Ruqayyah Snyder
Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world, with about 350 million followers. In Australia, it is the fastest-growing religion, with over half a million adherents as of 2001, making up about 1.6% of the population. The highest percentage of Buddhists are found in Christmas Island, where Buddhism constitutes 18.1% of the total population. The states with the highest proportion of Buddhists are Victoria (3.07%) and New South Wales (2.78%), while those with the lowest are Queensland (1.51%) and Tasmania (0.79%). The history of Buddhism in Australia is a diverse one, reflecting waves of immigration from the 19th century onwards, along with changing social attitudes towards spirituality and well-being.
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What You'll Learn
Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in Australia
Buddhism is a minority religion in Australia, where it is the fourth-largest religion in the country. In the 2021 census, 2.4% of the total population, or 610,000 people, identified as Buddhist. This makes it the fastest-growing religion by percentage, with a 79% increase in adherents between the 1996 and 2001 censuses. Buddhism was also the fastest-growing religion in Australia between the 1986 and 2001 censuses, with an increase from 80,387 adherents in 1986 to 370,345 in 2001.
The history of Buddhism in Australia dates back to the 19th century. The first Buddhist group to arrive in Australia was a troupe of acrobats and jugglers from Japan who toured in 1867. More Buddhists arrived throughout the century, many of whom worked in the pearling industry in northern Australia, with an estimated 3,600 on Thursday Island, as well as in Broome and Darwin, Northern Territory. The first Sinhalese Buddhists from Sri Lanka arrived in 1870 to work in sugarcane plantations, and a community was believed to exist on Thursday Island in 1876. In 1882, a group of 500 left Colombo for Queensland, mostly settling in Mackay. The oldest remaining structure from this early period of Buddhist migration to Australia is a pair of Bodhi Trees planted on Thursday Island in the 1890s. The first Buddhist monk to arrive in Australia was U Sasana Dhaja, who came from Burma in 1910. The first specific Buddhist group, the Buddhist Study Group Melbourne, was formed in Melbourne in 1938 but collapsed during the Second World War.
The growth of Buddhism in Australia in the 20th century was impeded by the White Australia Policy, which restricted immigration from Asian countries. In the late 1970s, Buddhism began to spread more widely, mainly due to immigration from Southeast Asia following the Vietnam War. Buddhism also spread to Western countries during this period, including Australia, with the arrival of Tibetan Buddhism, led by figures such as Lama Yeshe and Sogyal Rinpoche, who established religious institutions with resident monks.
The states and territories with the highest proportion of Buddhists in Australia are Victoria (3.07%) and New South Wales (2.78%), while those with the lowest are Queensland (1.51%) and Tasmania (0.79%). The highest percentage of Buddhists in Australia is found on Christmas Island, where they constitute 18.1% of the total population according to the 2016 Census. Buddhism was the largest religion on Christmas Island before 2013, when Islam became the dominant religion as Malays became the largest ethnic group on the island.
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The first Buddhist group to arrive in Australia
Buddhism is a minority religion in Australia, with 2.4% of the total population (or 610,000 people) identifying as Buddhist, according to the 2021 census. It is the fourth-largest religion in the country, after Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Buddhism is the fastest-growing religion in Australia by percentage, with an increase of 79% between the 1996 and 2001 censuses. The highest percentage of Buddhists in Australia is found on Christmas Island, where they constitute 18.1% of the population as of the 2016 census.
While it is not known exactly when Buddhism first came to Australia, there is speculation that there may have been early contact with Buddhism in Australia through traders from Indonesia and the exploration fleets of the Chinese Ming emperors. Anthropologist A.P. Elkin, in his book "Aboriginal Men of High Degree", cites evidence of Indonesian traders bringing Buddhism and Hinduism to areas near modern-day Dampier. Chinese relics from the 15th century have also been found in northern Australia, suggesting possible contact.
The first instance of a monk arriving in Australia was in 1910 when U Sasana Dhaja, born E.H. Stevenson in Yarmouth, UK, came from Burma. However, it wasn't until the 1970s that a resident monk, Venerable Somaloka from Sri Lanka, arrived and established the first Buddhist monasteries in the country.
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The first monk to arrive in Australia
Buddhism has had a long history in Australia, with the first Buddhist group arriving in the country as early as 1867. This group was a troupe of acrobats and jugglers from Japan who toured the country, bringing their religious beliefs with them. However, the first instance of a monk arriving in Australia was in 1910 when U Sasana Dhaja, born E.H. Stevenson in Yarmouth, arrived from Burma. U Sasana Dhaja was the first Buddhist monk to set foot on Australian soil, marking a significant moment in the spread of Buddhism in the country.
Over the years, various monks visited Australia, but it wasn't until the 1970s that a resident monk, Venerable Somaloka from Sri Lanka, arrived and made the country his permanent home. The 1970s also saw the rise of Tibetan Buddhism in Western countries, with influential figures such as Lama Yeshe establishing religious institutions with resident monks. This period witnessed an increase in immigration from South East Asia following the Vietnam War, contributing to the growing Buddhist community in Australia.
Before the arrival of U Sasana Dhaja, there were speculations of earlier Buddhist influences in Australia. Anthropologist A.P. Elkin suggested that traders from Indonesia may have brought fleeting contact with Buddhism and Hinduism to areas near modern-day Dampier. Elkin interpreted a link between Indigenous Australian culture and Buddhist concepts like reincarnation. Additionally, the discovery of Chinese relics in northern Australia dating to the 15th century hints at possible Buddhist exposure, although it may have been introduced through later trade rather than early exploration.
