Pragmatic Buddhism in Secular Nepal: With Special Reference to the Tamang Community

Abstract

This article highlights the pragmatic nature of Buddhism on the basis of an empirical study and supporting literature. An ethnographic study was carried out to examine the effectiveness of the pragmatic nature of Buddhism where its practitioners hesitate to celebrate, and rather convert to other religions. The Tamang people, the Indigenous caste of Nepal, which is traditionally allied with Tibetan Buddhism, are now converting to Christianity because of economic, socio-cultural, and psychological causes, and advocates of Buddhism are attempting to prevent this conversion. In this context, a field was selected to observe the interface between Buddhism and Christianity in the Tamang community. Field study suggests that Lama have reinterpreted and redefined the norms, values, and standards of Buddhism that includes celebrating rituals at Gumba instead of at home; in group/communal instead of in individual; offering only sttavic foods in feast; and minimum and equal rate of Dakshina to lama priest (no discrimination between rich and poor yajamana) named it ‘Nepal Non-violence Buddhism World Peace Cycle Association’; and community leaders of Tamang Buddhism have organized the members and constructed Gumba for institutionalization of the new sect. Nearly, 25% of households of the Tamang community of the studied are now organized into the new sect. Such cultural assimilation of Tamang Buddhism is an example of the pragmatic nature of Buddhism- i.e., developing ideas for social reform and cultivating morality.