Buddhism in Norway

The Khuong-Viet Temple in Løvenstad near Oslo

The Buddhism in Norway is the 1970 years back, when stimulated, in small groups and in some cases was felt by immigrants from Asia (especially Vietnam), a stronger interest in Buddhism. The Buddhist Federation of Norway (Buddhistforbundet) was founded in 1979 by the two largest organizations at the time ( Rinzai Zen Senter and Karma Tashi Ling Buddhistsenter) founded as a religious society. Although the registered members are only a few thousand, it is estimated that around 20,000 people in Norway practice Buddhism in one form or another. The largest groups are the Vietnamese, who have their own temple, and the Theravada Buddhists from Thailand and Sri Lanka . The oldest and largest groups of local Buddhists are the Karma Tashi Ling and the Zen Senter Oslo. In addition to different groups of Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese Zen and various Tibetan traditions , other Buddhist directions are also represented.