Intuitive Buddhist

By examining teenage heritage and convert Buddhist communities in the West through the lens of Psychological Type, this book presents hard evidence from hundreds of self-identifying Buddhists in the UK, that the diversity of Buddhists, previously described in terms of ethnic dichotomy, is better explained in terms of Psychological Type preferences. By moving past biologically determined features such as ethnicity, the book represents a long overdue yardstick for the full spectrum of diversity within the Buddhist community – since Psychological Type preferences, such as the sliding scale of Intuition, give more predictive nuance and avoid orientalist prejudice. The book puts Buddhism on the map of Psychology of Religion by showing the statistical links between personality and more than twenty individual differences, including tendency to meditate or visit the temple. The hermeneutic of intra-Buddhist diversity described in this book, apart from providing a mirror of self-understanding for individual Buddhist practitioners, can be applied by anthropologists of Buddhism, Religious Education stakeholders and chaplains to ensure equality and objectivity in their work. Meanwhile, the book’s relatable ‘Type Compass’ style of graphic presentation represents a common ‘language’ for religious study that invites comparison between Buddhism and other faith traditions.

Phra Nicholas Thanissaro is a Buddhist monk of 24 years standing. With thirty years of meditation experience, he is a UK Complementary Medical Association qualified teacher of meditation. Affiliated with the Dhammakaya Foundation, he is also qualified as a school teacher and MBTI practitioner. As a scholar-practitioner, during his time as Associate Fellow at the University of Warwick, he published widely in peer-reviewed journals on the formation of Buddhist identity in teenagers and continues to research the appeal of meditation in the West. He currently lectures in ‘Living Buddhism’ and ‘Religious Individualization’ at Claremont School of Theology, California and Willamette University, Oregon.