Religion, Social Capital and Exile: Social Transformations and the Dynamics of Tibetan Buddhist Practices in India

Ever since the diasporic dispersal of Tibetans due to the annexation of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China in 1959 and their semi- permanent settlement in India, Tibetan Buddhist practices have been undergoing several transformations. The article examines, through the lens of social capital, how the Tibetan Buddhists, once considered as the Chela—disciplined followers of the religious practices preached by Indian Buddhist masters—have assumed the mantle of Guru or a teacher in the ongoing reproduction of Tibetan Buddhism in India. The article notes that the metamorphosis of Tibetan Buddhism as key to Tibetan identity retention has latently overtaken the issue of return to their fatherland.