Buddhism in Nepal

Buddhism in Nepal started spreading since the reign of Ashoka through Indian and Tibetan missionaries. The Kiratas were the first people in Nepal who embraced the Buddha’s teachings, followed by the Licchavis and Newar people.

Buddhism is Nepal's second-largest religion, with 8.2% of the country's population, or approximately 2.4 million people, identifying as adherents of Buddhism in a 2021 census.

Buddhism is the second-largest religion in Nepal. According to 2001 census, 10.74% of Nepal's population practiced Buddhism, consisting mainly of Tibeto-Burman speaking ethnicities and the Newar. However, in the 2011 census, Buddhists made up just 9% of the country's population.

It has not been possible to assign the birth year of Prince Siddhartha, the birth name of the Buddha, with certainty; it is usually placed at around 563 BCE. In Nepal's hill and mountain regions Hinduism has absorbed Buddhist tenets to such an extent that in many cases they have shared deities as well as temples. For instance, the Muktinath Temple is sacred and a common house of worship for both Hindus and Buddhists.

Buddhism is currently experiencing a decline in Nepal with latest census showing 8.21% of Nepal's population professing Buddhism, a decline of 2.5% from 2001. A surge of Christianity among native population may be the cause of this decline.

Overview

thumb|Birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama as Buddha, at [[Lumbini in Nepal]]

thumb|[[Swayambhunath|Swayambhu stupa and prayer flags]]

thumb|[[Amitabha Monastery in Nepal]]

In Nepal, the majority of people identify as Hindu. However, Buddhist influences are prevalent in most aspects of the culture of Nepal to an extent that Buddhist and Hindu temples are shared places of worship for peoples of both faiths so that, unlike in other countries, the distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal is not always clear. During the reign of King Amshuverma, the Nepalese princess Bhrikuti played a significant role in spreading and developing Buddhism in Tibet. Tibetan Buddhist architecture has long been influenced by Nepalese artists and sculptors like Araniko. The sacred Buddhist texts in Mahayana Buddhism are mainly written in the Ranjana alphabet, the script of the Newars, or scripts like Lantsa, which are derived from Ranjana.

In traditional Nepalese Buddhism, there are nine special texts which are called the "Nine Dharma Jewels" (Navagrantha), and these are considered the nine books of Buddhism par excellence:

Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra
Ten Stages Sutra
Samādhirāja Sūtra
Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
Lotus Sutra
Tathāgataguhya Sūtra
Lalitavistara Sūtra
Golden Light Sutra

Among the Tibeto-Burman-speaking peoples, Tibetan Buddhism is the most widely practised form. Newar Buddhism is a form of Vajrayana influenced by Theravada Buddhism and is the oldest known form of the Vajrayana tradition and is significantly older than the Tibetan Buddhism. Many Buddhist groups are also influenced by Hinduism. Buddhism is the dominant religion of the thinly populated northern areas, which are inhabited by Tibetan-related peoples, namely the Sherpa, Lopa, Manangi, Thakali, Lhomi, Dolpa and Nyimba. They constitute a small minority of the country's population.

Ethnic groups that live in central Nepal such as the Gurungs, Lepcha, Tamang, Magar, Newars, Yakkha, Jirel, Thami, Chhantyal and Chepang are also Buddhist. These ethnic groups have larger populations compared to their northern neighbours. They came under the influence of Hinduism due to their close contacts with the Hindu castes. In turn, many of them eventually adopted Hinduism and have been largely integrated into the caste system.

The Kirati people, especially the Limbu and the Rai peoples, have also adopted Tibetan Buddhist practises from their Buddhist neighbours.

History

thumb|Buddhist prayer flags in Nepal

thumb|Nepalese Buddhist flag

Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha in Nepal. He attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, in present-day Bihar, India. He there preached his teachings and thus Buddhism came into existence.

Pre-Lichchavi Buddhism

Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire put up a pillar at Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, in the second century BCE. After the Third Buddhist council, Ashoka sent missionaries to Nepal.

Buddhism during the Rana dynasty (1846–1951)

There is an incorrect assumption that, due to perceived similarity to tantric Hinduism, that Modern Newar Buddhism in Nepal has largely been absorbed into mainstream Hinduism. However, Newar Buddhism has retained a distinct identity, and nearly all practices, art forms and castes remain. In the north, people of Tibetan origin continued to be the much-unchanged practises of Tibetan Buddhism, especially in the case of the Nyimba of Northwest Nepal. On the other hand, the Thakali, who had traditionally played an important role in the Nepali society but yet retained Tibetan Buddhism, have begun to embrace Hinduism as well in the recent years.

It is significant to note that during the autocratic Rana regime, several Theravada Buddhists were banished from Nepal for preaching Buddhism. The Banishment of Buddhist monks from Nepal in 1926 and 1944 was prompted by an attempt to suppress the revival of Theravada Buddhism which began in the 1920s. In 1946, a Sri Lankan goodwill mission visited Kathmandu and interceded on behalf of the monks. The delegation emphasized that Nepal was the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, and that his followers should be free to practice their faith in the country where he was born. Subsequently, the ban was lifted and the monks returned and devoted themselves to spreading the faith with greater energy. Also, the rediscovery of Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, occurred in this era with contributions from among others, General Khadga Sumsher Rana.

Shah Dynasty (1951–2006)

After the overthrow of the Rana dynasty in 1951, Buddhism gradually developed in the country. Theravada Buddhists played a greatly significant role for the Buddhist revival campaign in modern Nepal since the 1920s. This revival movement has changed Buddhism from a religion of some ethnic groups and castes to going beyond the caste and ethnic religion in Nepal. Presently, there are three main Buddhist schools; Tibetan Buddhism, Newar Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism.

Tourism is an important factor for promoting Nepali Buddhism to the world. Every year, Kathmandu receives more than 10,000 travellers from all over the world just to visit the Boudha Boudhanath and the Swyambhu Maha Chaitya Swayambhunath stupas. These are remarkable and significant architectural sites, which are only found in Nepal. Apart from these two main monuments there are hundreds of Buddhist monuments in Kathmandu and in other cities of Nepal. Dr. B.R Ambedkar, Law Minister of India also visited Nepal and played a prominent role in maintaining diplomatic relations between India and Nepal on 14th November 1956. He was invited by the Nepal government and the Buddhist community led by Bhikkhu Amritananda Mahasthabir and others to attend the Fourth Conference of World Fellowships of Buddhists, conducted on 15-21 November, 1956. King Mahendra of Nepal was the chief guest in honor of Dr. Ambedkar. On 20th November, he delivered one of the last speeches of his life where he talked about Buddha or Karl Marx. In this speech, he mentions why if the younger generation of Buddhist countries do not appreciate teachings of Buddhism that are better than those of Communism, “Buddhism is doomed and cannot last beyond a generation or two.”

Republic of Nepal (2006-present)

Nepal officially became a secular state in 2006. All religions in Nepal now have equal opportunities to propagate according to their belief.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of Nepal, the adherents of Buddhism are as follows: