The Hybrid Path to Faith: Examining the Interplay of Convergent Religious Practices in Enhancing Buddhist Understanding and Mental Well-Being

Religious practice through digital media can reflect broader social, cultural, and structural practices observed within mobile and networked society. Understanding of religious ideas is an overlooked while important aspect in the field of digital religion since it tends to be a key to positive mental health. Buddhist concepts, in particular, echoes mental balance in Western psychologic studies. The concept of convergent practice emphasizes individual-center activities to autonomously direct religious information from multiple sources and integrate it into personal experience, allowing us to understand the various ways people use and combine online and offline resources to create their own beliefs and practices and how they live their faith out in a digital world. This study aims to contribute to this conversation by highlighting a case study in Hong Kong, a multi-faith society with high digital penetration rate. We examined how visitors to a Buddhist institution which adopts the Convenient Method for enlightening people affirm the faith in Buddhism by hybrid forms of religious activities. Empirically, participations in on-site events and engagement in digital media events have been examined. Quantitative analyses reveal that individuals’ online religious participation is positively related to comprehension of Buddhist concept, especially among young generations. In the networked environment, offline and online participation is closely associated, and mutually shape self-directed convergent practice, which in turn contribute to the growth of Buddhist concept. Comprehension of Buddhist concept ultimately served as the key in pursuing positive mental well-being. The findings have enriched digital religion research by examining from individual perspective the effect of religious participation in different communication platforms on spiritual development and mental health. Furthermore, it shed lights on the mediating role of convergent practice that guides individuals to convert hybrid media religious resources autonomously and flexibly into spirituality.