Buddhism in Indonesia

Under the mode of Soeharto, the Bouddhisme belonged to the five officially recognized religions among which Indonésiens were to choose to fulfill the obligation to make mention their religion on their indentity card.

The official figures of 1998 indicate that 88% of Indonésiens are Moslem, 5% Protestants, 3% catholics, 2% hindouists, 1% Buddhists, the 1% being made up d'" autres" religions, which includes the Judaism and orthodoxe Christianity. In spite of its Moslem numerical majority, Indonesia is not a Moslem country but pluri-monk. It was born from the desire of populations culturally and religieusement various to build one only nation. Its constitution does not refer any to Islam.

Indonesia asserts its Hindu-Buddhist past . An illustration are the armorial bearings of the Republic, Garuda, the bird of the Hindu mythology which is used as vahana (vehicle) in Vishnu to go down on ground, and the name of the national airline company, Garuda Indonesia.

The presence of Buddhism is old in Indonesia, as the existence testifies some to Buddhist religious monuments, of which most famous is the Temple of Borobudur. At the VII century, on the way for India, the buddhist monk Chinese Yi Jing (I-tsing) stops with Sriwijaya (aujourd' huin the town of Palembang) in the south of Sumatra.

In 1934, a missionary of Sri Lanka, Worthy Narada Thera, goes in what was then the the Indies Dutchwomen within the framework of a voyage to diffuse the Dharma (teaching) Buddhist in Southeast Asia. It is the occasion for the local Buddhists to make revive their religion. A ceremony of installation of a tree bodhi takes place with Borobudur in 1934 pennies the blessing of Narada Thera, and of the upasakas are ordered Moine S. In 1955, a monk of the name of Ashin Jinarakkhita undertakes a turn of Indonesia to diffuse the dharma . Since, there is a rebirth of the Bouddhisme theravāda in Indonesia under the direction of monks trained in Thailand, at the sides of the Bouddhisme mahāyāna.

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