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| Western Buddhism |
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| Buddhism |
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| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 139,046 | — |
| 2011 | 238,626 | +71.6% |
| 2021 | 262,433 | +10.0% |
| Religious Affiliation was not recorded prior to 2001. | ||
Buddhism in England has growing support. 238,626 people in England declared themselves to be Buddhist at the 2011 Census and 34% of them lived in London. [1]
Early Buddhist presence could be seen in the 1810s. Adam Sri Munni Ratna, a Buddhist monk from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), travelled to England with his cousin (also a Buddhist monk) while accompanying Sir Alexander Johnston in 1818. They were keen to learn Christianity as they were travelling to England. During their brief stay, the two monks were baptised and returned to Ceylon where they entered government service. [2]
Theravada influences grew in England during the early 20th century. A few of the significant events were the foundation of London’s Buddhist Society in 1924 and the Theravada London Buddhist Vihara in Chiswick in 1926. Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933), the founder of the Mahā Bodhi Society in 1891, was instrumental in presenting Buddhism as a living monastic tradition to the UK. [3] The return of Ananda Metteyya to England on 23 April 1908 after travels in Ceylon and monk ordination in Burma was another significant milestone in the legacy of British Buddhism. A slow trickle from United Kingdom travelled to Asia for deeper spiritual commitment via monastic ordination, mainly as Theravadin monks, like Ñāṇavīra Thera and Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu who went to Island Hermitage in Sri Lanka for their Sāmaṇera ordination in 1949. Kapilavaddho Bhikkhu introduced the Dhammakaya tradition to the UK in 1954 in this way and founded the English Sangha Trust in 1955. Several notable Asian monks like Hammalawa Saddhatissa came to live in England.
In 1967, Englishman Sangharakshita (1925-2018), who had spent time in the east as a Theravadin monk, founded the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (later renamed Triratna Buddhist Community).
The Manjushri Institute, a large Buddhist college at Conishead Priory in Cumbria, was founded under the guidance of the Tibetan Gelugpa monk Thubten Yeshe in 1976. [4] In 1991, it was subsumed by the New Kadampa Tradition, a new religious movement founded by another monk, Kelsang Gyatso. [5] [6]
A Theravada monastic order following the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah was established at Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in West Sussex in 1979, giving rise to branch monasteries elsewhere in the country, including the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in the Chiltern Hills and Aruna Ratanagiri in Northumberland. Quite a number of locals like Ajahn Khemadhammo, Ajahn Sucitto, Ajahn Amaro, Ajahn Brahm and Ajahn Jayasaro were ordained into this monastic order, become serious practitioners and dedicated Dhamma teachers. Ajahn Khemadhammo also began Buddhist prison chaplaincy work in 1977 and established "Angulimala, the Buddhist Prison Chaplaincy" in 1985. [7] A lay meditation tradition of Thai origin is represented by the Samatha Trust, with its headquarters cum retreat centre in Wales. Sōtō Zen has a priory at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland.
There are now many Buddhist groups in England. To name a few from the Tibetan Tradition there are Sanghas of: Rigpa, [8] Karma Kagyu, [9] Dechen, [10] Diamond Way Buddhism [11] and Aro gTér [12]
The Dalai Lama visited Aldershot in both 2010 and 2015, on the latter occasion formally opening the Aldershot Buddhist Centre. [13]
In 2001 Buddhism constituted 0.3% of the population of England, [14] which increased to 0.5% in 2011 census. [15] According to the 2011 census, there are 238,626 Buddhists in England.
