Buddhism is a

minority religion A minority religion is a religion held by a minority of the population of a country, state, or region. Minority religions may be subject to stigma or discrimination. An example of a stigma is using the term cult with its extremely negative conn ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

with approximately 64,000 members (1.1%) in 2018.

History

In the 19th century, knowledge about Buddhism was brought back from expeditions that explored the Far East but interest was mainly from authors, Buddhologists and

philologists Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

. In 1921, Christian F. Melbye founded the first Buddhist Society in Denmark, but it was later dissolved in 1950 before his death in 1953. In the 1950s, there was a revival in interest towards Buddhism, especially

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

. Hannah and

Ole Nydahl Ole Nydahl (born 19 March 1941), also known as Lama Ole, is a ''lama'' providing Mahamudra teachings in the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Since the early 1970s, Nydahl has toured the world giving lectures and meditation courses. With his ...

founded the first

Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mon ...

Buddhist centers in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. The third wave of Buddhism came in the 1980s, when refugees from

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

came to Denmark. Some Buddhist women, especially those from

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, came to Denmark seeking Danish husbands.

Demographics

Accurate figures for the number of Buddhists in Denmark is not known, as it is illegal to record people's faiths in Denmark. However, according to Jørn Borup (Department of the Study of Religion, Aarhus University), there are approximately 30,000 Buddhists in Denmark today,Jørn Borup ''Who are these Buddhists and How Many of Them are There?: Theoretical and Methodological Challenges in Counting Immigrant Buddhists: A Danish Case Study'', in Journal of Contemporary Religion 31, 1: 85-100, 2016 of which 80% are Asian

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

s. Of these, 9,000 are from

and 10,000 are from

. Despite Buddhism being a minority religion, the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

is the Danes' preferred religious role model. According to the latest Eurobarometer estimates, as of December 2018, 1.1% of Danish people are

Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

. After

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and non-religious,

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

is the third largest religion in Denmark.

Schools

There are 43 Buddhist groups in Denmark, 15 of which have official status as 'recognized congregations'. While the number of members and users of the groups are typically small, the 'convert groups' mainly oriented towards Tibetan and Zen Buddhism outnumber the few Asian Buddhist groups, whose number of 'adherents' nevertheless are much higher Center for Samtidsreligion
Religion i Danmark 2015
, Institut for Kultur og Samfund, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus Universitet. ISBN 978-87-92829-35-1

Soka Gakkai International

The

Soka Gakkai International Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is an international Nichiren Buddhist organisation founded in 1975 by Daisaku Ikeda, as an umbrella organization of Soka Gakkai, which declares approximately 12 million adherents in 192 countries and territories ...

(SGI-DK) organization was established in Denmark in 1983 and has approximately 1,300 members in 54 local groups.

Theravada

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

in Denmark is practised primarily by Thais and Sri Lankans and between 90 and 95% of the 10,000 Danish Thais are Buddhists. Thai

Buddhist temples A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represent ...

include the Watpa (Thai Language = วัดป่าโคเปนฮาเกน) in Copenhagen, Wat Thai Denmark Brahmavihara Buddhist

Monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

(Thai Language = วัดไทยเดนมาร์กพรหมวิหาร) and the Wat Phra Dhammakaya Denmark (Thai Language = วัดพระธรรมกายเดนมาร์ก).Godkendte buddhistiske trossamfund 2015
CSR. p.25. (in Danish) These Buddhist émigrés seem almost invisible in Denmark, partly because Buddhism is generally not an evangelical religion, and they rarely take part in the larger social debate, partly because they have low unemployment and crime rates and are therefore not particularly newsworthy subjects for the media. Especially the Vietnamese have attracted such positive views which might be related to their generally positive, cultural integration. Although not directly related to Buddhism as a practiced religion, Buddhism's contribution to popular culture, media and marketing should not be underestimated.

Vajrayana

The first Tibetan Buddhist group was founded in Denmark by Hannah and

. It belongs to the

lineage, one of the major

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

schools. The very first center was opened in Copenhagen in 1972 and relocated in 1975 to its current location. To this day Diamond Way Buddhism has increased to nearly 600 centers worldwide. Although members of this group has not been growing for the last ten years, it is still the largest

Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

school in Denmark, with 500 Danish affiliates.

Zen

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

is amongst the smallest schools of Buddhism in Denmark. It has five groups (both Soto and Rinzai) and no more than 100 practitioners.

