Abstract

NARDACCHIONE, Gabriel  and  MELAMUD, Manuel. Encouragement as the engine of spiritual practice.The Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra and its relation to the mood. Soc. relig. [online]. 2022, vol.32, n.59, pp.1-1.  Epub Dec 17, 2022. ISSN 0326-9795.

This article discusses the role of the “encouragement” within the Buddhist practice of the Lotus Sutra in Argentina. Among its followers the term "encourage" is repeated incessantly even though it means various things: send a message, go to a meeting, and give a speech, among other activities. In order to unravel this polysemic native category, we explored the ways in which it is generated and its ability to produce practical effects on the daily lives of its members. From a participant observation work carried out between 2018 -2019, adding semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis, we wonder about how “encouragement” is generated in the organization and how it manifests itself among Buddhist comrades. In conclusion, we describe the empirical reliefs of “encouragement” as well as open a debate about its place within sociology of experience.

Keywords : Buddhism; encouragement; experience; Argentina.