Cyber Zen

Imagining Authentic Buddhist Identity, Community, and Practices in the Virtual World of Second Life

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Eastern Religions, Zen Buddhism, Buddhism
Cover of the book Cyber Zen by Gregory Price Grieve, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gregory Price Grieve ISBN: 9781317293255
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: December 8, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Gregory Price Grieve
ISBN: 9781317293255
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: December 8, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Cyber Zen ethnographically explores Buddhist practices in the online virtual world of Second Life. Does typing at a keyboard and moving avatars around the screen, however, count as real Buddhism? If authentic practices must mimic the actual world, then Second Life Buddhism does not. In fact, a critical investigation reveals that online Buddhist practices have at best only a family resemblance to canonical Asian traditions and owe much of their methods to the late twentieth-century field of cybernetics. If, however, they are judged existentially, by how they enable users to respond to the suffering generated by living in a highly mediated consumer society, then Second Life Buddhism consists of authentic spiritual practices.

Cyber Zen explores how Second Life Buddhist enthusiasts form communities, identities, locations, and practices that are both products of and authentic responses to contemporary Network Consumer Society. Gregory Price Grieve illustrates that to some extent all religion has always been virtual and gives a glimpse of possible future alternative forms of religion.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Cyber Zen ethnographically explores Buddhist practices in the online virtual world of Second Life. Does typing at a keyboard and moving avatars around the screen, however, count as real Buddhism? If authentic practices must mimic the actual world, then Second Life Buddhism does not. In fact, a critical investigation reveals that online Buddhist practices have at best only a family resemblance to canonical Asian traditions and owe much of their methods to the late twentieth-century field of cybernetics. If, however, they are judged existentially, by how they enable users to respond to the suffering generated by living in a highly mediated consumer society, then Second Life Buddhism consists of authentic spiritual practices.

Cyber Zen explores how Second Life Buddhist enthusiasts form communities, identities, locations, and practices that are both products of and authentic responses to contemporary Network Consumer Society. Gregory Price Grieve illustrates that to some extent all religion has always been virtual and gives a glimpse of possible future alternative forms of religion.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Power of Labelling by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book The Secret History of the Mongols by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book Urbanization in Israel by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book Principles of Agricultural Economics by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book Creative Approaches to Improving Participation by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book Planning and Environmental Impact Assessment in Practice by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book Restorative Justice by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book Extreme Right Activists in Europe by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book Tropical Rainforests by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book The Ethics of Counterterrorism by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book HDTV and the Transition to Digital Broadcasting by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book Planning the Night-time City by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book Entre-Textes by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book The Economics of Soviet Breakup by Gregory Price Grieve
Cover of the book Julius Caesar's Bellum Civile and the Composition of a New Reality by Gregory Price Grieve
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy