Category: Buddhism

Kashmir was a major center of Buddhism. Buddhism was an important part of the classical Kashmiri culture, as is reflected in the Nilamata Purana and the Kalhana’s Rajatarangini. In Kalhana’s time, and before that, there was no apparently no distinction between “Hindus” and Buddhists in Kashmir. Kalhana himself used Buddhist terms and expressions as a Buddhist would. Nilamata Purana was...

The Kalmyk from the Republic of Kalmykia, south of Volgograd in southern Russia, are the only European people whose official religion is Buddhism. The Kalmyk are a people of Mongol origin who migrated to Europe during the 16th century. Although some of these Kalmyks are now Muslims, most Kalmyks throughout the world remain Tibetan Buddhists. Most Kalmyks regard His Holiness...

The history of Buddhism in Japan can be roughly divided into three periods, namely the Nara period (up to 784), the Heian period (794-1185) and the post-Kamakura period (1185 onwards). Each period saw the introduction of new doctrines and upheavals in existing schools. In modern times, there are four main paths of Buddhism, to which all schools of Japanese Buddhism...

Buddhism in Indonesia has a long history. The Buddhist pilgrim I-tsing visited Srivijaya in Sumatra on his voyage to India. Other Buddhist monks that visited Indonesia were Dharmapala, a professor of Nalanda, and the South Indian Buddhist Vajrabodhi. Many ancient Buddhist ruins and stupas are still left in Indonesia. Buddhism also flourished in Java and Bali. Two important Buddhist Javanese...

The Sramanas movement, which originated in the culture of world renunciation that emerged in India from about the 7th century BCE, was the common origin of many religious and philosophical traditions in India, including the Charvaka school, Buddhism, and its sister religion, Jainism. The Sramanas were renunciants who rejected the Vedic teachings, which was the traditional religious order in India,...

Buddhism in Germany looks back to a history of over 150 years. Arthur Schopenhauer was one of the earliest Germans who were influenced by Buddhism. Schopenhauer got his knowledge of Buddhism from authors like Isaac Jacob Schmidt (1779-1847). German Buddhists or Orientalists like Karl Eugen Neumann, Paul Dahlke, Georg Grimm, Friedrich Zimmermann (Subhadra Bhikschu) and the first German Buddhist monk...

Buddhism is recognized as the fourth religion of the state. France has over 200 Buddhist meditation centers. It mainly consists of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants, but has also managed to attract a large number of converts. History Alexandra David-Néel was an important early French Buddhist. She is most known for her visit to the forbidden (to foreigners) city of Lhasa,...

An interest in Buddhism had been circling among academic cicles in Europe since the 1870s, with esoteric-minded scholars such as Arthur Shopenhauer, and Helena Blavatsky. The Russian Federation, and perhaps strangely, Austria are the only two European states today that recognize Buddhism as an “official”, though not necessarily “state religion” in their respective countries. On top of that, Russia also...

The first Croatian Buddhist group was founded in Zagreb in the 80’s. Several groups have formed since, affiliated with different traditions. Estimates of the number of Buddhists in Croatia vary from 500 to 1000, depending on the definition. At present, active Buddhist groups are working to establish foundational practices and communities in major cities. Buddhism in Europe Buddhism in: Albania...

Buddhism is a very important religion in China and one of the three major schools of thought along with Confucianism and Taoism. It has affected and been affected by Chinese culture, politics, literature and philosophy for almost two millennia. For a more generalized discussion of Chinese religion, see religion in China. Contents History of Buddhism in China Arrival along the...

There is a small, growing Buddhist community in Canada. As of the 2001 census, roughly 300,000 Canadians identified their religion as Buddhist. Buddhism arrived in Canada with the arrival of Chinese laborers in the territories during the 19th century. The first Japanese Buddhist temple in Canada was built at the Ishikawa Hotel in Vancouver in 1905. A substantial expansion of...

Buddhism in Cambodia dates back to at least the 5th century A.D. Jayavarman of Fu-nan, Suryvarman I and Jayavarman VII were Buddhists. Up to the 13th century, Cambodia was primarily influenced by Mahayana Buddhism and Saivism. After the 13th century Theravada Buddhism became the main religion of Cambodia. Thearavada Buddhism is the official religion in Cambodia which is practiced by...

Buddhism in Brazil has practitioners of various Buddhist schools, as well as a fair number of somewhat Buddhist-inspired cults and “New Age” movements. Many Japanese schools have a strong presence mainly as a result of World War II, which encouraged emigration of Japanese people. A considerable number of those chose to radicate in Brazil, including teachers of schools such as...

Mahayana Buddhism was the state religion, and Buddhists comprised about 70 percent of the population in the early 1990s. Although originating from Tibetan Buddhism, Bhutanese Buddhism differs significantly in its rituals, liturgy, and monastic organization. The state religion has long been supported financially by the government through annual subsidies to monasteries, shrines, monks, and nuns. In the modern era, support...