This thesis aims to study how Sam Harris has reinterpreted the meaning of some central buddhist concepts to fit within the contemporary discourse of secular mindfulness. To do this, the discourse analytical method of Laclau and Mouffe has been used. The studied material is As it is volume 1 and 2 by the dzogchen-lama Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and the book and app Waking Up by Sam Harris. The study analyses and compares the use of three concepts, three nodal points, in the discourses of traditional dzogchen and contemporary secular mindfulness: ”buddhism”, ”teacher” and ”enlightenment”. A general comparison is also made between the different world views that appear in As it is and Waking Up, respectively. The major findings of the study are: In the dzogchen-discourse of Tulku Urgyen ”buddhism” is seen as a religious creed, with a multifaceted cosmology in which the Buddha is considered to have divine powers. In the secular mindfulness discourse of Sam Harris ”buddhism” is described as a testable proto- science, in which the Buddha is equated with a skilled psychologist. In the dzogchen-discourse of Tulku Urgyen a “teacher” gets his authority by referring to a line of teachers going back to the Buddha. The teacher is considered to have supernatural powers and the student is expected to show devotion. In the secular mindfulness discourse of Sam Harris a ”teacher” only needs to have practical expertise, and the student is supposed to question and test the teacher's statements. Briefly, this can be described as a change from a religious guru to a secular coach. In the dzogchen-discourse the concept of enlightenment is associated with salvation and described as the only way to escape new painful reincarnations. Enlightenment is also linked to compassion and considered an altruistic project. In the secular mindfulness discourse of Sam Harris the quest for enlightenment is described as an individualistic health project, aimed at increasing mental well-being, personal development and happiness. Keywords: Sam Harris, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, dzogchen, buddhism, secular mindfulness, enlightenment, discourse analysis.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-451817 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Wallentin, Jan |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Religionshistoria |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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