Chapter 4
In: Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion. Volume 14 (2023)
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Abstract
Studies of Buddhism in Europe notice the relationship between Buddhist practitioners and their social class, but they neglect to go beyond the assessment of middle-class demographic characteristics. Based on a case study of practitioners in France and the Czech Republic, this chapter contends that practitioners embody Buddhism-related practices in a way that reflects a middle-classed interest in self-development. This self-development is focused on disciplined well-being, self-reflexivity, psychological pragmatism, authenticity and the holistic self. The classed origin of this embodiment is obscured by its consistency with the central values of consumer culture. The chapter thus highlights the importance of class analysis for contemporary Buddhism.