The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Jeff Wilson

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Mapping the Buddhist Community of Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, once the capitol of the Confederate States of America, isn't the first place one might think to look for Buddhist temples. Though many here still enjoy the annual Civil War reenactments and take pride in the old time religion, the even older religion of the Buddha has succeeded in quietly making a place for itself here in the South. There are now Buddhist groups practicing in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Tibetan, Burmese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and American lineages in Richmond. How does each group understand what Buddhism is, and how do they relate (or fail to relate) to one another? Is there an emerging Buddhist community in Richmond, or simply a Balkanized set of competing sects? What roles do race, gender, sectarian allegiance, and other factors play in the choices of Richmond residents who join one or another of the temples in their area? The purpose of this project is to discover and profile the different Buddhist groups that have gathered in Richmond, and map out what connections they have made with each other.

The central subject of this study will be fieldwork conducted at Ekoji Buddhist Sangha, a unique temple in the heart of Richmond that houses several different Buddhist groups. Through participation in services and special events, interviews with members, and collection of textual, photographic, and material data, the network of different sects and individuals who have come together at Ekoji will be explored. This information will also be augmented with site visits to the other Buddhist temples in the greater Richmond area. Attention will also be paid to more far-flung connections: how are Richmond's Buddhists knit into a wider tapestry of Buddhism in the South and on the national scale? Can we trace the flow of teachers, students, practices, and ideas circulating through these networks? Ultimately the goal of this study will be in increase our understanding of how Buddhists in America interact on a local, regional, and national scale.