The district with the highest proportion of Buddhists at the 2011 Census was Rushmoor in Hampshire, with 3.3% of respondents identifying as Buddhist: this is mainly due to the area's (specifically Aldershot's) historic ties with the Gurkha regiment. [16]
| Region | 2021 [17] | 2011 [18] | 2001 [19] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Greater London | 77,425 | 0.9% | 82,026 | 1.0% | 54,297 | 0.8% |
| South East | 54,433 | 0.6% | 43,946 | 0.5% | 22,005 | 0.3% |
| East | 26,814 | 0.4% | 22,273 | 0.4% | 12,065 | 0.2% |
| South West | 24,579 | 0.4% | 19,730 | 0.4% | 11,299 | 0.2% |
| North West | 23,028 | 0.3% | 20,695 | 0.3% | 11,794 | 0.2% |
| West Midlands | 18,804 | 0.3% | 16,649 | 0.3% | 9,760 | 0.2% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 15,803 | 0.3% | 14,319 | 0.3% | 7,188 | 0.1% |
| East Midlands | 14,521 | 0.3% | 12,672 | 0.3% | 7,541 | 0.2% |
| North East | 7,026 | 0.3% | 6,316 | 0.2% | 3,097 | 0.1% |
 England | 262,433 | 0.5% | 238,626 | 0.5% | 139,046 | 0.3% |
| Ethnic group | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Asian | 47,082 | 33.86 | 144,044 | 60.36 | 154,531 | 58.88 |
| – Chinese | 33,394 | 24.02 | 47,809 | 20.04 | 41,014 | 15.63 |
| – Indian | 1,862 | 1.34 | 3,577 | 1.50 | 3,504 | 1.34 |
| – Pakistani | 181 | 0.13 | 695 | 0.29 | 221 | 0.08 |
| – Bangladeshi | 166 | 0.12 | 524 | 0.22 | 489 | 0.19 |
| – Other Asian | 11,479 | 8.26 | 91,439 | 38.32 | 109,303 | 41.65 |
| White | 52,664 | 37.88 | 78,659 | 32.96 | 81,865 | 31.19 |
| – British | 47,218 | 33.96 | 67,797 | 28.41 | 70,110 | 26.72 |
| – Irish | 1,159 | 0.83 | 1,460 | 0.61 | 1,682 | 0.64 |
| – Irish Traveller | 397 | 0.17 | 328 | 0.12 | ||
| – Roma | 361 | 0.14 | ||||
| – Other White | 4,287 | 3.08 | 9,005 | 3.77 | 9,384 | 3.58 |
| Mixed | 4,531 | 3.26 | 9,585 | 4.02 | 10,589 | 4.03 |
| – White and Asian | 1,801 | 1.30 | 5,615 | 2.35 | 6,396 | 2.44 |
| – White and Black Caribbean | 500 | 0.36 | 992 | 0.42 | 1,130 | 0.43 |
| – White and Black African | 457 | 0.33 | 443 | 0.19 | 521 | 0.20 |
| – Other Mixed | 1,773 | 1.28 | 2,535 | 1.06 | 2,542 | 0.97 |
| Black | 1,494 | 1.07 | 2,775 | 1.16 | 2,307 | 0.88 |
| – Caribbean | 970 | 0.70 | 1,135 | 0.48 | 1,236 | 0.47 |
| – African | 338 | 0.24 | 912 | 0.38 | 667 | 0.25 |
| – Other Black | 186 | 0.13 | 728 | 0.31 | 404 | 0.15 |
| Other | 33,275 | 23.93 | 3,563 | 1.46 | 13,141 | 5.01 |
| – Arab | 388 | 0.13 | 125 | 0.05 | ||
| – Other Ethnic group | 33,275 | 23.93 | 3,175 | 1.33 | 13,016 | 4.96 |
| TOTAL | 139,046 | 100.0 | 238,626 | 100.0 | 262,433 | 100.0 |
People
Locations
Organisations
Theravāda is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed Theravādins, have preserved their version of Gautama Buddha's teaching or Buddha Dhamma in the Pāli Canon for over two millennia.
Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition.
Ajahn Khemadhammo OBE is a Theravāda Buddhist monk and retired professional actor. He is one of the founders of the Thai Forest Tradition in the West.
Phra VisuddhisamvaratheraAM, known as Ajahn Brahmavaṃso, or simply Ajahn Brahm, is a British-born Theravada Buddhist monk. Currently, Ajahn Brahm is the abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Serpentine, Western Australia; Spiritual Adviser to the Buddhist Society of Victoria; Spiritual Adviser to the Buddhist Society of South Australia; Spiritual Patron of the Buddhist Fellowship in Singapore; Patron of the Brahm Centre in Singapore; Spiritual Adviser to the Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project in the UK; and Spiritual Director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA). He returned to the office on 22 April 2018 after briefly resigning in March, following a contentious vote by members of the BSWA during their annual general meeting.
The Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) is a publishing house with charitable status, whose objective is to disseminate the teachings of Gautama Buddha. It was founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka, in 1958 by two Sri Lankan lay Buddhists, A.S. Karunaratna and Richard Abeyasekera, and a European-born Buddhist monk, Nyanaponika Thera. Originally conceived as a limited effort to publish small, affordable books on fundamental Buddhist topics, the Society expanded in scope in response to the reception of their early publishing efforts. The Buddhist Publication Society's publications reflect the perspective of the Theravada denomination of Buddhism, drawing heavily from the Pāli Canon for source material.
Amaravati is a Theravada Buddhist monastery at the eastern end of the Chiltern Hills in South East England. Established in 1984 by Ajahn Sumedho as an extension of Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, the monastery has its roots in the Thai Forest Tradition. It takes inspiration from the teachings of the community's founder, the late Ajahn Chah. Its chief priorities are the training and support of a resident monastic community, and the facilitation for monastic and lay people alike of the practice of the Buddha's teachings.
Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu is an American Buddhist monk and author. Belonging to the Thai Forest Tradition, he studied for ten years under the forest master Ajahn Fuang Jotiko. Since 1993, he has served as abbot of the Metta Forest Monastery in San Diego County, California—the first monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition in the U.S.—which he cofounded with Ajahn Suwat Suvaco.
