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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Buddhism as “creator” of transnational social support ties? Experiencing spirituality in a Tibetan child care organization in exile and its meaning for diaspora

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The influence of Buddhism on transnational social support ties has not been researched systematically from an empirical angle until recently. In this article I delve into the support structures of a Tibetan community-based child care organization and its donors from western countries, and emerge with an understanding of how religious belonging and spiritual experiences contribute to the formation of transnational social support ties. By introducing religion that transcends national borders, in this instance, Tibetan Buddhism, as a category for analyzing transnational social support ties, I broaden the understanding of how diaspora is formed, for I look not only at Tibetans in diaspora, but also at the place of western donors in it.