Dharma Ventures: Buddhist Social Enterprises and Glocalization on Prince Edward Island

Abstract

This dissertation examines how a Tibetan-inspired Buddhist community largely from Taiwan aims to create social change through various ventures—projects, institutions, and businesses—in Prince Edward Island, Canada, as a process of glocalization. Based on field research with Buddhist lay practitioners, nuns, monks, volunteers, farmers, business owners, employees, agricultural representatives, and pilgrimage participants, this study aims to create a grounded, holistic picture of a transnational network of people, ideas, organizations, and goods, while considering the political and economic landscape in which a Buddhist community establishes itself. This nascent community is criticized by some as a cult, communist, and too corporate for establishing businesses and buying land (perceived to be land grabs) on the island. These critical identifying strategies challenge the group’s identity and authenticity as Buddhists via operational acts of delegitimization. This dissertation argues that, for this Buddhist group, the established Buddhist ventures—comprising social enterprises, businesses and non-profits—construct and legitimize a collective Buddhist identity focused on social and ethical change. This identity advances the global expansion of people and organizations, reinforcing Buddhist values, visions, and ethical discourses. This research demonstrates that business practices are not inherently antithetical to Buddhist values; rather they play an integral role in merit-making and can be viewed as essential for the expansion of a Buddhist community. By examining the interconnectedness of moral and economic values within social relations and identity formations, this study contributes to the fields of anthropology and religious studies, providing insights into the evolving dynamics of what people conceive of as religion, economics, and social transformation. The findings highlight the complex interplay between these multiple forms of value, exploring how both discourses of legitimization and delegitimization grow out of a global modern conception of what constitutes Buddhism today.