A talk by Munisha at the fifth annual Manchester Buddhist Conference on 19th June 2010
As Clear Vision’s representative at the Network of Buddhist Organisations, Munisha gives the keynote speech on behalf of the Network. She is also a trustee of the Manchester Buddhist Centre.
Focussing on the diversity within British Buddhism, the difficulty of estimating our numbers, and the challenges of representing Buddhist perspectives in government consultations, she makes a strong case for the benefits of networking.
Facts, figures and guesstimates
She presents some fascinating statistics from the 2001 census which go some way towards showing the number and ethnic origins of Buddhists in the UK. There’s a new census due in 2011, when we are all urged to tick the Buddhist box, despite no fixed self!
She also quotes a breakdown of UK Buddhist groups by size from Robert Bluck’s British Buddhism, although these are also open to question, and then details the surprising number of Buddhist groups, centres and temples in Greater Manchester.
More on the Network
As well as a new website, the Network of Buddhist Organisations also has a Facebook group, Friends of Buddhism UK.
Watch the talk here:
Or on VideoSangha:
www.videosangha.net/video/British-Buddhism-Today-Munisha
A day of warmth and fellowship
Well over a hundred of us attended the conference from many traditions, enjoying a rich day of practice and discussion together, thanks to the wonderfully warm hospitality of the Fo Guang Shan Temple and the cheerful hard work of the conference organisers, Manchester University Buddhist Society.
