Contents Acknowledgements Foreword Eassay 1 The Emergence of Buddhism and the 01 2600 th Anniversary of the Buddhaís Enlightenment Oliver Abenayaka Eassay 2 Global Spread of Buddhism Through the Ages 15 Olcott Gunasekera Eassay 3 Buddhism in India 47 Mahesh A Deokar Eassay 4 Buddhism in Sri Lanka 85 Rev. Nabirittankadavara Gnanaratana Thera Asanga Tilakaratne Sanath Nanayakkara Eassay 5 Buddhism in Nepal 105 Min Bahadur Shakya Eassay 6 Buddhism in Bangladesh 115 Bhikkhu Saranapala Eassay 7 Buddhism in Bhutan 125 Manjiri Bhalerao Eassay 8 Buddhism in Tibet 137 Geshe Ngawang Samten Eassay 9 Buddhism in the Union of Myanmar 147 Ven. Khammai Dhammasami Eassay 10 Buddhism in Thailand 173 Ven. Anil Sakya Quentin (Trais) Pearson III Eassay 11 Buddhism in Laos 187 Justin McDaniel Eassay 12 Buddhism in Cambodia 201 Ian Harris Eassay 13 Buddhism in Vietnam. 213 Ven. Dr. Thick Tam Duc Eassay 14 Buddhism in Malaysia 219 P. L. Wong Eassay 15 Buddhism in Singapore 237 Hue Guan Thye Eassay 16 Buddhism in Indonesia 251 Rev. Sasminto (Dhammasiri) Eassay 17 Buddhism in China 263 Lawrence YK Lau Eassay 18 Buddhism in Taiwan 277 Kai - Wen Lu Eassay 19 Buddhism in Hong Kong 285 John Shannon Eassay 20 Buddhism in Korea 293 Ko Young - Seop, Sungtaek Cho Eassay 21 Buddhism in Japan 317 Toshi ichi Endo Eassay 22 Buddhism in Central Asia 329 Bindu Urugodawatte Eassay 23 Buddhism in Russia 359 S. Y. Lepekhov Eassay 24 Buddhism in Mongolia 373 S. Y. Lepekhov Eassay 25 Buddhism in Central and Eastern Europe 381 Tomasë Havlicek, Helena Janu Eassay 26 Buddhism in the United Kingdom. 395 Robert Bluck Eassay 27 Buddhism in France and Belgium 409 Lionel Obadia Eassay 28 Buddhism in the Netherlands 423 Henk Blezer Eassay 29 Buddhism in Germany, Austria and Switzerland 443 Martin Baumann Eassay 30 Buddhism in Scandinavia 453 Sumana Ratnayaka Eassay 31 Buddhism in Italy 469 Maria Angela Fala Eassay 32 Buddhism in Spain 483 Francisco Diez de ëVelasco Eassay 33 Buddhism in America 495 Charles Prebish Eassay 34 Buddhism in Canada 509 John S Harding, Victor Sogen Hori and Alexander Soucy Eassay 35 Buddhism in South America 527 Frank Usarski Eassay 36 Buddhism in Africa 543 Ven. Bhikkhu Buddharakkhita Eassay 37 Buddhism in Australia and NewZealand 557 Michelle Barker and Sally McAra Buddhist monks and nuns in their distinctive robes 566 Eassay 38 Buddhism Beyound 2600 Years 569 Asanga Tilakaratne Appendix I: Global Spread of Buddhism Through the Ages 587 Olcott Gunasekera Appendix II: Vesak day as a world holiday: UN documents 597 Glossary 599 Index 609 Contributors 685 483 as heterodoxies), when alluding to Buddhism (Díez companies). Far fewer are works or translations of de Velasco 2011) evidently did so from a second-hand Buddhist texts by Spanish scholars, whether academíc perspective, through stereotypes and reflections trom in nature or from a Buddhist perspective by Spanish other European authors of the time (with repeated practitioners and Buddhist masters (particularly by references to Schopenhauer and Nietszche, although by Amadeo Solé-Leris, Dokusho Villalba, Jinpa Gyamtso, way of criticism he does cite the case of a Spaniard who Isidro Gordi, Juan Manzanera, Aigo Castro or Denko apparently converted to Buddhism). And the great writer Mesa), or by authors focussing on spirituality in Asia for Juan Valera, who lived most of his diplomatic career whom Buddhism is one of their main are as of interest outside Spain, wrote about what he called "esoteric (such as Ramiro Calle and María Teresa Román). Also Buddhism" (Torres-Pou 2007) and did so in the same gaining in importance are works published in Spanish by vein as Alfred P. Sinnet and the Theosophical Society. Asian masters who have lived or currently live in Spain, He clearly looked favourably upon this religion, which including Dhiravamsa, Tempa Darguey, Tamding Gyatso was not unusual among the many Spanish theosophists or Lobsang Tsultrim. of that time. Francisco García Ayuso, the best Spanish Itis important to bear in mind that post-Imperial Spain, Sanskritist of the time and controversial ultra-Catholic, now devoid of colonial interests in Buddhist countries was against this trend, which we might label "para­ in Asia, did not invest in equipping Spanish universities Buddhist" (a sympathetic feeling towards Buddhism as or research centres with any resources of note. This an atheistic philosophy or "esoteric" outlook). García situation has virtually continued until now, since many Ayuso declared his opposition in a small book about Spanish academics that currently specialize in Buddhism Buddhist Nirvana (GarcíaAyuso 1885) that he presented or have done so in recent years, such as Amadeo Solé as a doctoral thesis and was the first work on Buddhism Leris, Raimón Panikkar, Joaquin Pérez Remón, Alfonso published by a Spanish author. Verdú, Jesús López-Gay, Ramón Prats and Abraham We should also consider Buddhism as an object of Vélez, among others (Webb 1998: 366-371), have fascination c1early seen in several prominent Spanish done their studies and