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Buddhist Education In Poland: History And Perspectives

Joanna Grela

ABSTRACT

Nowadays Poland is a nearly 40-million-people country in the middle of Europe, almost entirely Catholic. The interest in Buddhism has been present there for many years. First Polish Buddhist communities were established after the Second World War, and still new groups come into existence, connected to the major Buddhist traditions like Theravada, Zen or Vajrayana. Besides their activities, there are numerous secular projects aiming at popularizing and promoting Buddhist ideas like personal responsibility implied by the law of kamma, ecological approach, respect for all forms of life and other important human values. The paper would discuss the main issues connected with presenting Buddhism and Buddhist culture in the Catholic, European country in the 21st century.