{"id":6267,"date":"2025-10-28T17:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T15:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanbuddhistunion.com\/?p=6267"},"modified":"2026-10-19T11:39:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T09:39:57","slug":"50-years-of-the-european-buddhist-union-a-milestone-in-vienna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanbuddhistunion.com\/hu\/50-years-of-the-european-buddhist-union-a-milestone-in-vienna\/","title":{"rendered":"50 Years of the European Buddhist Union: A Milestone in Vienna"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:italic\">By Carlotta Segre<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April, Vienna hosted a memorable event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the European Buddhist Union (EBU), a significant milestone in the history of Buddhism in Europe. This special gathering brought together representatives from across the continent to reflect on five decades of spiritual growth, collaboration, and cultural exchange within the Buddhist community.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conference <em>Buddhism 2075<\/em> provided a platform for introspection and forward-looking discussions, thanks to the contributions of keynote speakers Stephen Batchelor, Ven. Bhikkhun\u012b Dhammadinn\u0101, Peter D. Hershock, G\u00e1bor Karsai, and Ioana Spataru.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The anniversary in numbers<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>121<\/strong> participants<\/li><li><strong>80<\/strong> different Buddhist organizations and associations<\/li><li><strong>13<\/strong> national Buddhist unions<\/li><li><strong>16<\/strong> nations represented<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The anniversary event was marked by a lively and diverse assembly, underscoring both the unity and the diversity that characterize the European Buddhist landscape. The meeting revealed how Buddhism in Europe today is distinguished by an unprecedented diversity of traditions: within just a few minutes in a Western city, one can encounter Therav\u0101da, Zen, and Tibetan practitioners \u2014 something rarely found in traditional Buddhist countries. This diversity fosters not only dialogue, but also deep reflection on Buddhist identity in a modern and postmodern world.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A crossroads \u2014 and a transmodern vision<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fifty years after its formal establishment in Europe, Buddhism finds itself at a crossroads. Its future will depend on its ability to embrace diversity, recover spiritual and ecological depth, and foster inclusive, dialogical communities. Many Buddhists are now moving towards <em>transmodernism<\/em> \u2014 a vision that combines scientific inquiry with spirituality, ecological awareness, and pluralism, in which activism, climate justice, and social engagement are not separate from the spiritual path but integral to it.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A transmodern sangha would not only practice meditation or study sacred texts \u2014 it would live the Dharma through activism, compassion, shared responsibility, and cultural inclusivity. Ultimately, the task is to build a European Buddhism that is pluralistic, contemplative, embodied, and deeply connected to the world.<\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the author<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Carlotta Segre<\/strong> is a member of the EBU Council, with a strong background in international relations and the United Nations and a longstanding commitment to peace, compassion and interfaith dialogue.<\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This article first appeared in <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanbuddhistunion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Issue14_EBU_Magazine.pdf\">EBU Magazine #14 \u2013 Celebrating 50 Years of the European Buddhist Union<\/a> (Winter 2025). Download the full issue as PDF or <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanbuddhistunion.com\/hu\/ebu-magazin\/\">browse all issues<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A snapshot of the EBU&#8217;s 50th-anniversary gathering in Vienna \u2014 121 participants, 80 organizations, 13 national unions, 16 nations \u2014 and a look at where European Buddhism goes next.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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