Reclaiming the Shakya lineage : Buddhist youth and memory at Sankisa in Uttar Pradesh
department or school: Arts and Social Sciences, Irving K. Barber Faculty of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Kumar, Manish
issued: 2025-01-03T22:27:07Z
issued: 2025
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: The Youth Buddhist Society of India (YBS) is an organization that was first started in 1986 in the Buddhist sacred site of Sankisa in Uttar Pradesh, India. Members of the group, which now reaches upwards of 25,000 people throughout India, are primarily from low-caste farming groups and are involved in various outreach activities from meditation retreats and regular courses in Buddhist philosophy and practice. Although the YBS are non-sectarian and draw Buddhist connections and inspiration from Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, they are also actively involved in reclaiming the Shakya identity and ancestry associated with the historical Buddha for their low caste-community. This research examines the creative ways in which Indian youth reclaim their “ancestral roots” and “heritage” that speak to emergent social, political and ethical self-engagement and how these differ from Dalit Buddhist conversion movements following the example of B.R. Ambedkar. By deploying a community-based research methodological approach, this study also speaks to the powerful use of religious memory and place in reconfiguring identity for Indian youth and the importance of reviving a Buddhist homeland in Sankisa.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/90039
note: Reclaiming the Shakya Lineage: Buddhist Youth and Memory at Sankisa in Uttar Pradesh by Manish Kumar B.A., P.W.S College, Nagpur University, 2012 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Interdisciplinary Studies) (Community Engagement, Social Change and Equity) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) January 2025 © Manish Kumar, 2025 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, a thesis entitled: Reclaiming the Shakya Lineage: Buddhist Youth and Memory at Sankisa in Uttar Pradesh submitted by Manish Kumar in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts. Dr. David Geary, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences ______________________________________________________________ Supervisor Dr. Neha Gupta, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences __________________________________________________________________ Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Douglas Ober, Fort Lewis College ___________________________________________________________ Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Bonar Buffam, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences __________________________________________________________________ University Examiner iii Abstract The Youth Buddhist Society of India (YBS) is an organization that was first started in 1986 in the Buddhist sacred site of Sankisa in Uttar Pradesh, India. Members of the group, which now reaches upwards of 25,000 people throughout India, are primarily from low-caste farming groups and are involved in various outreach activities from meditation retreats and regular courses in Buddhist philosophy and practice. Although the YBS are non-sectarian and draw Buddhist connections and inspiration from Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, they are also actively involved in reclaiming the Shakya identity and ancestry associate…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-02
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0447667
language: eng
degree discipline: Interdisciplinary Studies
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Geary, David, 1976-
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90039