List of converts to Buddhism from Christianity

This is a list of notable converts to Buddhism from Christianity.

Roberto Baggio
Pema Chödrön
Steve Jobs
Name Former denomination Nationality Notes Refs.
Roberto Baggio Catholic Church Italian footballer [1][2]
Solomon Bandaranaike Anglicanism Sri Lankan former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and founder of Sri Lanka Freedom Party [3]
Helena Blavatsky Russian Orthodox Church Russian philosopher, occultist, founder of the Theosophical Society [4]
Orlando Bloom Church of England English actor [5][6]
Ajahn Brahm N/A English religious teacher and student of the late Thai monk Ajahn Chah [7]
Ajahn Candasiri N/A Scottish Thai Theravada Buddhist nun [8][9]
Belinda Carlisle Southern Baptist Convention American singer (the Go-Go's), songwriter [10][11]
Pema Chödrön Catholic Church American Tibetan Buddhist nun [12]
Thomas William Rhys Davids Congregationalism British scholar of the Pāli language [13]
Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle Catholic Church (Society of Jesus) German religious teacher [14]
Fabian Fucan Catholic Church (Society of Jesus) Japanese writer of tracts, at first supporting Christianity and then criticizing it [15]
Junius Richard Jayewardene N/A Sri Lankan first President of Sri Lanka and former Prime minister [16]
Steve Jobs Lutheranism American co-founder of Apple Computer, Inc. [17][18]
Charles R. Johnson African Methodist Episcopal Church American political cartoonist, novelist and Buddhist writer [19]
Irvin Kershner N/A American film director [20]
Dewi Lestari Pentecostalism Indonesian singer and writer [21][22]
Seta Manoukian Armenian Apostolic Church Armenian Armenian painter [23]
Tina Turner Baptist Swiss singer and actress [24]
Herman Vetterling Swedenborgianism American mystic but he retained elements of Swedenborg thought after his conversion [25][26]
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

See also

References
  1. "Planet Sport: Roberto Baggio returns ponytail for Italian federation". The Guardian. August 8, 2010.
  2. "Buddisti Soka Gakkai. Una Sabina vi convertirà" (in Italian). Chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  3. Melkonian, Neery. "Lebanon in the Armenian Imaginary: So Close with a Distance". Seismopolite: Journal of Art and Politics. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  4. Cranston 1993, p. 9.
  5. Orlando Bloom 'converts to Buddhism'
  6. Interview with Orlando Bloom Archived March 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "I Kidnapped a Monk!". Buddhistdoor International. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  8. BBC
  9. Ajahn Candasiri's website Archived July 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Allez-allez - a Go-Go decides to turn French". The Sydney Morning Herald. March 4, 2007.
  11. Carlisle, Belinda (2011). Lips Unsealed: A Memoir. Crown Publishing Group. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-307-46350-0.
  12. PBS
  13. "Buddhist India, by T.W. Rhys Davids". Fsnow.com. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  14. "Sanbokyodan Zen and the Way of the New Religions by Robert H. Sharf, Terebess Asia Online (TAO)". Terebess.hu. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  15. De Bary, William Theodore (2008). Sources of East Asian Tradition: The modern period. Columbia University Press. pp. 184–185. ISBN 978-0-231-14323-3.
  16. de Silva, K. M.; William Howard Wriggins (1988). J.R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press. p. 133. ISBN 0-8248-1183-6.
  17. What do Steve Jobs’s final words mean?
  18. The spiritual side of Steve Jobs
  19. Charles R. Johnson interview at Monsters&Critics Archived 2007-11-08 at the Wayback Machine: "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."
  20. Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of The Making of The Empire Strikes Back by Alan Arnold (1980, Sphere Books) p.238.
  21. Dewi 'Dee' Lestari: Love, spirituality and ecology
  22. "Sensasi Pernikahan Kedua Dewi Lestari". Archived from the original on 2015-11-21. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  23. New York Times
  24. Orth, Maureen (2004). "Proud Tina: Tina Turner". The Importance of Being Famous. Henry Holt and Company. p. 42. ISBN 9780805075458. Retrieved July 21, 2012. buddhist.
  25. The Dharma of Emanuel Swedenborg: A Buddhist Perspective
  26. Imagining Tibet : Perceptions, Projections, and Fantasies by Thierry Dodin
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