China Net | Time: May 24, 2006 | Article Source: China Net

The traditional religions in Europe and America are Christianity and Catholicism, and it is a recent one or two hundred years that Europeans and Americans have been exposed to Buddhism. First, because of Europe's colonial policy towards Asia, it has aroused the concern and research of Buddhism; At present, Asians continue to immigrate to Europe and America, which further promotes the gradual development of Buddhism in some western countries.

According to incomplete statistics, there were about120,000 Buddhists in Britain in 1980. In the early days, they mainly believed in Southern Buddhism, but in recent years, the number of people who believe in Tibetan Buddhism has increased rapidly. During the period of 1989, there were more than 200 German Buddhist groups with more than 20,000 Buddhists, mostly concentrated in seven or eight metropolises such as Hamburg, Berlin and Munich, and paid more attention to the research and practice in Southern Buddhism. In the 1980s, refugees from Southeast Asia flooded into France, and the number of Buddhists increased sharply, and the number of legal persons who converted to Buddhism gradually increased. According to the statistics of 1989, there are about 500,000 Buddhists, including more than 70,000 French. According to a recent report in National Geographic magazine, among all religions in the United States, the number of Buddhist believers is growing fastest. The number of Buddhists or Buddhists has reached 4 million, accounting for 1.5% of the population, and there are nearly 2,000 large and small Buddhist organizations.

Buddhism originated in India and then blossomed in Asian countries. No matter Southern Buddhism, Han Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhism, they have attracted the attention of people of insight in Europe and America, and attracted many people to believe in or convert to the throne of Buddha. However, from the actual situation, Buddhism should take root and grow sturdily in Europe and America, with particular emphasis on the "localization" of Buddhism.

Europeans and Americans first came into contact with Oriental Buddhism by studying Buddhist documents. 1903, the first German monk, Sanjiezhi, became a monk in Yangon, Myanmar. Later, I went to Sri Lanka, studied Buddhism in the south, and paid attention to true knowledge and practice. He translated many Buddhist works, which were highly praised in language and literature.

From 65438 to 0826, French scholar Bunov and German Larsen co-authored Pali Grammar, which started the trend of studying Pali in the west. The Fa Ya Society, organized by Paris, pioneered translation methods by comparing Sanskrit, Pakistani, Chinese and Tibetan versions. In Sanskrit translation, Li Wei proofread An Hui's Thirty Odes to Knowledge and Solemn Sutra, which laid the foundation of Buddhist philosophy and history. Pu Xian, another scholar, translated the book All Give Up into French, which is a pioneer in studying everything.

During the period of 1893, the World Religious Conference was held in Chicago, attended by British Buddhist scholar Davis, Sri Lankan David Hewawitarne and Japanese Buddhist master Sejong. They introduced Zen and Buddhism to the throne.

Since then, with the support of Buddhists in Sri Lanka and Thailand, a temple "Washington Buddhist Center" has been established to officially promote Buddhism, guide meditation, teach Pali and Sanskrit, publish books and periodicals, and set up a library.

In 1950s and 1960s, Japanese expatriates immigrated to Central and South America in large numbers, and they also brought Buddhist beliefs. During the same period, Tibetan Buddhism and Japanese new school Buddhism "Rilian Authentic Sōka Gakkai" developed rapidly in the United States because of their background and effective organization. Suzuki Teitaro Daisetz, a Japanese Zen master, also made great contributions to teaching Buddhism and English Zen works at Columbia University.

In the 1970s, a large number of Chinese immigrated to the United States, and many China monks went there to preach Buddhism, such as Jinshan Temple and Dharma University founded by Master Xuanhua in San Francisco, Xilai Temple founded by Master Xingyun in Los Angeles, California, Dongchu Temple and meditation center founded by Master new york, Yinshun Mentor Foundation founded by Elder Ren Jun in New Jersey, Jade Buddha Temple founded by Master Jinghai and Hongyi in Houston, USA, and Jade Buddha Temple founded by Master Xingru in St. Louis.

Note: The writer is president of the Buddhist Association of Texas, USA. This is an excerpt from his paper "The Transformation and Evolution of Buddhism" submitted to the First World Buddhist Forum. It is published here only as the opinion of a family, and does not represent the views of this journal.

Text: Jinghai

Contributed by: Beijing Review Magazine