The origin of my auto-ethnography project comes from a case back in my home, China. Although nowadays China has been criticized for its loss of beliefs, it is worth noticing that religions, especially Buddhism and Taoism, still play important roles in our life styles and cultures. Especially in places such as Sichuan and Xinjiang, where people at those places even keep religions as unalienable parts of their life.
About two years ago, I was totally shocked when I knew one of my acquaintances Jie, who has long been a sincere Buddhist and practicing meditation diligently, abandoned his job as an engineer and decided to live inside Zhongnan Mountain as a recluse ever after. Jie used to be an optimistic and passionate person, and apparently the reason for his escape must be related to his religious belief to some extent. I was totally confused. Why did meditation bring him escapism? How can Buddhism become the enemy of mundane life? By doing this auto-ethnography, hopefully I could find the solution to this question.
About two years ago, I was totally shocked when I knew one of my acquaintances Jie, who has long been a sincere Buddhist and practicing meditation diligently, abandoned his job as an engineer and decided to live inside Zhongnan Mountain as a recluse ever after. Jie used to be an optimistic and passionate person, and apparently the reason for his escape must be related to his religious belief to some extent. I was totally confused. Why did meditation bring him escapism? How can Buddhism become the enemy of mundane life? By doing this auto-ethnography, hopefully I could find the solution to this question.