Refugees in the Dharma : a study of revitalization in the Buddhist Church of Halifax

Recent years have witnessed significant changes in the religious practice of many Westerners. The 1970s saw the appearance of numerous innovative religious movements which attracted large numbers of adherents throughout North America. Many of these new religious groups have failed to endure to the present. Others, however, have developed into viable religious communities. This study applies Anthony F.C. Wallace's (1956) model of revitalization movements to the development of one such movement, Vajradhatu, the Buddhist church of Halifax. Vajradhatu was founded by an exiled Tibetan monk, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who immigrated to the United States in 1970. This essay traces the formation and growth of Vajradhatu from its inception to the present. In the twenty-three years since the establishment of Vajradhatu, the community has expanded extensively. Chégyam Trungpa explicitly adapted the Buddhist teachings in such a way that continues to appeal to Westerners. The development of Vajradhatu as a spiritual organization and the adaptive measures implimented to present the Buddhist teachings, represent revitalization according to Wallace's criteria. Data for this analysis were collected by means of overt participant observation, content analysis and interviews.