Buddhism in Malaysia
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Malaysia Hindus |
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Buddhism |
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History
Buddhism was introduced to the
Status
According to the
Recently, a number of Malaysian Buddhist leaders have responded to the decline in religious participation by the children of Buddhist families, have attempted to reformulate their message to address modern life more directly. Groups involved in these education efforts include the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia (BMSM), which was founded by late Ven
As a religion without a supreme head to direct its development, Buddhism is practised in various forms, which, although rarely in open conflict, can sometimes lead to confusion among Buddhists. In Malaysia, some ecumenical moves have been made to coordinate the activities of different types of Buddhists. One example is the formation of the Joint Wesak Celebrations Committee of the temples in
In 2013, a video of a group of Vajrayana Buddhist practitioners from Singapore conducting religious service in a surau had become viral on Facebook. Malaysian police have arrested a resort owner after he allowed 13 Buddhists to use a Muslim prayer room (surau) for their meditation at Kota Tinggi, Johor.[5] The incident has been a frown upon Muslims in Malaysia. It has also become a hot topic in the social media. Following up at 28 August 2013, the controversial prayer room was demolished by the resort management within 21 days from the date of receipt of the notice after much protests by the residents of Kota Tinggi.[6][7] At the time, Syed Ahmad Salim, the resort owner explained that he had allowed the group of Buddhists to use the surau for a meditation session as he was unaware that it was an offence.[8]
Distribution of Buddhists
According to the 2010 Census, 5,620,483 people or 19.8% of the population identify themselves as Buddhists. Most Chinese Malaysian follow a combination of
By gender and ethnic group
Gender | Total Buddhist Population (2010 Census) |
Malaysian Buddhist Citizens | Non-Malaysian Buddhist Citizens | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bumiputera Buddhist | Non-Bumiputera Buddhist | ||||||
Malay Buddhist | Other Bumiputera Buddhist | Chinese Buddhist | Indian Buddhist | Others Buddhist | |||
Nationwide | 5,620,483 | 0 | 33,663 | 5,347,687 | 32,441 | 51,274 | 161,418 |
Male Buddhist | 2,903,709 | 0 | 16,611 | 2,759,151 | 16,888 | 25,429 | 91,630 |
Female Buddhist | 2,716,774 | 0 | 17,052 | 2,588,536 | 15,553 | 25,845 | 69,788 |
By state or federal territory
State | Total Buddhist population (2010 Census) |
% of State Population |
---|---|---|
Johor | 989,316 | 29.5% |
Kedah | 275,632 | 14.2% |
Kelantan | 57,792 | 3.8% |
Kuala Lumpur | 597,770 | 35.7% |
Labuan | 7,795 | 9.0% |
Malacca | 198,669 | 24.2% |
Negeri Sembilan | 216,325 | 21.2% |
Pahang | 215,815 | 14.4% |
Penang | 556,293 | 35.6% |
Perak | 597,870 | 25.4% |
Perlis | 22,980 | 9.9% |
Putrajaya | 273 | 0.4% |
Selangor | 1,330,989 | 24.4% |
Terengganu | 25,653 | 2.5% |
Sarawak | 332,883 | 13.5% |
Sabah | 194,428 | 6.1% |
Current problems
The
, are sometimes described as hindered by the existing legal framework.Islam as the dominant religion
Islam is the
Destruction of religious sites
Several Buddhist temples have been demolished by the government under the pretext of having been built on public land. The land in question is then sold to
Notable people
See also
- Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda
- Ven. Pannavamsa
- Ven. K. Sri Dhammaratana
- Ven. K. L. Dhammajoti
- Ven. Sujiva
- Ven. Chi Chern
- Ven. Sumangalo
- Malaysian Siamese
- Sri Lankans in Malaysia
- Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields
- Wat Chetawan
- Malaysian Buddhist Institute
- Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia
- Buddhism in Southeast Asia
- Bujang Valley, an ancient Hindu-Buddhist civilisation centred on Kedah
References
- ^ "Taburan Penduduk dan Ciri-ciri Asas Demografi" (PDF). Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia. p. 82. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ "Population Distribution and Basic Demographic Characteristic Report 2010 (Updated: 05/08/2011)". Department of Statistics, Malaysia. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ "The World Factbook: Malaysia". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
- ^ "Early Malay Kingdoms". Sabrizain.org. Archived from the original on 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "S'porean held in Malaysia after Buddhists use Muslim prayer room". YouTube. 2013-08-12. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "Surau in Kota Tinggi resort demolished". The Star Online. August 28, 2013. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ "Surau kontroversi diroboh(Malay)". Kosmo!. August 28, 2013. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ "One year after surau controversy, normalcy returns to Johor resort". Kosmo!. 23 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- ^ Sophie Lemiere, apostasy & Islamic Civil society in Malaysia Archived 2019-12-22 at the Wayback Machine, ISIM Review, Vol. 20, Autumn 2007, pp. 46-47
- ^ a b Gill & Gopal, Understanding Indian Religious Practice in Malaysia, J Soc Sci, 25(1-2-3): 135-146 (2010)
- ^ 2011 Report on International Religious Freedom - Malaysia Archived 2018-11-11 at the Wayback Machine U.S. State Department (2012)
- ^ Perry Smith (2003), Speak No Evil: Apostasy, Blasphemy, and Heresy in Malaysian Syariah Law, UC Davis Journal Int'l Law & Pol'y, 10, pp. 357-399
- ^ Littlefair, Sam (13 August 2015). "Actor Michelle Yeoh blends Buddhism & activism". Lion's Roar. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "Thousands pay homage to Buddha in Malaysia". BuddhistChannel.tv. 20 May 2008. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
Bibliography
- Lee, Raymond L. M.; Ackerman, Susan Ellen (1997). "In Search of Nirvana", in: Sacred Tensions: Modernity and Religious Transformation in Malaysia. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 57–88. ISBN 978-1-57003-167-0.