5.I think Hindu rituals are a waste of time (reverse
coded).
6.Knowing about the law of Karma helps me to lead a
better life.
7.I am happy to be a Hindu.
8.My religion helps me to lead a better life.
9.I find Hindu scriptures inspiring.
10.It is easy to understand Hindu rituals.
11.I benefit from attending services, prayer meetings or
places of worship.
12.Prayer helps me a lot.
13.I am religious.14.Reincarnation gives me hope.
15.It is important for me to practice my religion/
spiritual beliefs.
16.In my experience meditation does have a positive
impact.
17.I have noticed the benefits of practicing yoga.
18.I think Hindu scriptures are out of date (reverse
coded).
19.Hindusim is relevant in the modern world.
Note: Reproduced with permission.
Buddhist Beliefs and Practices Scale (BBPS)
(Emavardhana & Tori, 1997 ).
Variable
The BBPS measures religious beliefs and practices within the Buddhist tradition ( Emavardhana & Tori, 1997 ).
Description
The 11-item BBPS assesses Buddhist beliefs and practices. Response range for each item is uncertain, although
the average total score for 11 items ranges from 21 to 26. Higher scores indicate greater religiosity.
Sample
In the original study, the BBPS was used in a study of 438 members of the Young Buddhist Association of
Thailand (developed specifically for this study) ( Emavardhana & Tori, 1997 ). Participants completed a weeklong
Vispassana meditation retreat near Bangkok (63% female, mean age 18, 61% college students). They were com-
pared to a control group of 281 control youth from the same area. A second study involved use of the scale in a
sample of 2230 Buddhists, although details are few ( Tori, 2004 ).
Reliability
Internal Consistency
A Cronbach alpha coefficient was reported to be 0.69 ( Emavardhana & Tori, 1997 ). In the second sample of
Buddhists, the alpha coefficient was found to be 0.87 ( Tori, 2004 ).
Test/C0Retest
No studies have reported test /C0retest reliability coefficients to date.
Validity
Convergent/Concurrent
Change scores on the BBPS were found to correlate weakly to modestly with change scores on self-concept
scales (0.11 to 0.45) and on defence mechanisms (0.10 to 0.43) ( Tori, 2004 ).
Divergent/Discriminant
Tori (2004) reported that scores on the BBPS significantly differentiated ( p,0.00001) between Buddhists,
Muslims, Christians and those with no religious affiliation.
Construct/Factor Analytic
When the 11 items of the BBPS were included with questions from the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS)
and subjected to exploratory factor analysis ( Tori, 2004 ), a single 15-item factor emerged that included the 11555 RELIGION SPECIFIC MEASURES
V. VICES AND VIRTUES