The following people are all converts to Buddhism, sorted alphabetically by family name.
From Abrahamic religions
editFrom Christianity
editFrom Islam
edit- Princess Mother Sri Sulalai (1770–1837), the consort of Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai, Rama II of Siam and was the mother of Nangklao, Rama III.
- The Bunnag family, powerful noble family of Mon-Persian descent of the early Rattanakosin Kingdom of Siam, the descendants of Sheikh Ahmad who converted to Buddhism.
- Napapa Tantrakul (1986–), Thai actress who was raised as Muslim and converted to Buddhism in 2016[1]
- Tillakaratne Dilshan (1976–), Sri Lankan cricket player who converted from Islam to Buddhism at the age of 16, previously known as Tuwan Muhammad Dilshan[2]
- Tillakaratne Sampath (1982–), Sri Lankan cricket player who was previously known as Tuwan Mohammad Nishan Sampath
- Suraj Randiv (1985–), Sri Lankan cricket player who was previously known as Mohamed Marshuk Mohamed Suraj
- Pai Hsien-yung (1937–), son of KMT Muslim General Bai Chongxi, a Chinese American writer of Hui descent[3]
- Wong Ah Kiu (1918–2006), Malay woman born to a Muslim family but raised as Buddhist; her conversion from Islam became a legal issue in Malaysia on her death[4]
From Judaism
edit- Nyanaponika Mahathera (1901–1994), German-born Theravada monk, co-founder and first president of the Buddhist Publication Society[5]
- Bhikkhu Bodhi (1944–), American Theravada Buddhist monk and scholar, founder of the Buddhist Global Relief[5]
- Ayya Khema (1923–1997), German Buddhist teacher and one of the organizers for the first International Conference on Buddhist Women[6]
- Larry Rosenberg (1932–), American Buddhist teacher who founded the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center[7]
- Peter Coyote (1941–), American actor and author[8]
- Surya Das (1950–), lama who founded Dzogchen Foundation and Centers[9][10]
- Tetsugen Bernard Glassman (1939–2018), American Zen Buddhist roshi and co-founder of the Zen Peacemakers[11]
- Zoketsu Norman Fischer (1946–), American poet, writer, and Soto Zen priest and founded the Everyday Zen Foundation[12]
- Zenkei Blanche Hartman (1926–2016), Soto Zen teacher practicing in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki.
- Kittisaro, disciple of Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho; meditation teacher in the Thai Forest Tradition
- Hozan Alan Senauke (1947–), Soto Zen priest, folk musician and poet.
- Jack Kornfield (1945–), teacher in the Vipassana Movement of American Theravada Buddhism[11]
- Sharon Salzberg (1952–), meditation teacher and co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society[11]
- Goldie Jeanne Hawn (1945–), American actress, producer, dancer, and singer.[13]
- Steven Seagal (1952–), American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician who holds American, Serbian, and Russian citizenship.
- Robert Downey Jr. (1965–), American actor and producer[14]
From Indian religions
editFrom Hinduism
edit- B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956), Chief architect of the Constitution of India[15]
- Jagdish Kashyap (1908–1976), Buddhist monk[16]
- Bhadant Anand Kausalyayan, Buddhist monk, writer, and scholar[17]
- Balachandran Chullikkadu (1957–), Malayalam language poet from Kerala[18]
- Hansika Motwani, indian actress.[19]
- Rahul Sankrityayan (1893–1963), Hindi author and translator[16]
- Iyothee Thass (1845–1914), Siddha practitioner and leader of the Dravidian movement[20]
- Laxman Mane (1949–), Dalit author and social worker[21]
- Swami Prasad Maurya, politician[22]
- Udit Raj (1958–), prominent Indian social activist and Buddhist polemicist[23]
- Lenin Raghuvanshi (1970–), activist, one of the founding members of People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR)[24]
- Suresh Bhat (1932–2003), Indian poet and writer[25]
- Pracheen Chauhan, Indian television actor[26]
- Tisca Chopra (1973–), Indian actress, author and film producer[27]
- Vinay Jain, Indian television actor[28]
- Poonam Joshi (1980–), Indian television soap opera actress[29]
- Shibani Kashyap, Indian singer[30][31]
From other or undetermined
edit
- Sister Uppalavannā (Else Buchholtz) (1886–1982), German Theravādin Buddhist nun, first European Buddhist nun in modern history[32]
- U Dhammaloka (Laurence Carroll) (1856–1914), Irish-born migrant worker turned Theravādin Buddhist monk and an active role in the Asian Buddhist revival around the turn of the twentieth century[33]
- Paul Dahlke (1865–1928), German physician and a pioneer of Buddhism in Germany, founder of “Das Buddhistische Haus”[34]
