Meditation in Modern Buddhism by Joanna Cook - 9780521119382

Meditation in Modern BuddhismRenunciation and Change in Thai Monastic Life\nAuthor(s): Joanna Cook\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9780521119382, 978-0521119382\nSynopsis\nIn contemporary Thai Buddhism, the burgeoning popularity of vipassan? meditation is dramatically impacting the lives of those most closely involved with its practice: monks and mae chee (lay nuns) living in monastic communities. For them, meditation becomes a central focus of life and a way to transform the self. This ethnographic account of a thriving Northern Thai monastery examines meditation in detail, and explores the subjective signification of monastic duties and ascetic practices. Drawing on fieldwork done both as an analytical observer and as a full participant in the life of the monastery, Joanna Cook analyzes the motivation and experience of renouncers, and shows what effect meditative practices have on individuals an.