Increasing numbers of people are participating in reflexive forms of spiritual travel. Rites of passage and intensification are becoming voluntary, and so is religion. Arguably, individuals travel to achieve mental and social escape. Their quests to religious sites are self-motivated, not obligated. Because of their mobility, Americans constantly explore new outlets for their spiritual growth, including different metaphysical movements and philosophies. This study focuses on what motivates Americans to visit Buddhist temples, including their desire to explore new ideas or life directions. The results of a survey study (N = 179) conducted in Los Angeles, California indicate that non-Buddhists visit Buddhist temples for stimulus-avoidance and intellectual purposes; to mentally relax and broaden themselves in the holy site. Furthermore, they may pursue a sense of communitas ‒ defined by social relations that are no longer normative, hierarchical and distant, but close and egalitarian. American Buddhist temple visitors are not necessarily Buddhists. As religious options grow and obligations decrease, religion has become secularized. As a consequence, non-religious temple-goers may be seeking Turner’s communitas ‒ a transition away from mundane structures toward a looser commonality of feeling with fellow visitors. They may also seek healing and renewal as well as a higher level of freedom. These individuals may desire to re-structure or re-orient their life-direction through contemplating at Buddhist temples. By examining these new phenomena, this study contributes to the field of religious tourism research; it reveals what motivates Americans to visit Buddhist temples and provides an anthropological explanation for these motivations
