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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Teacher-Student Relations in Two Tibetan Buddhist Groups in Helsinki
Mitra HärkönenMaria Sharapansubject
Tiibet050103 clinical psychologyteacher-student relationsBuddhism0603 philosophy ethics and religionVajrayanaPower (social and political)Tibetan BuddhistsPhenomenonSuomita616ta516Buddhism0501 psychology and cognitive sciencesSociologyta518opettaja-oppilassuhdeFinland060303 religions & theologySense of agency4. Education05 social sciencesReligious studiesReverenceGender studies06 humanities and the artsPhilosophyAccountabilitybuddhalaisuusQualitative researchdescription
AbstractBased 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.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-07-03 | Contemporary Buddhism |