettlement. Working with two Sri Lankan temples in Toronto, the Toronto Mahavihara and the West End Buddhist Centre, the author analyzes a system of formal Buddhist religious education (Dhamma Education) in order to document the methods and effects of transmission of Buddhism from the first- to the second-generation Buddhists. The study considers the origin and development of Dhamma Education in the colonial, postcolonial, and diasporic contexts, and analyzes Dhamma Education curriculum and textbooks—The Buddhist Catechism, Daham Pasela, and Teaching Buddhism to Children in the respective periods—to discern the continuities and discontinuities of Buddhism across time and space. The study also analyzes data from two survey questionnaires and information from over 60 interviews conducted by the author to identify how both generations understand, define, and practice Buddhism, as well as their perceptions of each other's understandings. Drawing on theoretical insights from Talal Asad, this study conceptualizes Sri Lankan Buddhism in Toronto as a "discursive tradition" that relates to its past and future through its present. Such conceptualization facilitates identification of the community's i impulses to maintain the coherence and viability of their tradition in Toronto. The author contends that Sri Lankan Buddhists in Toronto simultaneously reflect on and deflect from their religious tradition in Sri Lanka to redefine themselves as Sri Lankan Buddhists in Toronto; in this redefining process, their minority status, the Canadian multicultural discourse, popular perception of Buddhism, religious and cultural diversity in Toronto, and the individualistic North American culture play active roles. The research demonstrates that Theravada Buddhism shapes the ethos of Sri Lankan Buddhists, but the latter reinterpret the former to reflect culturally diverse Toronto. In this process, they highlight a Buddhism promoting peaceful co-existence, mutual respect, and social harmony. The author explains how these emphases echo Canadian multicultural discourse and reflect Sri Lankan Buddhists' minority status in Toronto. These overtones also fortify a stereotypical perception of Buddhism being a "peaceful, harmonious religion." This positive image of Buddhism appeals to the second generation, who intensify the individualistic aspects in it. The findings illustrate that both generations negotiate the Buddhist tradition by integrating collective and individualistic cultural aspects. They add an egalitarian mode of interaction to the hierarchically defined monk-laity, parent-children relationships; they increase contemplative and humanitarian practices; and, they prefer a geo-religious (Sri Lankan Buddhist) identity to a previously popular ethno-religious (Sinhalese Buddhist) identity. Both identities are, however, overshadowed by a general Buddhist identity. The analysis of the second generation's Buddhist practices in Toronto remind us that their Buddhism is not a foreign religion, but a Canadian one, the roots of which extend back to Sri Lanka. ii Acknowledgments It is a great pleasure to acknowledge and thank the people who have helped me in various ways to pursue and realize my academic potential. I am grateful to my parents in rural Bangladesh who, due to my unwavering persistence, financed my adventure for knowledge to Sri Lanka. I grew up in the presence of many monastic and lay teachers, friends and benefactors who made Sri Lanka feel like home. I thank them for their training, knowledge and friendship that provided me with the basic skills and conviction to realize the present scholarship in Canada. Many thanks go to the Venerable Phongeun Vongkhoth and the Phommaviharam Buddhist Temple in Kitchener for sponsoring me to come to Canada. Their openness and kindness enabled me to serve Buddhists and non-Buddhists with my monastic capacities while exploring the possibilities of academic life. I am also grateful to the local Laotian, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi Buddhists for making me feel home at Kitchener-Waterloo. Their support, care, encouragement and understanding enabled me to integrate both monastic and ethnographic perspectives in this dissertation. My heartfelt appreciations go to Dr. Kay Koppedrayer for her excellent academic mentorship. Not only did her careful, dedicated and nurturing guidance enabled me to complete this dissertation in a timely manner, her insightful guidance acquainted me with the academic study of religion, and also with an art of academic mentorship. I am also grateful to Dr. Janet McLellan, Dr. Darrol Bryant, Dr. Kevin Spooner, Dr. Bruce Matthews and Dr. Mavis Fenn for commenting on this work. I appreciate all the support and encouragement received from my PhD cohort members. Special thanks to Siobhan Chandler, who, with good faith and true friendship, provided much editorial assistance iii in my writing and speaking over the years. Holly Pearse also assisted me with editorial help in the final stages of writing. I would also like to thank all my friends, colleagues, and teachers at both universities (Laurier and Waterloo) for their knowledge, advice, encouragement and support. Finally, much gratitude and appreciation goes out to the monks, Dhamma teachers, parents and youth associated with the Toronto Mahavihara and the West End Buddhist Centre. Their goodwill and cooperation made this research possible. I am also indebted to the provincial and federal funding agencies whose support enabled me to extend the research to Sri Lanka and to present
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