- Sīlācāra (John Frederick S. McKechnie) (1871–1951), former Buddhist monk, lay Buddhist writer and translator
- Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu (Osbert John S. Moore) (1905–1960), British Theravādin Buddhist monk and translator of Pali literature[35]
- Ñāṇavīra Thera (Harold Edward Musson) (1920–1965), British Theravādin Buddhist monk, the author of Notes on Dhamma[36]
- Sāmanera Bodhesako (Robert Smith) (1939–1988), American Theravādin Buddhist monk who founded Path Press
- Robert Baker Aitken (1917–2010), co-founded the Honolulu Diamond Sangha[37][38]
- Reb Anderson (1943–), Zen teacher [39]
- Alistair Appleton (1970–), British television presenter[40][41][42]
- Stephen Batchelor (1953–), writer[43]
- William Sturgis Bigelow (1850–1926), prominent American collector of Japanese art and converted to Tendai Buddhism[44]
- Orlando Bloom (1977–), actor who played Legolas in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit[45][46]
- Kate Bosworth (1983–), American actress[47]
- John Cage (1912–1992), American composer[48]
- Arabella Churchill (1949–2007), English charity founder, festival co-founder, and fundraiser[49]
- Chester Carlson (1906–1968), American physicist and inventor, best known for inventing electrophotography[50]
- Leonard Cohen (1934–2016), Canadian singer/songwriter/poet[51]
- John Crook (1930–2011), British ethologist[52]
- Ruth Denison (1922–2015), Vipassana Meditation teacher in United States, one of four Westerners to receive permission to teach from Sayagyi U Ba Khin[53]
- Chris Evans (1981–), American actor and best known for his role as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series of films.[54][55]
- Ernest Fenollosa (1853–1908), American professor of philosophy and political economy at Tokyo Imperial University[56]
- Richard Gere (1949–), actor and activist for Tibetan causes[47]
- Allen Ginsberg (1926–1997), poet[57]
- Natalie Goldberg (1948–), writer [58]
- Herbie Hancock (1940–), jazz pianist who has also released funk and disco albums[47]
- Joseph Jarman (1937–), jazz musician and Jodo Shinshu priest[59][60]
- Miranda Kerr (1983–), model[61]
- k.d. lang (1961–), Canadian singer[62]
- Jet Li (1963–), actor[63]
- Courtney Love, American singer-songwriter[64]
- Menander I (died c. 130 BCE), Greco-Buddhist king (from pre-Christian Hellenistic religion)[65]
- Dennis Genpo Merzel (1944–), abbot of Kanzeon Zen Center[66][67]
- Alanis Morissette, Canadian-American singer [68]
- Ole Nydahl (1941–), lama teacher [69]
- Tenzin Palmo (1943–), nun of Drukpa Kagyu lineage[70]
- Li Gotami Govinda (Ratti Petit) (1906–1988), Indian painter, photographer, writer and composer (from Zoroastrianism)[71]
- Zeena Schreck (formerly LaVey) (1963–), Berlin-based American visual and musical artist, author, the spiritual leader of the Sethian Liberation Movement (SLM), Tantric Tibetan Buddhist yogini and second daughter of the late Church of Satan's founder Anton LaVey.[72][73]
- Oliver Stone (1946–), American film director[74]
- Sharon Stone (1958–), American actress, producer, and former fashion model[75]
- Tan-luan (6th to 7th century), Chinese Buddhist monk important to Pure Land Buddhism (from Taoism)[76]
- Thích Thanh Từ (1924–), Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk (from Caodaism)[77]
- Robert Thurman (1941–), Buddhist priest and writer who has been called "the Billy Graham of Buddhism"[78]
- Tina Turner (1939–2023), American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress who has won eight Grammy Awards[51]
- Philip Whalen (1923–2002), Beat generation poet and Zen monk[79]
- Sister Vajirā (Hannelore Wolf) (1928–1991), German Buddhist convert and former Ten-Precept nun
- Adam Yauch (1964–2012), aka MCA, American rapper (member of Beastie Boys), songwriter, film director, and human rights activist[80]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "แพท ณปภา เปิดใจหลังสูญเสียคุณพ่อ เผยอาจเปลี่ยนศาสนา". Sanook (in Thai). July 20, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Pakistan's Ahmed Shehzad attacks Tillakaratne Dilshan over religion". India Today. September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Palladino, D.J. (September 28, 2006). "Peony Dreams". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
- ^ AP/Al JazeeraArchived March 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Buddhism and Judaism: Exploring the phenomenon of the JuBu". Thubten Chodron. March 19, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ Ayya Khema (1997). I Give You My Life. Shambhala Publications. ISBN 9781570625718.
