Buddhism is a relatively small religion in Sweden. In April 2020, the number of Buddhists was estimated in to be around 57,000 people,[1] around 0.7% of Sweden's population, making it Sweden's third largest religion after Christianity and Islam.
Many practicing Buddhists in Sweden have Asian (mostly Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese) heritage.
History
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Evidence of Buddhism in Sweden dates back to the Viking era. A 6th century Buddha statue made of bronze and presumed to have been made in Kashmir was found at Helgö in Sweden.[2]
One of the first texts in Swedish concerning Buddhism was Victor Pfeiff's translation of Edwin Arnold's Light of Asia, published in 1888 with the title Asiens ljus. The book is a story in verse about the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha. The Swedish edition contained an introduction by Viktor Rydberg.[3]
Among the first in Sweden who developed an interest in Buddhism were August Strindberg, Dan Andersson, Karin Boye, Harry Martinson and Kata Dahlström.[4][5][6]
Buddhism in Sweden today
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The Swedish Buddhist Community is a national umbrella organisation for various Buddhist associations and congregations that are registered in Sweden. It currently has more than 20 member organisations.[7]
References
edit- ^ Willander, Erika (2020). Ett mångreligiöst Sverige i förändring. Bromma: Myndigheten för stöd till trossamfund. ISBN 978-91-983453-5-3.
- ^ Colm (December 28, 2013). "The Helgo Treasure: A Viking Age Buddha". Irish Archaeology. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016.
- ^ "Victor Pfeiff - Svenskt översättarlexikon". litteraturbanken.se. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
- ^ Fredriksson, Trudy (2013). Uppvaknandets vägar: från buddhistisk historia till nutidens utövning och gemenskapsliv. Bromma: Nämnden för statligt stöd till trossamfund. ISBN 978-91-980611-2-3.
- ^ Dandanelle, Eva (2011-08-09). "Bildbiografi utvidgar bilden av Karin Boye". Hallands Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-11-30.
- ^ "Hellre Gåtan före Gud". Kristianstadsbladet (in Swedish). 2004-07-22. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
- ^ "About SBC – Sveriges buddhistiska gemenskap" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
Further reading
edit- Fredriksson, Trudy (2013). Uppvaknandets vägar : från buddhistisk historia till nutidens utövning och gemenskapsliv Archived 2016-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. SST :s skriftserie; 2. Bromma: Nämnden för statligt stöd till trossamfund. Libris länk. ISBN 978-91-980611-2-3
- Plank, Katarina (2010). Mindful Medicine: The Growing Trend of Mindfulness-Based Therapies in the Swedish Health Care System, Finnish Journal of Ethnicity and Migration 5 (2), 47–55
- Plank, Katarina (2015). The sacred foodscapes of Thai Buddhist temples in Sweden, Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis 26, 201–224
External links
edit- Buddhism Today - Sweden: A growing interest in Buddhism
- Swedish Buddhist Community
- Sveriges Buddhistiska Samarbetsråd
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