Constructing Buddhism: The Role of Global Media in Shaping Western Views on Eastern Religions

Abstract The impact of the international media portrayal of the Buddhist religion on the Western audience is evident. It has influenced not only the comprehension of the religion but also how it is packaged and represented to interested tourists. The present research, "Constructing Buddhism: The Role of Global Media in Shaping Western Views on Eastern Religions," investigates why the popular media, such as films, television, news, and social networks, have depicted Buddhism in specific ways to the people from the West. It focuses on how people's concept of Buddhism as an exotic, strange, and distant religion became a part of the mainstream health culture in the West. The research employs a graphical approach and attempts to analyze how the media present Buddhism's central ideals, rituals, and practices: vulgarized, distorted, or glorified. The research is concerned with the impact of such representations on society and Buddhist communities. The examination brings forth some crucial aspects of the media representation of Buddhism: the commodification of the notion of meditation," "the idealistic view of the monastic life," and "the portrayal of Buddhism as a serene alternative to Western anxiety and consumerism. This study aims to investigate how some movies, documentaries, and social networks' content analysis serve as representations that shape the understanding of Buddhists in terms of their beliefs, ethics, and culture, in the concurrence of those considering themselves Western. It also aims to determine what these depictions imply for the practice of Buddhism in the West. Research extends an already flourishing scholarship on media-religion-society relations by explaining how advertising footage can affect and, at times, radically transform religious identities. It highlights the need for media creators to accurately portray faith traditions and the detrimental effects of misinformation concerning spirituality and culture. The study doesn't seek more simplistic models of Buddhism, often found in popular media narratives, but urges a need for much more sophisticated and respectful models of Buddhism.