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Buddhists/sociology ethnography

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Expert: - 5/13/2008


Question
Hi. I am currently a high school senior currently taking Sociology. For this class, I was assigned to conduct an ethnography, which is an in depth interview about someone from a different sub culture, group, or organization. And I have always been interested in learning about Buddhism and this project gives me the perfect opportunity to learn a bit more about it. I was wondering if you would be willing to be interviewed and giving me a better understanding about the theology behind Buddhism.

Please get back to me so I can continue my search for an interviewee.

Thanks!

Danielle Koch


Answer
Hi Daniell,
Well yes, but I don't know if I count - I am a long-standing Buddhist, it is true, but I am entirely a Westerner, from the Midlands of England, educated at Oxford and so on. Apart from being a Buddhist, I am quite a typical Westerner, I'd say. Is that any use to you?

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Alex Wilding

Expertise

I have practiced and studied Tibetan Buddhism in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions since the early 1970s, and have a good knowledge of theory, history and of the struggles of trying to practice the teachings, including meditation, while leading a normal, modern life. I am also available to provide background information for journalists.

Experience

I have been a practitioner since the early 1970s; have run a small Buddhist centre in the English Midlands and was vice-president of Kagyu Benchen Ling e.V. in Germany, for whom I managed three large Buddhist summer-camps. More importantly, I maintain a habit of personal practice. I am the "owner" of the Kagyu list at Yahoo.

Education/Credentials
My first degree was an M.A. from Oxford. I later obtained a Master of Philosophy degree for a research thesis in "Initiation in Tibetan Buddhism" from Leicester University. I also have engineering and educational qualifications.

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