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Skidmore College

Publication Date

Spring 2023

Program Name

Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples

Abstract

In this research report, Pop Spirituality in the Context of Nepal, I look to add clarity to what it means to be “spiritual” and how that has been applied historically in context of Nepal. This paper focuses on what has led up to our modern day perceptions on spirituality. In the first section of the paper, I briefly describe what I mean when I say, “pop spirituality” or a “modern spirituality.” I define spirituality and how it differs from religion, a religion, and what secularization is. I want to acknowledge that there are many types of spirituality that exist of course, but for the purpose of this paper, I only refer to a narrowly specific kind of spirituality and its history. From there I dive into the religious tourism in Nepal, what its impact is, and why it is lucrative. It is followed up with some of Nepal’s history on the Hippie Trail and how it shaped Nepal’s tourist industry. To explain why Nepal became the final destination of the trail, I had to explain the history of the West’s fascination with Tibet. This fixation that the West held created a distorted image of Eastern spirituality and ruminants of those effects are still around today. Then I address the complexities of commodification in our capitalistic society and how that affects our relationship with spiritual practice. Finally, I emphasize why this spirituality is so attractive and perhaps addicting to partake in. Then I discuss how spiritual bypass may be implicated as a coping mechanism for the stresses that we experience in our lives.

Disciplines

Asian Studies | Buddhist Studies | Intellectual History | New Religious Movements | Sociology of Religion | Tourism

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