Buddhism is recognized as the fourth religion of the state. France has over 200 Buddhist meditation centers. It mainly consists of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants, but has also managed to attract a large number of converts.

History

Alexandra David-Néel was an important early French Buddhist. She is most known for her visit to the forbidden (to foreigners) city of Lhasa, capital of Tibet (1924) and wrote more than 30 books, about Buddhism, philosophy, and her travels. In 1911 Alexandra traveled for the second time to India, to further her study of Buddhism. She was invited to the royal monastery of Sikkim, where she met Maharaj Kumar (crown prince) Sidkeon Tulku. She became Sidkeong's "confidante and spiritual sister" (according to Ruth Middleton), perhaps his lover (Foster & Foster). She also met the thirteenth Dalai Lama twice in 1912, and had the opportunity to ask him many questions about Buddhism—a feat unprecedented for a European woman at that time. Lhasa prefecture-level city in Tibet Autonomous Region Lhasa (Tibetan: ལྷ་ས་; Wylie: lha-sa; Simplified Chinese: 拉萨; Traditional Chinese: 拉薩; pinyin: Lāsà), sometimes called Llasa, is the traditional capital of Tibet and the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Tibet (older spelling Thibet; Tibetan: བོད་, Bod, pronounced pö in Lhasa dialect; Chinese: 西藏, pinyin: XÄ«zàng or 藏区 ZàngqÅ« [the two names are used with different connotations; see Names section below]) is a region in Central Asia and the home of the Tibetan people. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. ... The 14th and current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (born 1935) The 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso (1876-1933) In Tibetan Buddhism, the successive Dalai Lamas (taa-lai bla-ma) form a tulku lineage of Gelugpa leaders which trace back to 1391. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Taisen Deshimaru was a Japanese Zen Buddhist who founded some dojos in France. Taisen Deshimaru (1914-1982) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher. ...

External links

• http://www.bouddhisme-france.org/
• http://www.kadampa-fr.org/