Santacittārāma is the name of the Italian Theravada Buddhist monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition lineage of Ajahn Chah located near Rome. In the spring of 1990 the Italian Bhikkhu Ajahn Thanavaro and then Anagārika John Angelori were sent by Ajahn Sumedho to take up residence in a small house outside the village of Sezze south of Rome. Later, with an important contribution from the Thai community, a more suitable location was found in Poggio Nativo in the countryside of Sabina. and a larger monastery was established in 1997 with separate buildings for visitors and Kutis in the woods for residents and visiting Bhikkhus. Mrs. Natchari Thananan, the wife of the Thai Ambassador to Italy, Anurak Thananan, was instrumental in raising funds for this monastery. Some years later the Santacittārāma Association acquired an adjoining property, with a building used mainly to accommodate elderly monks (Nirodha), and a large Temple was constructed.
The Sīladharā Order is a Theravada Buddhist female monastic order established by Ajahn Sumedho at Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, England. Its members are known as Sīladharās.
Ajahn is a Thai- and Lao-derived term that translates as "professor" or "teacher". The term is in turn derived from the Pali word ācariya and is a term of respect, similar in meaning to the Japanese sensei. It is used as a title of address for high school and university teachers, and for Buddhist monks who have passed ten vassa – in other words those who have maintained their monastic precepts unbroken for a period of ten years. The term Luang Por, "Venerable father", signifies an ajahn of acknowledged seniority in Thai Buddhism.
Cittaviveka, commonly known as Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, is an English Theravada Buddhist Monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition. It is situated in West Sussex, England in the hamlet of Chithurst between Midhurst and Petersfield. It was established in 1979 in accordance with the aims of the English Sangha Trust, a charity founded in 1956 to support the ordination and training of Buddhist monks (bhikkhus) in the West. The current abbot, since 2019, is Ajahn Ahimsako.
Buddhism in the United Kingdom is the fifth-largest religious group in the United Kingdom. The 2021 United Kingdom census recorded just under 290,000 Buddhists, or about 0.4% of the total population, with the largest number of Buddhists residing in Greater London and South East England. According to a Buddhist organisation, the growth of Buddhism in the United Kingdom is mainly a result of conversions.
Aruna Ratanagiri Buddhist Monastery is a Theravada Buddhist monastery of the Thai Forest Tradition in Northumberland, England. The community consists of monks, novices and postulants from a wide range of nationalities, usually numbering around eight Sangha members. The monastery includes an adjacent lay retreat facility known as Kusala House.
Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery, or Sītavana, is a Theravada Buddhist monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition near Kamloops, British Columbia. It serves as a training centre for monastics and also a retreat facility for laypeople. Its abbot is Venerable Ajahn Soṇa.
A bhikkhunī or bhikṣuṇī is a Buddhist nun, fully ordained female in Buddhist monasticism. Bhikkhunis live by the Vinaya, a set of either 311 Theravada, 348 Dharmaguptaka, or 364 Mulasarvastivada school rules. Until recently, the lineages of female monastics only remained in Mahayana Buddhism and thus were prevalent in countries such as China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Vietnam, while a few women have taken the full monastic vows in the Theravada and Vajrayana schools. The official lineage of Tibetan Buddhist bhikkhunis recommenced on 23 June 2022 in Bhutan when 144 nuns were fully ordained.
Ajahn Sucitto is a British-born Theravada Buddhist monk. He was, between 1992 and 2014, the abbot of Cittaviveka, Chithurst Buddhist Monastery. Sucitto was born in London and ordained in Thailand in March 1976. He returned to Britain in 1978 and took up training under Ajahn Sumedho at the Hampstead Buddhist Vihara. In 1979 he was one of the small group of monks, led by Ajahn Sumedho, who established Cittaviveka, Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, in West Sussex. In 1981 he was sent up to Northumberland to set up a small monastery in Harnham, which subsequently became Aruna Ratanagiri. In 1984 he accompanied Ajahn Sumedho in establishing Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire. In 1992 he was appointed abbot of Cittaviveka. On 26 October 2014, he resigned the post, but intends to continue teaching as before.
The Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah is a Mahanikai monastic organization in the Thai Forest Tradition composed of the students of Ajahn Chah Subhaddo. Strictly speaking, the Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah denotes the institutions who have a branch affiliation with Wat Pah Pong, the administrative center of the organization.
The history of Theravāda Buddhism begins in ancient India, where it was one of the early Buddhist schools which arose after the first schism of the Buddhist monastic community. After establishing itself in the Sri Lankan Anuradhapura Kingdom, Theravāda spread throughout mainland Southeast Asia through the efforts of missionary monks and Southeast Asian kings.