- ^ Tricycle (August 8, 2019). "Larry Rosenberg and The Art of Doing Nothing". Tricycle.org. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ "Coyote reflects on wild dogs and the next 1,000 years". PeterCoyote.com. Mill Valley Herald. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- ^ Dzongchen bio Archived June 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Natural Great Perfection: An Interview with Lama Surya". Integral Yoga Magazine. 2006. Archived from the original on October 31, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Is The Jew Still In The Lotus?". Zen Peacemakers. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ Loundon, Sumi (2006). The Buddha's Apprentices: More Voices of Young Buddhists. Boston: Wisdom Publications. pp. 125–130. ISBN 086171332X.
- ^ Groskop, Viv (March 4, 2012). "Goldie Hawn: Hollywood's happiness guru". The Guardian. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ De Vries, Hilary (November 21, 2004). "Robert Downey Jr.: The Album". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ Queen, Christopher (1993). "The Great Conversion: Dr. Ambedkar and Buddhist Revival in India". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ a b "Revival of the Buddha Dhamma in India". Sunday Observer. April 14, 2002. Archived from the original on January 3, 2006.
- ^ Modernisation of Buddhism: Contributions of Ambedkar and Dalai Lama XIV, Lella Karunyakara, Gyan Books, 2002 p. 180
- ^ "Malayalam poet embraces Buddhism". Rediff.com. January 24, 2000.
- ^ "Happy Birthday, Hansika Motwani: 5 interesting facts about the actress you must know". The Times of India. August 9, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ Existential dilemmas The Hindus – June 6, 2010
- ^ "One lakh people convert to Buddhism". The Hindu. May 28, 2007. Archived from the original on June 21, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "Converting to Buddhism as a Form of Political Protest". The Atlantic. April 11, 2018.
- ^ 50,000 DALITS EMBRACE BUDDHISM Archived October 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine – Buddhism Today
- ^ (born 1970), activist, one of the founding members of People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR)
- ^ Maitreya, Yogesh. "Dalit shahirs of Maharashtra: In Suresh Bhat's ghazals, a fight against oppression". firstpost. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Thakur, Shweta (July 18, 2009). "I'm closer to my parents now: Pracheen". India Today. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Antao, Lisa (November 24, 2011). "I seek the blessings of my parents and teachers: Tisca Chopra". India Today. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Malini, Navya (December 26, 2011). "Practicing Buddhism a major priority in my life: Vinay Jain". India Today. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Naval-Shetye, Aakanksha (April 20, 2011). "Why celebrities are turning to Buddhism". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Kashyap, Shibani (August 29, 2011). "Chanting: Prayer or meditation?". India Today. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Virmani, Ashish (October 16, 2012). "Buddhism makes for a happy celeb!". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Walter Schmidt, 'Die Fremdreligionen in Deutschland: Hinduismus – Buddhismus – Islam', Evangelische Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen Information Nr. 15 Stuttgart IV/1965, 2. Ergänzte Auflage VIII/1965 http://www.ekd.de/ezw/dateien/EZWINF15.pdf
- ^ Cox, Laurence (May 26, 2020). "The Irish Buddhist who ended up on trial in Burma in 1911". RTÉ. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ "80th anniversary of Das Buddhistische Haus in Berlin – Frohnau, Germany". Daily News (Sri Lanka). April 24, 2004. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ Buswell, Robert Jr; Lopez, Donald S. Jr., eds. (2013). "Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu", in Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691157863.
