Buddhism grows in popularity in Britain

by A.P. Gunaratna

There are probably more Buddhists in Britain than one thinks. The number has grown rapidly in recent years. The census of 2011 recorded almost 250,000, a significant increase since 10 years ago, when it was below 150,000. Overall this makes Buddhists, the fifth largest minority faith group after Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews.

Ven. Bogoda Seelawimala Thera, Chief Sanghanayake of London Buddhist Vihara

The centre to this growth can be found at the London Buddhist Vihara, which, founded in 1926, is the oldest Buddhist monastery in the UK. A sign at the entrance reads, “A quiet Vihara is a happy Vihara”, but this should not be mistaken for lack of vitality. On the last Sunday in May, 400 people turned up for Vesak or Buddha Day.

Another huge crowd is expected to celebrate Dhamma Day which marks the first sermon of the Buddha.

The Vihara is at the heart of the Sri Lankan Buddhist community in the UK.

It has five resident Bhikkhus and a busy program of classes, services and events.

There is a Sunday School for 150 children, services with chanting and meditation as well as classes throughout the week at all levels. The most popular is the meditation class that attracts many locals who are not Sri Lankans.

Coronation

The chief prelate is Ven. Bogoda Seelawimala Thera, who cut a striking figure at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation anniversary service at Westminster Abbey recently (and received special mention from the BBC commentator David Dimbley).

His is an eye-catching presence on national occasions and last year he was a chaplain at the Olympic Games. Energetic and personable, he recalls his experience as if it were “a dream in my life”.

Some athletes who wanted to relax, he says, practised meditation for the first time.

The Ven. Thera said, the surge in the number of Buddhists is likely to have been caused not only due to immigration, but by new adherents, too.

“We cater to what people need,” he said. “Many become interested through meditation and decide to be Buddhists. Buddhism is compatible with science. There are no dogmas. It is a way of life – it is not a restrictive religion.”

Enlightenment

Buddhism was founded in the 6th century BC, after the Buddha attained Enlightenment, renouncing the princely environs into which He had been born. The Buddha expounded the Four Noble Truths, which hold that suffering in life could be overcome. The path to attain this is Eight-Fold, and based on a set of ethical precepts such as not stealing or speaking untruths.

Importantly, there is no external divine authority in Buddhism, which marks it as distinct compared to many other traditions.

The Sri Lankan Buddhist population is just one of many ethnic groups and schools of Buddhism in the UK. The Buddhist community traces its roots to the early 20th century. Today the largest national group is the Chinese Buddhists, numbering 50,000, according to the recent census, but likely to be many more. There are also significant Buddhist adherents of Indian, Cambodian, Thai, Tibetan, Japanese and Vietnamese origin. A growing number of Britons is interested in Buddhist teachings and ideas. One community leader, Jamie Cresswell, of the Network of Buddhist Organisations, said Buddhism is not a conventional religion, with onerous demands and barriers to entry. “There has been a general disenchantment with organised religion in recent years. People are looking for something with a spiritual dimension. Many people say, “I am not religious, but spiritual”. Buddhism has left people with spritual heritage and an ethical teaching”.

Unusually for a faith community Buddhist leaders report little if there is any discrimination or prejudice against their followers. As one leader said, “In anything, we tend to get a good press because of the Dalai Lama”.

Again, unlike the other large faith communities, the Buddhists do not have grievances or demands for government and is relaxed about some of the social issues which tend to cause such wrangling in other faith communities, such as gay marriage.

Positive attitude

Buddhism has a positive attitude towards interfaith relations. Dr. Desmond Biddulph, Chairman of the Buddhist Society, praised the last Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, for his interest in furthering Christian-Buddhist relations, arising from his “contemplative” mindset. Now the focus has shifted to enhancing Hindu-Buddhist relations. The government-backed, “Year of Service”, aims at building links between communities and local faith groups, which culminated earlier this month in a Buddhist Action Day focused on helping the environment.

As befits a faith which espouses non-violence, it does not aggressively seek new members. Biddulph sums it up saying: “We are not particularly interested in pushing Buddhism. We are interested in ensuring pushing harmony.”

Ven. Seelawimala Thera sees the attraction of his community at a more prosaic level. “Human beings have human problems – family, personal and social problems.

We can offer solutions from a Buddhist perspective. Human suffering is common to all. All the problems of human life are discussed in Buddhist teachings. Buddhism ensures well-being, peace of mind and enables people to overcome loneliness”.

The writer is a former Principal of Dharmaraja College, Kandy and Ananda College, Colombo. The article was written following the writer's recent visit to London where he met the Chief Sanghanayake, London.