Buddhism in CzechRepublic
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Buddhism in the Czech Republic From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search
With a rough estimate of fifty thousand Buddhists, Buddhism is practiced by around 0.5% of the Czech population. The World Buddhist Directory lists 70 Buddhist places in the Czech Republic.[1]
The overseas Vietnamese community form the mainstay of the Buddhist population in the Czech Republic. The Vietnamese practice mainly Mahayana Buddhism with some syncretism of ancestor worship, Confucianism and Taoism. They represent roughly from two thirds to three quarters of the Buddhist community alongside being the largest Asian community in the Czech Republic, numbering over 60,000.[2] The remainder consists of a significant number of Czechs who have converted (mainly to Theravada or Vajrayana Buddhism small number of overseas Chinese.
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Czech Republic first Buddhist temple opens
Czech Republic first Buddhist temple opens
By Kimberly Ashton, The Prague Post, February 6, 2008
Place of worship serves north Bohemian Vietnamese society
Varnsdorf, Czech Republic — At the edge of a town on the edge of the country, across the street from the ruins of a squat stone building, sits an average house where the spirit of a vibrant minority community lives.
<< Vietnamese monk Thich Thanh Phuc, 34, said he thinks locals come to Varnsdorf’s Temple Thien An and “feel at home.”
What would otherwise be an inconspicuous home is set apart by brightly colored flags, a pagoda-like structure at the doorway and a sign that reads, Chua Thien An – Temple Thien An, the country’s first Buddhist temple.
“For us, it’s so that the future generations know or at least have an idea where they come from,” said Vu Linh Ngoc, known as Karel among Czechs and whose family organized the effort to build the temple in Varnsdorf, a small town two hours north of Prague and a stone’s throw from the German border.
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First Buddhist temple in Czech Republic
First Buddhist temple in Czech Republic
Prague Monitor, January 24, 2008
Prague, Czech Republic — The first Buddhist temple in the Czech Republic has been opened in Varnsdorf, north Bohemia, on the initiative of the local Vietnamese community, the daily Pravo wrote Wednesday.
The local Vietnamese have even had gold-plated statues and a Buddhist monk transported from Taiwan, the paper writes.
“It is a big event for us because Buddhism is not only a religion but also a part of our culture,” the Vietnamese initiator, who has lived in the Czech Republic for 15 years, told the paper.
He added he had not noticed any negative reaction from local Czech residents.
The ceremonial opening of the temple last week was attended by the Vietnamese ambassador to the Czech Republic and local government representatives, Pravo notes.
“I do not mind the Buddhist temple in our town. On the contrary, I consider it interesting,” Varnsdorf mayor Josef Polacek told the paper.
He added the temple can even enrich Czech citizens because it is open to everybody.