The Buddhist community in Australia continued to grow, and in 1983, Ajahn Chah sent his student Ajahn Brahm to Perth to assist Ajahn Jagaro in teaching duties. Together, they established Bodhinyana Monastery, the first dedicated Buddhist monastery of the Thai Theravada lineage in the Southern Hemisphere. Ajahn Brahm, born Peter Betts in Britain, had trained in the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism. He became a monk in 1974 after graduating from the University of Cambridge, where he studied theoretical physics.
Today, Bodhinyana Monastery is the largest Buddhist training monastery in Australia, attracting aspirants from within the country and abroad. The path to becoming a Buddhist monk is rigorous and requires aspirants to pass through stages that demand greater commitment and higher standards of monastic discipline. Before being considered for ordination, aspirants must first stay at the monastery as guests for up to a month to get acquainted with the community and their practices. The process of becoming a monk involves various stages, including an initial trial period as an Anagarika, keeping eight precepts, and eventually progressing to becoming a Samanera or novice monk with the approval of the Sangha of monks.
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The Buddhist Society of Victoria
Buddhism is currently the fourth-largest religion in the world, with about 350 million followers. In Australia, it is the fastest-growing religion, with over half a million adherents, according to the 2011 census. The states with the highest proportion of Buddhists are Victoria (3.07%) and New South Wales (2.78%).
The school curriculum at the Newbury Buddhist Monastery focuses on practical Buddhism in contemporary life. It discusses personal and public issues and how the Dhamma can help lead a more compassionate existence with family, friends, and animals. The BSV Teen Program supports secondary school students in learning the teachings of the Buddha (the Dhamma) and applying them to their lives. The Cityzen program, meanwhile, helps young adults cultivate wisdom and peace through meditation and the Buddha's teachings.
The BSV holds annual general meetings and also works on special projects, such as the Sanctuary of Stillness, which was under construction as of 2020.
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The spread of Tibetan Buddhism in Australia
Buddhism is a minority religion in Australia, with 2.4% of the total population (or 610,000 people) identifying as Buddhist, according to the 2021 census. It is the fourth-largest religion in the country, after Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. The percentage of Buddhists in Australia has been steadily increasing, with a 20.8% increase in the Buddhist population between 2001 and 2011, and a 79% increase between the 1996 and 2001 censuses.
While it is unclear when Buddhism first came to Australia, there is speculation that there may have been contact between the Aboriginal people of northern Australia and the early Hindu-Buddhist civilizations of Indonesia hundreds of years ago. The first certain contact with Buddhism in Australia can be dated to 1848 when Chinese labourers arrived to work in the goldfields of eastern Australia. The first Buddhist group to arrive in Australia was a troupe of acrobats and jugglers from Japan who toured in 1867. The first Sinhalese Buddhists from Sri Lanka arrived in 1870 to work in sugarcane plantations, and by 1876 a community was believed to exist on Thursday Island. The oldest remaining structure from this time is two Bodhi Trees planted on Thursday Island in the 1890s.
During the 1970s, there was a strong growth of interest in Buddhism, especially among young people. During this period, an estimated 300 Australians attended annual retreats in northern India and Nepal, conducted by Tibetan teachers such as Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa. In the late 1970s, Buddhism began to become more widespread, partly due to immigration from Southeast Asia following the Vietnam War, as well as the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to Western countries. The Venerable Somaloka, a young Sri Lankan monk, arrived in Sydney in 1971, and in 1973 the Australian Buddhist Vihara was opened at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.
The Tibetan influence in Australian Buddhism is strong, and the Vajrayana tradition is very attractive to many Westerners. Nearly one-third of all Buddhist organizations in Sydney are Tibetan, and the Dalai Lama has visited Australia three times, drawing large crowds. While the number of Westerners who identify as Buddhists is still small, Tibetan Buddhist teachings are being used in settings such as hospitals and nursing homes to help ease the pain of the terminally ill.
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Frequently asked questions
Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world with about 350 million followers. In 2001, there were almost 360,000 Buddhists in Australia, about 1.6% of the population. By 2011, this number had grown to 528,977 people, or 2.46% of the population. The 2016 census recorded 563,677 Buddhists in Australia, making it the fastest-growing religion in the country.
Buddhism has been present in Australia since at least the 1800s. The first Buddhist group to arrive in Australia was a troupe of acrobats and jugglers from Japan who toured in 1867. The oldest remaining structure from this period is a pair of Bodhi Trees planted on Thursday Island in the 1890s.
The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace is a famous statue that was consecrated by the Dalai Lama in Sydney, Australia, in 2009. It is the largest Buddha carved from gemstone-quality jade in the world and is now located at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia.
There are several styles of Buddhism in Australia, reflecting the diverse immigration patterns of the country. The three main traditions of Buddhism are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana, which are present in Australia due to immigration from countries like Thailand, China, and Tibet. There are also emerging Western adaptations of Buddhism in Australia, including Engaged Buddhism and Secular Buddhism.
In addition to the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, which houses the Jade Buddha, there are several other Buddhist monuments in Australia. These include the Sydney Zen Centre, the Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre, and the first Thai temple in Australia, Wat Buddharangsee, which was opened in 1975.
