Buddha as a god: An empirical assessment

Benjamin Grant Purzycki; Edward C. Holland

doi:/10.1163/15700682-12341453

Buddha as a god: An empirical assessment

Benjamin Grant Purzycki, Edward C. Holland

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

For at least a century, scholars have argued about whether or not Buddha is considered a god. We treat this question empirically by conducting two ethnographic studies among residents of the Tyva Republic, one of the Buddhist republics in the Russian Federation. Using a mixed methods approach to interrogate the question, this report concludes that Buddha is, in fact, popularly represented as a punitive and moralistic supernatural agent in the republic and demographic factors co-vary with such beliefs. The paper addresses longstanding concerns and situates the results in contemporary social scientific inquiry that addresses questions of when, where, to what degree, and why he is represented as a deity.

Original language	English
Journal	Method and Theory in the Study of Religion
Volume	31
Issue	4-5
Pages (from-to)	347-375
ISSN	0943-3058
DOIs	https://doi.org//10.1163/15700682-12341453
Publication status	Published - Oct 2019
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Buddhism
ethnographic methods
cognitive anthropology
Tyva Republic
gods

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abstract = "For at least a century, scholars have argued about whether or not Buddha is considered a god. We treat this question empirically by conducting two ethnographic studies among residents of the Tyva Republic, one of the Buddhist republics in the Russian Federation. Using a mixed methods approach to interrogate the question, this report concludes that Buddha is, in fact, popularly represented as a punitive and moralistic supernatural agent in the republic and demographic factors co-vary with such beliefs. The paper addresses longstanding concerns and situates the results in contemporary social scientific inquiry that addresses questions of when, where, to what degree, and why he is represented as a deity.",

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AB - For at least a century, scholars have argued about whether or not Buddha is considered a god. We treat this question empirically by conducting two ethnographic studies among residents of the Tyva Republic, one of the Buddhist republics in the Russian Federation. Using a mixed methods approach to interrogate the question, this report concludes that Buddha is, in fact, popularly represented as a punitive and moralistic supernatural agent in the republic and demographic factors co-vary with such beliefs. The paper addresses longstanding concerns and situates the results in contemporary social scientific inquiry that addresses questions of when, where, to what degree, and why he is represented as a deity.

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KW - ethnographic methods

KW - cognitive anthropology

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KW - gods

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ER -

Buddha as a god: An empirical assessment

Abstract

Keywords

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