Mutchoddipara Vibekaram Monastery & Welfare: December 2011

List of converts to Buddhism

From Christianity

· Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831–1891), Founder of Theosophical Society at New York

· Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (1832–1907), Founder of Theosophical Society at New York

· Thomas William Rhys Davids (1843–1922), British scholar of the Pāli language^[1]

· Roberto Baggio (born 1967), an Italian footballer (former Catholic)^[2][3]

· Solomon Bandaranaike (1899–1959), Sri Lankan leader who converted from Christianity.^[4]

· Ajahn Candasiri (born 1947), Thai Buddhist nun from Scotland. (from Christianity)^[5][6]

· Pema Chödrön (born 1936), Tibetan Buddhist nun from New York (from Catholic Christianity)^[7]

· Junius Richard Jayewardene (1906–1996), First President of Sri Lanka, and former Prime minister^[8]

· Charles R. Johnson (born 1948), Political cartoonist, novelist, and Buddhist writer who converted at 14. (from African Methodist Episcopal Church)^[9]

· Herman Vetterling (1849–1931), American mystic (from Swedenborgianism, but he maintained elements of Swedenborg thought after his conversion)^[10][11]

· Henry Steel Olcott (1832–1907), First well known person to convert to Buddhism. He helped bring about a resurgence and renaissance of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

· Ajahn Sumedho (born 1934), Most senior representative of the Thai Forest Tradition in the Western hemisphere. Abbot of the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in the UK.

· Ajahn Brahm (born 1951), Religious teacher and student of the late Thai monk Ajahn Chah. Currently he is the abbot of the Bodhinyana Monastery, Perth and spiritual advisor to many Buddhist societies and organizations in Southeast Asia and Australia.

· Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje - famous actor of Nigerian descent^[12]

· Hank Johnson (born 1954), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives^[13]

Hank Johnson, member of the U.S. House of Representatives

· Meshell Ndegeocello (born 1968), songwriter ^[14]

· Ernestine Anderson (born 1928), jazz singer ^[14]

· Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle (1898–1990), religious teacher ^[15]

· Irvin Kershner (1923-2010), American film director ^[16]

· Wayne Shorter (born 1933), saxophonist^[17]

From Islam

· Tillakaratne Dilshan (born 1976), Sri Lankan Cricket player. Converted from Islam. Previously known as Tuwan Muhammad Dilshan. ^[18]

· Wong Ah Kiu (1918–2006), her conversion from Islam became a legal issue in Malaysia on her death.^[19]

· Mehmet Scholl (born 1970), German football player ^[20]

· RZA (born 1969), rapper and actor, incorporates Buddhism and Taoism into his life.^[21][22][23]

RZA - a Buddhist rapper with the Wu-Tang Clan

From Judaism

Keanu Reeves, The Matrix actor, follows the Buddhist religion.

· Surya Das (born 1950), Lama who founded Dzogchen Foundation and Centers. (from Judaism)^[24]

From Indian religions.

From Hinduism

· Aśvaghoṣa (?80–?150 CE), Indian Buddhist figure, philosopher- poet

· Ashoka the Great (277–232 BCE), converted from Hinduism, Indian emperor and early convert to Buddhism.^[25][26]

· Iyothee Thass (1845–1914), Siddha practitioner and leader of the Dravidian movement^[27]

· Rahul Sankrityayan (1893–1963), Hindi author and translator^[28]

· B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956), converted from Hinduism, an early leader of the Dalit Buddhist movement.^[29]

· Jagdish Kashyap (1908–1976), Buddhist monk^[28]

· Laxman Mane (born 1949), Dalit author and social worker.^[30]

· Balachandran Chullikkadu (born 1957), Malayalam language poet from Kerala^[31]

Udit Raj (born 1958), Prominent Indian social activist and Buddhist polemicist^[32]

From other or undetermined

Richard Gere converted to Buddhism

· Menander I (died c. 130 BCE), Greco-Buddhist king. (from pre-Christian Hellenistic religion)^[33]

· Tan-luan (6th to 7th century), Chinese Buddhist monk important to Pure Land Buddhism.(from Taoism)^[34]

· Anawrahta (1014–1077), founder of the first unified Burmese kingdom centred on Bagan.^[35]

Phil Jackson of the LA lakers

· Ernest Fenollosa (1853–1908), An American professor of philosophy and political economy at Tokyo Imperial University.^[36]

· U Dhammaloka (c. 1856 – c. 1914), Buddhist activist in Burma.

