The Nan Hua Temple Complex, near Johannesburg.

Buddhism has recently been gaining ground in South Africa, and the country now comprises the largest Buddhist community in Africa. South Africa is also the base for organisations aiming to spread Buddhism in Africa, such as the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Image File history File links Nan_Hua_Temple. ... Image File history File links Nan_Hua_Temple. ... Nan Hua Temple Nan Hua Temple Complex Nan Hua Seminary, Guest House and Administrative Offices Nan Hua Temple (佛光山南華寺, Fo Guang Shan Nanhua Si) is the largest Buddhist temple and seminary in Africa and is situated in the Cultura Park suburb of Bronkhorstspruit, South Africa. ... This article is about the city in South Africa. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... The Kagyu (Tibetan: བཀའ་བརྒྱུད་; Wylie: Bka-brgyud) school, also known as the Oral Lineage and the Spotless Practice Lineage school, is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the other three being Nyingma (Rnying-ma), Sakya (Sa-skya), and Gelug (Dge-lugs). ...

History

Apart from various Buddhist groups brought to the Cape Colony from Southeast Asia during the 1680s, and the many indentured labourers brought to Natal from India during the latter part of the 19th century (some of whom were Buddhist, and some of whom were Hindu who later converted to Buddhism once in South Africa), most Buddhists in South Africa are converts, and not Asian. Various Buddhist groups grew up in the major cities from the 1970s, and there has been a proliferation of distinct Buddhist traditions since the mid-1980s. These include Theravada, Zen, Nichiren and Tibetan schools. The Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order has erected Nan Hua Temple, the largest Buddhist temple and monastery in Africa, in the town of Bronkhorstspruit near Pretoria. Another notable Buddhist centre in the country is the Buddhist Retreat Centre in Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal. The Nichiren Buddhist lay group Soka Gakkai International has a community centre in Parkwood, Johannesburg. Anthem: God Save the Queen Cape Colony Capital Cape Town Language(s) English and Dutch1 Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Last Monarch King George VI Last Prime Minister  - 1908 – 1910 John X. Merriman Last Governor  - 1901 - 1910 Walter Hely-Hutchinson Historical era 19th century  - Dutch East India... The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. ... Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religious identity, or a change from one religious identity to another. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Theravada (Pāli: theravāda; Sanskrit: स्थविरवाद sthaviravāda; literally, the Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and most of continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand). ... For other uses, see Zen (disambiguation). ... Nichiren Buddhism (日蓮系諸宗派: Nichiren-kei sho shÅ«ha) is a branch of Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren (1222–1282). ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... The Fo Guang Shan emblem, used by all FGS affilated branch temples and organizations. ... Nan Hua Temple Nan Hua Temple Complex Nan Hua Seminary, Guest House and Administrative Offices Nan Hua Temple (佛光山南華寺, Fo Guang Shan Nanhua Si) is the largest Buddhist temple and seminary in Africa and is situated in the Cultura Park suburb of Bronkhorstspruit, South Africa. ... Temple of Hephaestus, an Doric Greek temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted) For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation). ... Monastery of St. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Bronkhorstspruit is a small farming town 50km east of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa along the N4 highway towards Witbank. ... Motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Country South Africa Province Gauteng Established 1855 Area  - City 1,644 km²  (634. ... Ixopo is a town situated on a tributary of the Mkhomazi River in the midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and forms part of an important sugar farming and forestry area. ... KwaZulu-Natal (often referred to as KZN) is a province of South Africa. ...

A 2003 study estimated that in the late 1990s there were a total of 6,000 Buddhists in South Africa (3,000 of whom had Asian ancestry) out of a total population of 42 million (or 0.01% of the total population). [1]

Notable South African Buddhists

• Rob Nairn - Buddhist teacher, author and populariser.

Rob Nairn is a South African Buddhist teacher, author and populariser. ...

External links

• Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in South Africa
• Buddhist Retreat Centre, Ixopo
• Nan Hua Monastery, Gauteng
• Emoyeni Retreat Centre, North West
• Lam Rim Buddhist Temple, Johannesburg
• Shantikula Buddhist Centre, Johannesburg
• Soka Gakkai International – South Africa
• Sat Chit Anand Buddhist Centre, Plettenberg Bay
• Buddhactivity Dharma Centres database
• Hout Bay Theravada Buddhist Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
• Tushita Buddhist Centre, Cape Town, South Africa