Buddhism in Austria

Buddhism is a legally recognized religion in Austria. Although still small in absolute numbers (10,402 at the 2001 census), Buddhism in Austria enjoys widespread acceptance. A majority of Buddhists in the country are Austrian nationals (some of them naturalized after immigration from Asia, predominantly from the People's Republic of China and Vietnam), while a considerable number of them are foreign nationals. As in most European countries, different branches and schools of Buddhism are represented by groups of varying sizes. Vienna not only has the largest number of foreign residents, but is also the place with the longest tradition of Buddhism in the country. Most of Austria's Buddhist temples and centres of practice can be found there; some with a specific Chinese, Vietnamese, Tibetan or Japanese appearance. The latest development has been the establishment of a “Buddhist Cemetery” around a stupa-like building for funeral ceremonies at the Vienna Central Cemetery. Buddhism was officially recognized under Austrian law in 1983. Russia is the only other European country to recognize Buddhism formally as "native" to its own soil, giving it official status, along with Orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. By the late 19th century, due to the influence of Arthur Schopenhauer and Richard Wagner, artists and intellectuals in Vienna had started to take an interest in Buddhism. Karl Eugen Neumann (1865–1915), who had met the composer Wagner in his father's house, took great interest in what he had heard about Buddhism. In 1884 he decided to become a Buddhist and to study the original languages to be able "to see for himself". He translated large parts of the Pali Canon into German before dying in Vienna at the age of 50. In 1913 in Java, Arthur Fitz, a man from Graz, became the first recorded Austrian to be ordained as a Buddhist monk, taking the name Bhikkhu Sono. 1923 saw the foundation of a "Buddhist Society" in Vienna; and Austrians were among the participants at the 2nd International Buddhist Congress in Paris in 1937.