List of converts to Buddhism from Christianity

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

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

Name Former denomination Nationality Notes Refs.
Nyanatiloka Mahathera (Anton Walther Florus Gueth) Catholic Church German one of the earliest western Buddhist monks and founder of Island Hermitage [1]
Anthony Lee Baptist American actor and activist [2]
Ananda Metteya (Charles Henry Allan Bennett) Catholic Church British one of the earliest western Buddhist monk and established the first Buddhist Mission in the United Kingdom [3]
Chris Evans Catholic Church American actor and producer [4][5]
Thomas William Rhys Davids Congregationalism British scholar of the Pāli language and founder of Pali Text Society [6]
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott Presbyterianism American military officer, lawyer and first well-known American to make a formal conversion to Buddhism [7]
Lokanatha (Salvatore Cioffi) Catholic Church Italian Theravadin Buddhist missionary monk [8]
Roberto Baggio Catholic Church Italian footballer [9][10]
Kotahene Soma Maha Thera Catholic Church Sri Lankan Theravadin Buddhist monk, translator and missionary [11]
Aliana Lohan Catholic Church American actress, singer and fashion model [12][13][14][15][16]
Alanis Morissette Catholic Church American singer-songwriter and musician [17]
Solomon Bandaranaike Anglicanism Sri Lankan former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and founder of Sri Lanka Freedom Party [18]
Dewi Lestari Catholic Church Indonesian writer, singer-songwriter [19]
Prince Esper Esperovich Ukhtomsky Russian Orthodox Church Russian poet, publisher and Oriental enthusiast [20]
Helena Blavatsky Russian Orthodox Church Russian philosopher, occultist, founder of the Theosophical Society [21]
Richard Tiffany Gere Methodism American Famous actor and producer, co-founder of Tibet House US [22]
Jimmy Barnes Protestantism Australian Singer and rapper [23]
Orlando Bloom Church of England English Famous actor and leading man in Hollywood films [24][25]
Ajahn Sumedho (Robert Karr Jackman) Episcopal Church (United States) American the one who introduced Thai Forest Tradition to the West and most senior western disciple of Ajahn Chah [26]
Ajahn Viradhammo (Vitauts Akers) Lutheranism Canadian senior western disciple of Ajahn Chah, founder & abbot of Tisarana Buddhist Monastery [27]
Ajahn Brahm Not specific English senior western disciple of Ajahn Chah and abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery [28]
Ajahn Candasiri Not specific Scottish Theravada Buddhist nun of Thai Forest Tradition and one of the senior monastics in western Buddhist circle [29][30]
Ayya Nirodha (Elizabeth Gorski) Catholic Church Austrian, later Australian Theravada Buddhist nun of Thai Forest Tradition, former Abbess of Santi Forest Monastery [31]
Tara Brach Unitarianism American psychologist and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, D.C. (IMCW) [32]
Belinda Carlisle Southern Baptist Convention American singer (the Go-Go's), songwriter [33][34]
Houn Jiyu-Kennett Church of England English Soto Zen rōshi and founder of Shasta Abbey [35]
John Daido Loori Catholic Church American Zen Buddhist rōshi, abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery [36]
Ananda Claude Dalenberg Dutch Reformed Church American Zen priest ordained by Shunryū Suzuki [37]
Michael D. ("Mugaku") Zimmerman Episcopal Church (United States) American prominent attorney and former justice of the Utah Supreme Court [38]
William Oliver Stone Episcopal Church (United States) American film director, producer, and screenwriter [39]
Pema Chödrön Catholic Church American Tibetan Buddhist nun [40]
Fabian Fucan Catholic Church (Society of Jesus) Japanese writer of tracts, at first supporting Christianity and then criticizing it [41]
Ko Ye Lwin Not specific Burmese prominent musician, guitarist and peace activist [42]
Alfred Bloom Evangelicalism American professor and dean of the Institute of Buddhist Studies [43]
Seungsahn Haengwon Presbyterianism Korean Seon master and the founder of Kwan Um School of Zen [44]
Junius Richard Jayewardene Not specific Sri Lankan first President of Sri Lanka and former Prime minister [45]
Steve Jobs Lutheranism American co-founder of Apple Computer, Inc. [46][47]
Charles R. Johnson African Methodist Episcopal Church American political cartoonist, novelist and Buddhist writer [48]
Dewi Lestari Pentecostalism Indonesian singer and writer [49][50]
Tsai Chih Chung Catholic Church Taiwanese famous cartoonist, well-known in both Taiwan and mainland China [51]
Leung Man-tao Catholic Church Chinese writer, critic and host [52]
Christine Rankin Catholic Church New Zealander politician and former civil servant who served as head of the Ministry of Social Development [53]
Seta Manoukian Armenian Apostolic Church Armenian Armenian painter [54]
Tina Turner Baptist Swiss singer and actress [55]
Herman Vetterling Swedenborgianism American mystic but he retained elements of Swedenborg thought after his conversion [56][57]
Michael Imperioli Catholicism American actor, writer, director, and musician. [58][59]
Sam Lao Church of the East Chinese Rishi, Dalit Buddhist and New Age Scientist. [60][61]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
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  19. ^ CINEMA 21. "CINEMA 21 - We Are The Largest Cinema Chain In Indonesia". CINEMA 21. Retrieved 2024-04-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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  29. ^ BBC
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