Buddhism By Other Means: Sacred Sites and Ritual Practice Among Sri Lankan Domestic Workers in Jordan

Abstract

The present article examines religious practice in the everyday lives of Sri Lankan women working in Jordan. As a minority in a predominantly Muslim country, Buddhist migrants lack some of the supernatural and social resources they may otherwise tap into in times of need. Rather than forgoing ritual activities during their sojourns, Buddhists and Roman Catholics alike use Christian churches as arenas for the making and fulfilling of ritual vows. Many Buddhists also attend Catholic and Pentecostal church groups. Yet, despite the adaptive use of Christian sites of worship by Buddhists, this is not a case of Buddhism transformed. These activities should be understood as Buddhism by other means, a further instance of a personalised and pluralist approach to the divine. This analysis emphasises the affective, emotional dimensions of religious practice. It shows how ritual activities and participation in church groups play important roles, both moral and material, for Sri Lankans in the diaspora.