Attempts at unity

In 1991, the Tibetan-born Lakha Lama tried to establish a trans-sectarian Buddhist umbrella organization called the Buddhist Forum and since 1993 it has been a member of the

European Buddhist Union The European Buddhist Union (EBU) is the umbrella organization of Buddhist communities and national Buddhist unions in Europe. The EBU is open to all schools and traditions of Buddhism in Europe wishing to unite on the basis of Buddhist teachings an ...

despite having only two hundred paying members. Another Lakha Lama project called ''Phendeling'' has subsequently taken over its role and now includes some non-

Buddhist groups. Two groups, the

Diamond Way Buddhism Diamond Way Buddhism (''Diamond Way Buddhism - Karma Kagyu Lineage'') is a lay organization within the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The first Diamond Way Buddhist center was founded in 1972 by Hannah Nydahl and Ole Nydahl in Copenhag ...

and

, have reportedly not been invited to join the umbrella organizations. In the early 1990s, there was a split between Ole Nydahl and the rest of the groups during the

Karmapa controversy There are currently two, separately enthroned 17th Gyalwang Karmapas: Ogyen Trinley Dorje and Trinley Thaye Dorje. The Karmapa is the spiritual leader of the nine-hundred-year-old Karma Kagyu lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The ...

. One of two candidates was about to be chosen as the one new

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

of the

16th Karmapa The sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje (; August 14, 1924 – November 5, 1981) was the spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Followers believed him to be part of the oldest line of Tulku, reincarnate lamas in ...

. Ole Nydahl supported

Trinley Thaye Dorje Trinley Thaye Dorje () (born 6 May 1983 in Lhasa) is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa. The Karmapa is head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Ogyen Trinley Dorje and Thaye Dorje are the persisting ...

whilst

Urgyen Trinley Dorje Ogyen Trinley Dorje (, ; born 26 June 1985), also written as Urgyen Trinley Dorje () is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa. The Karmapa is head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Ogyen Trinley Dor ...

was supported by most other Buddhist groups and the

Visits by the Dalai Lama

The exiled Tibetan leader, the

has visited Denmark several times. He first visited in 1973 to help inaugurate the first Karma Kagyu center founded by the Nydahls.Nydahl, Ole (1992) Riding The Tiger, Twenty Years on the Road - The Risks and Joys of Bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West, Blue Dolphin Publishing. He came back in 1996 for an official visit, but was not met by the Danish prime minister at that time,

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen Poul Oluf Nyrup Rasmussen (, informally Poul Nyrup, born 15 June 1943) is a retired Danish politician. Rasmussen was Prime Minister of Denmark from 25 January 1993 to 27 November 2001 and President of the Party of European Socialists (PES) from ...

, who said that he was too busy, which he said again the next time the Dalai Lama visited in 2000. However, he did meet him at the airport just before he left. In 2003, the Dalai Lama returned and was officially welcomed by Rasmussen's successor,

Anders Fogh Rasmussen Anders Fogh Rasmussen (; born 26 January 1953) is a Danish politician who was the 24th Prime Minister of Denmark from November 2001 to April 2009 and the 12th Secretary General of NATO from August 2009 to October 2014. He became CEO of politi ...

, with the backing of the entire government, despite protests from China.http://www.information.dk/164021 Article: Louise Wendt Jensen, ''Dalai Lama kommer til Danmark'', Information (Danish Newspaper) 21. August 2008 (''In Danish'')http://www.berlingske.dk/article/20080812/politik/808120395/ Article: ''Dalai Lama til Danmark i maj 2009'', Berlingske (Danish Newspaper) 12. August 2008 (''In Danish'')

Notable Danish Buddhists

Hannah Nydahl Hannah Nydahl (1946–2007), wife of Lama Ole Nydahl, was an important Danish teacher and translator in the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.Nydahl, Ole (1992) ''Riding The Tiger, Twenty Years on the Road - The Risks and Joys of Bringing T ...

Anne Louise Hassing Anne Louise Hassing (born 17 September 1967) is a Danish actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Pain of Love'' (1992) and ''The Idiots'' (1998). Career Anne Louise Hassing was born in Horsens, Denmark, on 17 September 1967. ...

*Tom McEwan

References

Bibliography

* Borup, Jørn (2005). ''Dansk dharma. Buddhisme og buddhister i Danmark''. Højbjerg: Forlaget Univers. * Borup, Jørn (2008)
Buddhism in Denmark
Journal of Global Buddhism 9, 27-37 * Borup, Jørn (2016) "Who are these Buddhists and How Many of Them are There?: Theoretical and Methodological Challenges in Counting Immigrant Buddhists: A Danish Case Study", in ''Journal of Contemporary Religion'' 31, 1: 85-100. * Borup, Jørn and Lars Ahlin (2011) "Religion and cultural integration. Vietnamese Catholics and Buddhists in Denmark" in ''Nordic Journal of Migration Research'' 1, 3. * Borup, Jørn (2016)
Branding Buddha – Mediatized and Commodified Buddhism as Cultural Narrative
Journal of Global Buddhism 17: 41-55

External links

Diamond Way Buddhism Denmark

Phendeling

karmapatrust

Tibet Charity

Yearbook of religions in Denmark from Center of Contemporary Religion

Buddhistisk Samfund (Buddhist Society)
:Religion in Denmark {{DEFAULTSORT:Buddhism In Denmark

Den Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita' ...

Religion in Denmark