Buddhism In Australia

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Historical basis Buddhism started in India as a philosophy of easing suffering about 2600 years ago. This philosophy was founded by Siddhartha Gantama, he gained followers and was later known as “The Buddha” (‘the awakened one’). This religion initially started in India. As the religion evolved, it spread through Asia and is now widely known throughout the world. Buddhism in Australia Buddhism is a small but growing religion in Australia. As shown in the table below: 2001 Census 2006 Census No. of people Percentage (%) No. of people Percentage (%) % change (relative) % change (absolute) Buddhism 357,813 1.9 418,749 2.1 +0.2 +17.0 According to the census of 2006, 2.1 percent of the total Australian population,…show more content…
Increasing numbers of westerners began converting to Buddhism in the mid-20th century due to the wide availability of Buddhist texts and scripts, along with the missionary efforts by eastern monks. Buddhism is continuing to influence Western popular culture and spiritual movements.Various Sources state that the number of Buddhists in the world today is between 230 million and 500 million. Over half of the world lives in countries which have been significantly influenced by Buddha’s ideas. Today, Buddhism is practiced by large numbers of people in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Buddhism has become the fastest-growing religion in Australia and some other Western…show more content…
Growing interest in Asian culture and spiritual values in the West has led to the development of a number of societies devoted to the study and practice of Buddhism. Zen has grown in the West to encompass meditation centres and a number of actual monasteries. Interest in Vajrayana has also increased. As its influence in the West slowly grows, Buddhism is once again beginning to undergo a process of acculturation to its new environment. Western Buddhism is almost entirely modernist, not traditionalist, bypassing over the traditions of "original" Buddhism. Generally, western Buddhism borrows, and modifies, Asian practices such as the sangha and meditation but largely ignoring ritual, faith, devotion and doctrine. Western Buddhism has been heavily influenced by the concepts of free thought and secular humanism. However there are some buddhist groups that are trying to preserve the Mahayana tradition, such as the FPMT
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