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Them ’n Us // What role does religion play in our everyday life?
Buddhism
A prayer-mill is used during meditation and prayer.
A beggar’s bowl is one of the things a buddhist monk is allowed to own.
Siddharta Gautama was the name of the first Buddha.
The first Buddhist congregation in Sweden formed in the 1950´s and today there are about 25,000 Buddhists in the country. The majority of them have immigrated from Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Tibet but there is also a large group of ethnic Swedes. There are a couple of Buddhist temples in Sweden and a number of places for meditation. Much of Buddhist religious life centres on the “sanghans”, where their monks and nuns live. Many holidays are celebrated by meditating when the moon is full or new. Different Buddhist groups use different calendars and because of this their holidays are celebrated at different times. Food Many Buddhists are vegetarians since the most important principle by which they live is not to kill anything that is alive. Some Buddhists are vegans, i.e. they also avoid dairy products. Their rules of conduct also include temperance, which means that some Buddhists do not drink alcohol at all. Many Buddhists live by the Buddha’s advice to take “the middle road” and will eat what is offered by their host. To show respect – ask what they prefer!