· Christmas Humphreys (1901–1983), Founder of the Buddhist Society.

· Anne Hopkins Aitken (1911–1994), one of the early leaders of Zen Buddhism in the West, co-founded the Honolulu Diamond Sangha.

· Robert Baker Aitken (born 1917), co-founded the Honolulu Diamond Sangha.^[37][38]

· Philip Whalen (1923–2002), Beat generation poet and Zen monk.^[39]

· George Cockcroft (born 1932), American author, converted to Zen at an unspecified point.^[40]

· Tina Turner (born 1939), American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress who has won eight Grammy Awards.^[41]

· Joseph Jarman (born 1937), Jazz musician and Jodo Shinshu priest.^[42][43]

· Herbie Hancock (born 1940), Jazz pianist who has also released funk and disco albums.^[44]

· Robert Thurman (born 1941), Buddhist priest and writer who has been called "The Billy Graham of Buddhism."^[45]

· Buster Williams (born 1942), Jazz bassist who introduced Hancock to Buddhism.^[44]

· Tenzin Palmo (born 1943), Nun of Drukpa Kagyu lineage.^[46]

· Dennis Genpo Merzel (born 1944), Abbot of Kanzeon Zen Center.^[47][48]

· Richard Gere (born 1949), Actor and activist for Tibetan causes.^[49]

· Arabella Churchill (1949–2007), English charity founder, festival co-founder, and fundraiser.^[50]

· Phil Jackson (born 1945), former American professional basketball player and the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers ^[51]

· Steven Seagal (born 1951), Action-film actor who was proclaimed a tulku.^[52]

· Steve Jobs (1955–2011), founder and CEO of Apple Inc., converted while on a trip to India in the 1970s^[53]

· Jet Li (born 1963), actor ^[54]

· MCA (born 1964), rapper and founding member of hip hop trio the Beastie Boys^[55]

· Alistair Appleton (born 1970), British television presenter.^[56]

· Fabian Barthez (born 1971), goalkeeper ^[57]

· Keanu Reeves (born 1964), actor ^[58]

· Tiger Woods (born 1975), golfer ^[59]

· John Cage (1912–1992), American composer^[60]

· John Crook (1930–2011), American composer^[61]

· Natalie Goldberg (born 1948), writer ^[62]

· Ole Nydahl (born 1941), Lama teacher ^[63]

· Stephen Batchelor (born 1953), writer ^[64]

· Surya Das (born 1950), poet ^[65]

· Reb Anderson (born 1943), Zen teacher ^[66]

· David Beckham (born 1975), a footballer ^[67]

· Orlando Bloom (born 1977), actor ^[68][69]

· Miranda Kerr (born 1983), model ^[70][69]

[edit] References

1. ^ http://fsnow.com/text/buddhist-india/

2. ^ Planet Sport: Roberto Baggio returns ponytail for Italian federation Guardian - August 8, 2010

3. ^ http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/205886

4. ^ New York Times

5. ^ BBC

6. ^ Ajahn Candasiri's website

7. ^ PBS

8. ^ de Silva, K. M.; William Howard Wriggins (1988). J.R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press. pp. 133. ISBN 0824811836.

9. ^ Charles R. Johnson interview at Monsters&Critics: "Buddhism has been my refuge (as it was intended to be for practitioners) since I was 14-years-old, and first sat in formal meditation."

10. ^ The Dharma of Emanuel Swedenborg: A Buddhist Perspective

11. ^ Imagining Tibet : Perceptions, Projections, and Fantasies by Thierry Dodin

12. ^ http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/interviews/19172-60-seconds-adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje

13. ^ http://www.newhousenews.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Error.customError&errorTitle=Page%20Not%20Found&errorMessage=Sorry,%20the%20page%20that%20you%20requested%20was%20not%20found.

14. ^ ^a ^b http://www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_buddhist.html

15. ^ http://terebess.hu/english/sharf.html

16. ^ Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of The Making of The Empire Strikes Back by Alan Arnold (1980, Sphere Books) p.238.

17. ^ The New York Times: "Times Topics" listing

18. ^ Cricket Info Profile

19. ^ AP/Al Jazeera

20. ^ http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/24/382825/text/

21. ^ Pittsburgh Togetherness