No.
In short, the terms Buddhism, Buddhist and Buddhist practice are British historic inventions. Like the Victoria Falls, in what was once called Rhodesia, because that is how Dr David Livingstone defined it.
Of course it had another name, and that has been reclaimed, but it isn’t that either.
Rhodesia has no self awareness. The identity I am referring to is not what we call something but what that something calls itself. All human beings have self awareness don’t they? A consciousness of your own existence, both internal and external. Buddhism talks of ‘sentient beings’ in this regard.
This is slightly off-topic.
Ed Balls has a new series on BBC2 in which he travels around the EU investigating national identity and it’s affect on politics. It’s clear that voters in many countries ‘kick-back’ if they think their NI is under threat and they give their support to right wing groups promising to maintain their traditions which are often at odds with what is deemed widely acceptable in the 21st century. I’m not suggesting that these are direct comparisons with what’s happened in the UK but it is interesting that other nationalities will turn to the ‘right’ if pushed too far.
The question is, what makes people rhink theur national identity is under threat? In the UK I think it was pimarily because the tabloids told them it was.
The programme focused on national ‘traditions’ - Black Peter in Holland where people ‘black face’ at Christmas time and bullfighting in Spain, both are now seen as wrong and are under threat but have been part of Dutch and Spanish culture for centuries.
In our European travels my wife and I often commented about how it was usually easy to tell that you had crossed a border by the cultural clues you saw immediately. Entering a bar, shop or restaurant just strengthened that knowledge. The only area that I found really confusing was Alsace where the historical events have resulted in a place that could be either French or German but is actually quite different to both.
I agree with Anna that the press has exaggerated the dimming down effect of the EU. American TV programmes and Hollywood movies are probably more to blame than anything.
Europe is awash with traditions that stand the test of time. The two that Tim has highlighted are extremes and it’s not hard to see why either of them sit uncomfortably with modern values. It’s likely that Ed Balls’ show has been pitched to profit from these extremes and use them, like the press, to make mountains out of molehills even when those molehills do not exist.
I posted on this in another thread a while back - on research I read in the RSA magazine on why poor white people continue to support Trump in America even though they are both getting measurably worse off and they know they are!
The conclusion was not so much about maintaining their traditions, but about economic and social insecurity. As their lifestyle becomes more and more precarious they increasingly want to stop the world and go back to what they see as more stable social relations.
The difficulty dealing with these feelings is obvious: the more you keep saying brexit, or patriarchy, or disaster-capitalism, or climate/ecological breakdown, are making things worse, and they’re going to get a lot worse, the more you feed the very feelings that drive the most insecure people to the right. So what are you supposed to do? Stop telling the truth?
‘black face’ at Christmas time and bullfighting in Spain
I wonder whether such things are really part of national culture, though. Bear-bating and cock-fighting were once very popular in the UK, yet many believe Britain - or perhaps England - has a national identity now without them.
I didn’t see the programme - but my first thought is you have to go a little deeper and ask whether such things are really important in themselves, or whether they are a proxy for other feelings?
Even the UK didn’t try to blame the EU for forcing it ban to fox hunting.
Attitudes evolve within a country. The UK was quicker to embrace vegetarianism etc than France was.
Oow Vero, I envy you a bit, my kids always moan that when living at home they were the English living in France and now they are in UK they are the French girls. So they have never really felt at home in either place.
A couple more points, I first thought about applying for French nationality just after les attentats de Paris. I realised I identified with this country and wanted to jump up and help. Conversely, when the 2016 referendum results were announced, I wanted to rush back to the UK and try and help hold the place together as it hurtled towards chaos. I also honestly cannot think of any country in the world that I wouldn’t be proud to belong to.
I know exactly how your girls feel. I’m English here and French in the UK, it’s easier for my kids, they’re French here and French in the UK! 
In London I was always a northerner because of how I said Butter.
When I went back up north I wasn’t one of them, I was a southerner because of how I said Grass.
