There are currently 483 Buddhist organizations operating in Canada in 2012. In order to better understand these organizations, a survey was created by John Negru, publisher of Canada’s largest online database of Canadian Buddhist organizations, www.canadianbuddhism.info, in association with the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto. The survey contained twenty-six multi-part questions in two sections. The first section comprised directory information associated with specific organizations. The second section comprised sociological questions, the answers to which were supplied on condition of anonymity. Of 483 potential responses, 102 were received (21.1%). While not exhaustive, these responses are broadly spread over different locations, traditions and institutional frameworks. Their distribution mirrors the geographical and lineage distribution of the full set. As such, they present a relatively accurate snapshot of current community development across Buddhist communities in Canada.
Highlights from data gathered in this first-ever survey of community development in these organizations, with some preliminary observations, have now been published as a Critical Note in the Journal of Global Buddhism.
As an appendix to that article, we are publishing here a copy of the survey that was sent out to the participating Buddhist organizations across the country.
The Sumeru Survey of Canadian Buddhist Organizations Interactive Survey Package (PDF VERSION)
My thanks to the individuals who contributed to this two-year project. Thank you especially to the more than 100 organizations who took the time and effort to complete the survey, many of whom graciously passed on additional appreciation and information. Thanks as well to: Professor Frances Garrett, University of Toronto Department of Religious Studies – academic mentor and collaborator; Jennifer Nguyen – research assistant; Professor Martin Baumann – editor of The Journal of Global Buddhism, who shepherded me through the process of writing up my results; and Professor Charles Prebish – editor emeritus of The Journal of Global Buddhism, who was unfailingly encouraging.
The post Highlights from the Survey of Canadian Buddhist Organizations appeared first on .