researches outside Spain. In any authors. F or example, in 1897, the famous writer Vicente case, newly-created official bodies are now beginning Blasco Ibáñez published (trom prison) a long and inspiring to change this panorama. For example, Casa Asia, tale entitled El despertar de Budha ("The Awakening founded in Barcelona in 2001, centralizes ínformation of the Buddha"). The text is solely dedicated to the about university programmes in Asían studies in Spain life of Siddhartha from his birth to the beginning of his and supports sorne ofthem, though there are no specific preaching in Bodhgaya, but the usual miraculous features studies in Buddhism to date. Young academic researchers ofthe story have been minimized. In 1918, a very young in Buddhism, such as Juan Arnau and Ferrán Mestanza, Federico García Lorca wrote a poem entitled Buddha are no longer required to go abroad in order to carry out (in which he named him "Tathagata" that masterfully their academic work. describes the departure from the father's palace and the To sum up, before the mid-1970s, only profiles of process of awakening. Buddhist influences can also be low-Ievel practitioners could be found in Spain, which found in the works of various painters and artists, a fine meant that Buddhism was practically invisible other example being Antoni Tapies. than for sympathetic individuals, such as the founder Furthermore, writings on Buddhism have been of Sophrology, Alfonso Caycedo, whose interests lay published in Spain since the late nineteenth century, in Tibetan culture (Caycedo 1971, 387ff.) or in the increasing considerably at the end ofthe twentieth century. unstructured practice of foreign residents in Spain (for Today, Spanish is one of the world's leading Ianguages example, the early followers of Soka Gakkai-Nichiren and is widely published. Many Spanish publishing Shoshu) and sorne Spaniards, many of whom had lived companies are almost exclusively dedícated to producing in Asia at sorne stage. In addition to several individual books on Buddhism (Dhamla, Amara, Tharpa or Chabsol) sympathizers, extremely difficult to detect for research and others offer a wide range ofworks in this field (e.g., purposes, and a small Catholic elite who were interested Kairós, Urano, Miraguano, Libros de la Liebre de Marzo, in Christianized Zen (including Carlos Castro Cubells, Kier, Paidós or Kailas). Numerous translations from catholic priest and professor of History of Religions English and other modern languages of books and texts at the Pontifical University of Salamanca), the largest about Buddhism are published in Spain (and also many group comprised former hippies who had settled in Ibiza are produced in Spanish by Latin American publishing and the tourist areas along the Mediterranean coast and 484 included Buddhíst leaníngs and practíces as part of the de Comunidades Budistas de España (FCBE), the Spanish many other spíritual possibilities they dabbled with. Buddhist Federation, which has gradualIy grouped It is worthwhile remembering that most long-standing together an important number of the oldest and most practising members currently attending Spanish Buddhist widespread Buddhist groups, and the acknowledgment centres initiated their journey in search of the inner self by the State in 2007 of the notorio arraigo ("deeply after being involved in the "psychedelic experiences" or clearly rooted nature" of Buddhism, which was and counterculture utopias of the hippy movement (and successfully processed by the FCBE. the altemative forms of spirituality involved). GeneralIy speaking, from the outset until today, Zen Buddhism in Democracy: The Plurality of and Tibetan Buddhism have had the highest number of Buddhisms and their Introduction into Spain centres, folIowers and activities in Spain; though other The first stable Buddhist groups appeared in late 1977, types ofBuddhism have gradualIy emerged. To date there around the advent of democracy in Spain with a non­ are around three hundred places of practice, including confessional Constitution (in 1978) and a law on religious some twenty monasteries or retreats. freedom (in 1980) that permitted the free expression of Zen Buddhism has three important platforms in Spain religious practices and sensibilities inc1uding those as and numerous other independent groups. As for numbers culturally diverse from the norm as was Buddhism in of followers, each group, centre and dojo usually has Spain at that time. 1977 saw the arlÍval ofthe first oriental between fifteen and forty habitual followers (as well as masters and the creatíon ofgenuine groups and centres of sporadic ones), though many more (several hundred) may Buddhist practice. Early that year, or perhaps at the end of gather at temples and specific ceremonies and practices 1976, the Zen dojo in Seville was founded by followers of intensificatíon such as retreats. of Taisen Dcshimaru (the oldest monk of this lineage is One extremely united and instítutionalized colIective, Reizan Shoten-Antonio Orellana, the founder).