Buddhism in Austria

[1] Russia is the only other European country to recognize Buddhism formally as "native" to its own soil, giving it official status, along with Orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

By the late 19th century, due to the influence of Arthur Schopenhauer and Richard Wagner, artists and intellectuals in Vienna had started to take an interest in Buddhism.

[2] In 1913 in Java, Arthur Fitz, a man from Graz, became the first recorded Austrian to be ordained as a Buddhist monk, taking the name Bhikkhu Sono.

Due to personalities like Fritz Hungerleider,[3] who had returned from exile in the People's Republic of China in 1955 to become the society's president, and Dr Walter Karwath, who had spent years in Asia practicing medicine, Buddhism took a step out of literary and intellectual circles toward the broader world.

Hemaloka Thero, Geshe Rabten, the 16th Karmapa, the 14th Dalai Lama and other eminent representatives from different Buddhist traditions visited the country, gave talks, and attracted dharma students.

In 1979, Genro Koudela, who was ordained as a Zen priest in California by Joshu Sasaki, returned to Vienna, his city of origin, and established the "Bodhidharma Zendo" there.

A series of visits to the city of Graz by the Dalai Lama in 1995, 1998 (for the consecration of a large stupa), and in 2002 (to speak on "Kalachakra for World Peace") were a strong encouragement for Buddhists in Austria.