本文是以「諾那華藏精舍」92名皈依信眾的訪談資料，來瞭解參與密宗的信眾特質，並且以質性比較分析(Qualitative Comparative Analysis)方法，試圖找出一些社會結構性因素來解釋這一波新興宗教的興起。本研究主要發現如下：(1)受訪信眾的出生年主要分布於1961至1970年之間，皈依精舍的年齡集中於26至35歲之間；教育程度專科以上者佔全體的二分之一；職業分布是以白領工作為主；父親籍貫為外省者佔全體將近三成；(2)外省信眾的信仰變遷主要來自族群融合的影響。外省父親輩的信仰受到本省籍配偶的影響，從「無信仰」轉變到能接受供奉祖先，到大廟拜拜，甚至晚年也願意持誦佛號。而子女因受到本省籍母親的影響，也容易從「淡化」民間信仰和「淡化」佛教的基礎上，轉向制度性佛教；(3)本省信眾的信仰變遷主要受到都市化的影響：一是遷移使個人和原居地的信仰脫節；二是都會生活方式對傳統民間信仰形態所形成的衝擊，較有利於制度性宗教的發展。遷徙使得本省信眾的信仰呈現「淡化」民間信仰和「淡化」佛教，在台北都會中很容易加入制度性宗教。在都會中出生成長的本省信眾，其父親輩信仰早已有「淡化」民間信仰的跡象，年輕輩這種「淡化」民間信仰和「淡化」佛教的情形比起父親輩更為明顯，也很容易加入制度性宗教。

The author analyzes the characteristics of participants in a Taiwanese religious movement that emerged in the mid-1980s: Nona-Huatsang Tantric Buddhism, Data were collected via interviews with 92 randomly selected believers, and the method of Qualitative Comparative Analysis was applied, The main findings are: a) in terms of demographics, most of the interviewees joined the group at the age of 26 to 35 (born between 1961 and 1970), approximately one-half have college degrees, and about one-third are the children of fathers born in mainland China; b) assimilation among ethnic groups facilitated religious changes in mainlanders - that is, members of the second generation of mainland migrants reported that they were influenced by mothers of Minnan or Hakka descent in terms of religious activity; and c) religious changes among Minnan and Hakka believers have been strongly affected by the rapid urbanization of Taiwan.