Impermanence and Sense of Coherence

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of traditional Buddhist spiritual beliefs and practices on coping with chronic illness. Design: The study was a descriptive ethnography. Participant observation and semistructured interviews were used with 45 Sri Lankan Buddhist nuns with a chronic illness and 20 secondary informants. Cultural domains and taxonomies were explored to uncover themes pertaining to traditional Buddhist spirituality and experiences of chronic illness. Findings: A repeating cultural theme, responsibility, was identified. Responsibility took four forms: to the Buddha, to the social circle, to self-liberation through meditation, and to finding security in old age. Nuns shaped spiritual practices (some with folk origins) to fulfill these responsibilities. Coping ranged from health-seeking to resigned acceptance. Conclusions: Responsibilities and coping were situated in a context of Buddhist spiritual beliefs about impermanence. Findings were congruent with Antonovsky’s model of salutogenesis, in particular, the construct of sense of coherence.