New England Online > Culture & Society > Demographics > Religion > Buddhism
Buddhism in New England
Buddhists make up a small but visible part of New England's religious community. Buddhists from all the major schools of teaching can be found. All have established small communities from migrants out of Asia that came to New England before and after independence. In recent years, the number of western converts has increased steadily. The most evocative manifestation of Buddhism in New England is the large monastery located in Madgwick in Armidale. The monastery is modeled after the White Palace of Potala in Tibet.
There are 72,000 Buddhists in New England which translates to be 3% of the population.
Schools and Sects
Theravāda - The eldest of the schools of Buddhism, Theravāda has the largest number of devotees in New England with 35,000 buddhists claiming to practice from this school. Most members of the Theravāda are converts from the west, but there are also significant numbers of devotees from Thailand, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. There are monastic communities in Ellenborough, Bellingen and Bundarra.
Mahāyāna - The most followed of the Buddhist doctrines to this day in the world, there are approximately 28,000 devotees of the Mahāyāna school in New England. Many members of the school are Chinese and Korean emigrants to New England, but the majority are westerners who have converted to Buddhism from other religions.
Vajrayāna - The smallest of New England's buddhist schools, devotees of the Vajrayāna school consist of about 9,000 members. A large number of Vajrayāna buddhists in New England are from Russia, Tibet and Japan. The largest number of Vajrayāna are in Armidale, and are based from the monastery located in Madgwick.
Membership
There are 72,000 Buddhists in New England, making up about 3% of the population. This number does not include those Buddhists that attend a Unitarian Buddhist fellowship as such persons are usually counted as Unitarians. The religion is strongest in Armidale and Port Macquarie, and it is here that most fellowships operate from.
There is one Buddhist monastery, located in Armidale. Its members follow a largely Tibetan school of teaching and the monastery has around 300 members. The monks and nuns are often involved in community service in the outside world such as poor relief, community service work or teaching.
History
Buddhism has been an influence on the west for 2,000 years. In New England, the first Buddhists arrived with the coming of the Chinese labourers in the nineteenth century. The number of adherents remained negligible for many years, with few if any adherents existing.
From the 1960s, significant numbers of people began to explore Buddhist teachings as a means of developing a personal form of religious expression. By the late 1990s, small communities of Buddhists had appeared in the major centres of New England. In Armidale, Buddhist place of worship was established in the Old Teachers College, which later became the Parliament of New England. A retreat was established near Uralla.
After independence, a small number of buddhists came to New England to settle. Many were initially part of the Unitarian Church of New England, before they formed their own communities in the 2020s. The opening of the first monasteries in the 2030s was testament to the impressive growth of the religion, and it's acceptance by the people of New England as a valid form of religious expression. Growth of the religion has been one of the fastest in New England, reaching 72,000 in 2050 census.
Relationship with Other Faiths
Buddhism attempts to maintain good relations with all religious groups. Liaison groups between Buddhists and other groups have been established to co-ordinate ecumenical activity. Buddhists pursue a policy of active engagement in the community, and monks are encouraged to go out into the community to teach and assist in community service. The basic mission of Buddhists has been characterised by the 14th Dalai Lama, who was quoted as saying:
"All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, [which is] love, compassion and forgiveness ... the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives."
Many of New England's Buddhists have taken up this message. Buddhist groups attempt to work with other groups, and will often join inter-denominational campaigns when issues arise. Many groups opposed the Five Day War and other military activity, but worked hard to care for the sick and injured during the fighting. They received support from groups like the Quakers and many Unitarians who saw the fighting as utterly pointless.
In 2046, conservative Christians, led by the James Lovecrest, the Catholic archbishop of Armidale attacked Buddhists as “harbingers of terrorism and … a fundamental threat to the people of New England". Such criticisms have been ignored by Buddhists as the ratings of those that should known better, and apart from these outbursts, Buddhists generally get on well with other Christians. Many Buddhists have attended Unitarian churches, and have established Buddhist fellowships within the church. All fellowships have been more than happy to share resources with Buddhists to allow them to establish themselves and create a sound financial and theological basis for a fellowship.