There must be something deep in my psychological makeup that felt perfectly happy modifying the vowel in Grass (I actually think it sounds nicer with a long a), but would not let me modify the vowel in Butter. I did go through a phase of calling Butter, Botter, but it felt false, as if I was betraying my roots.
Va savoir.
In France I’ve been perfectly happy with my accent ever since someone at the tax office told me on the phone that I sounded just like Jane Birkin.
I grew up, moving with my family from one area of UK to another. Hence I have no real affiliation with any particular region. It becomes a way of life,changing schools, making new friends… then moving on and starting over again.
Quite possibly this has helped me to “acclimatize” myself to France comparatively quickly/smoothly.
My identity is clear… 
I am who I am…
but I am not sure my Nationality is clear or ever has been. In my teenage years, I recall a friends mother asking if I was an American… 
(apparently because I was so out-going)… aunts would say I must have Italian blood as I use my hands when I talk…
and here in France, my accent tells folk I am not naturally French but strangers will suggest I am Dutch more often than English/British/whatever… 
I did it. I got French nationality of which I am now proud and conversely am ashamed of the country of my birth. I haven’t renounced my British one simply because I don’t have to, and it costs! However, over 30 years of holidaying in France we always felt we had come home when getting off the ferry. We love France, we have lovely French neighbours and friends. With your attitude you don’t need to go for nationality, go for the CdS. Post Brexit you have have a third country one
ISTR nationality being discussed a while ago - at that time I thought to myself that even if I moved to France I would not, particularly, think of myself as French and that would mean applying for French citizenship would feel a bit false.
These days my feelings have definitely changed - not so much that I might wish to “be French” should I move but more that I no longer want to feel “British” so would consider it.
Not that we’ll be moving permanently or semi permanently for at least the next 10 years.
My CdS application is already in the system… once France decides on the correct wording… the CdS’s in the system will be issued quite quickly… (so I have been told)… 
just got to get a decent set of passport-type photos ready for the call to go to the Prefecture… 
When training in psychotherapeutic nursing, we were taught to ask patients who said they felt sad, angry, frustrated, happy, anxious etc “Where do you feel it?”
Asked this rather unusual question, or being asked it, often stops thinking for an instant, and if gently pursued by asking again, “Where is the feeling?”, the location of the sensation is often given, and even described.
So when you say you feel English (or don’t feel French) try asking yourself where you feel (or don’t feel) it. Let your body show /tell you directly where and what the feeling is, it’s not a question of geography or even culture.
The response is almost always immediate, and unmistakeable; and quite revealing too IMO. 
.
If you think about the question too much, it loses its power to inform you what deeper meaning the feeling has for you. 
Well Done Carol - welcome to the New French or Newly French! Maybe we should start a Group?
I concur with youre feelings and now into my third year as a Frenchman, I have never had the slightest twinge of regret - indeed far from it.
With the discussion ongoing about Nationality and Identity, once the decision is taken and done, I believe these merge into one IF one is not simply trying to take advantage of living in France (or any other EU country for that matter). Like a lot of things in life taking a commitment makes a lot of difference. Truly what you put in tends to be what you get out.
Others will just want the benefits they can get from just residency, and that’s fair enough, but I hope we won’t hear bleatings of ‘what has been lost or poor treatment of Aliens’.
It has been a free choice to make for a long time now, so now is the time for people to adjust to the new order of things.
A word to the wise. Whilst it was totally acceptable as an EU citizen to feel free to criticise their host country, that will change as you become ‘guests in their house’. I wonder how EU citizens will be be regarded in the UK? Especially if things don’t work out as well as the UK hopes.
Interesting times still lie ahead.
My ears…what it heaven’s name is that about? I asked myself the question without thinking about it and that was what popped up…
Well done, Jane! I’m impressed you tried it. ‘Psychotherapeutically speaking’ , the process is underway, and the connection will be apparent when its gestation reaches term . Like all gestations, that period ‘knows itself’ and is best not interfered with
Sounds daffy but I trust this wisdom, it’s part of the unspoken tradition of nursing, healing and midwifery.