- ^ Clearing the Path: Writings of Ñāṇavīra Thera (1960–1965), Path Press (1988, 2003), p.160.
- ^ University of Hawaii Archived August 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Buddhist Masters and Their Organisations: Robert Aiken Roshi". Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ Ford, 127–128
- ^ "Autobiography". Alistair Appleton. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ "Alistair Appleton Interview – Cash in the Attic". BBC America. Archived from the original on August 24, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ "Why Buddhist". Alistair Appleton. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ "Interview with Stephen and Martine Batchelor". Dharma.org. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ Christopher Reed. (2017). Bachelor Japanists, Japanese Aesthetics and Western Masculinities. New York Columbia University Press pp. 152
- ^ "The Times & The Sunday Times". The Times. Retrieved June 14, 2016.[dead link]
- ^ "celebrity on Female First". Female First. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Top Ten celebrity Buddhists". Wildmind.org. June 5, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ Cage 1973, 12.
- ^ Howard-Gordon, Frances (December 22, 2007). "Obituary: Arabella Churchill". The Guardian. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ "About Ralph Chapin". Rochester Zen Center. Rochester Zen Center. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
Ralph obtained galleys of the book and was instrumental in introducing the book as well as Roshi Kapleau to Dorris and Chester Carlson, whose Rochester meditation group later formed the nucleus of the Rochester Zen Center.
- ^ a b "Top Ten celebrity Buddhists". Wildmind.org. June 5, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ (author) Master Sheng-yen. "Dr. John H. Crook Interview « Sweeping Zen – The Zen Buddhism Database". Sweepingzen.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Boucher, Sandy. "Dancing in the Dharma: The Life and Teachings of Ruth Denison". Beacon Press, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Sachs, Adam (May 2012). "The Avengers' Chris Evans: Just Your Average Beer-Swilling, Babe-Loving Buddhist". Details. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ Eels, Josh (May 4, 2016). "'Captain America: Civil War': Why Chris Evans Is the Anxious Avenger". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Bernard (January 1, 1998). Modernism's History: A Study in Twentieth-century Art and Ideas. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300073925. Retrieved June 14, 2016 – via Google Books.
- ^ Morgan, Bill. I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg. New York: Viking, 2006.
- ^ an interview by shara stewart. "zen and the art of natalie goldberg". Ascentmagazine.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ "www.jazzweekly.com - Interviews". Jazz Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ Jazz, All About (November 8, 2003). "Joseph Jarman". All About Jazz. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ "Miranda Kerr converts to Buddhism". Hindustan Times. December 24, 2009. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ "The second coming of kd Lang". The Times. London. January 13, 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ "How did you come to follow Tibetan Buddhism?". The Official Jet Li Website. May 21, 2001. Archived from the original on February 23, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2001.
- ^ Lash, Jolie (November 18, 2005). "Enduring Love". The Guardian. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ "The Indian Historical Review". Vikas Publishing House. January 1, 1981. Retrieved June 14, 2016 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Salt Lake Weekly". Retrieved June 14, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Jarvik, Elaine (August 27, 2005). "The Zen of sitting". Deseret News. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ Alanis Morissette embracing Buddhism
- ^ Nydahl, Ole "Entering The Diamond Way, Tibetan Buddhism Meets the West", Blue Dolphin Publishing (1999). ISBN 978-0-931892-03-5
- ^ Salon.com Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Gehi, Reema. "Painting a portrait". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ^ "Professional description in biography: "She is a practicing Tibetan Buddhist yogini, teaches at the Buddhistische Gesellschaft Berlin"". 13.performa-arts.org. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Beelzebub's Daughter: How Zeena Schreck left the Church of Satan". Vice.
- ^ Lagrossa, Edward (October 20, 1997). "Stone Soul Booksigning". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ Lee, Luaine (October 17, 1998). "Sharon Stone's now at peace with her world". Deseret News. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ "Buddhism - religion". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ "Vietnamese Zen - Master Thich Thanh Tu Biography".
- ^ "Honk if you love Buddha" article in "The New York Times"
- ^ Meltzer, David (August–September 1999). "Whatnot: A Talk with Philip Whalen". Poetry Flash (282). Archived from the original on April 14, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
- ^ Van Biema, David; McDowell, Jeanne (October 13, 1997). "Buddhism in American". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on November 22, 2008.