Buddhism in Germany Finding New Adherents

October 10, 2007

Author: Tamsin Walker

Source: Deutsche Welle

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2815300,00.html

It's been around in the wings for several decades already, yet only recently has Buddhism begun to venture out towards mainstream German society. And it would seem that a growing number of people like what they see.

Although it is difficult to do a reliable headcount of the number of German Buddhists in Germany, the German Buddhist Union (DBU) estimates there are about 130,000 practitioners. And there appears to be an increased interest in the religion in the nation's traditionally Christian population.

"We are definitely experiencing an upwards trend," said Helge Latenza of the DBU Head Office, "but it is a gentle curve."

Gentle or not, significantly more Germans are turning towards Buddhism than are converting to Islam, an issue which has been creating waves throughout Germany lately. Last month, according to the Federal Interior Ministry, there were between 15,000 and 40,000 converts to Islam living in Germany.