Buddhism in Venezuela

Buddhism in Venezuela is practiced by very approximately 52,000 people (roughly 0.2% of the population) as of 2015.

[1] The Buddhist community is made up mainly of Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans.

Most identify with the Mahayana tradition, reflecting the religious heritage of their emigrant countries.

However, in the mid-1990s Keun-Tshen Goba (né Ezequiel Hernandez Urdaneta), together with Jigme Rinzen, and under the guidance of Chugai Keisho (German financier né Burkhard Brauch), also a former disciple of Chögyam Trungpa founded a meditation center using the Shambhala Training method.

There are Buddhist centers in Caracas, Maracay, Mérida, Puerto Ordáz, San Felipe, and Valencia.