Oesterreichische Buddhistische Religionsgesellschaft
(Austrian Buddhist Union)
President:
Gerhard Weissgrab
Fleischmarkt 16, A 1010 Vienna Austria
Tel./Fax: +43-1-512 37 19
e-mail: office(at)buddhismus-austria.at
www: www.buddhismus-austria.at
Representative:
Kurt Krammer
Lehenerstrasse 15, A 5020 Salzburg Austria
Tel.: +43-699-10759774
e-mail: buddhismus(at)sbg.at
Remarks:
The Austrian Buddhist Union is a founding member of EBU (1975) and a member of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB).
OeBR is the Buddhist society under Austrian law and the national umbrella organization of 20 Buddhist orders, organisations and Dharma groups of various traditions. It gathers most of Austria's Buddhist groups and individuals under its roof. Since 1993 the school-teachers appointed by OeBR have offered denominational religious instruction for Buddhist children at all levels of Austrian school. OeBR was the first Buddhist Union in Europe to establish an academic College for the training of Buddhist school-teachers.
Over more than three decades, OeBR has been active in the fields of religion, culture and academic studies. Regular broadcast on national TV and Radio, organisation of lectures and seminars, etc. have attempted to spread the compassionate wisdom of the Buddha, as have the establishment of counselling groups for the mourning, hospice groups, prison chaplaincy and other social activities.
Although the logical centre of its activities is in the capital Vienna, where most of the Austrian Buddhist groups have their temples and centres, OeBR has lately encouraged the establishment of regional representative offices to coordinate the growing number of Buddhist activities in the regions and to open the doors for interfaith dialogue in Austria's cities and towns at large.
At present OeBR works to intensify communication and cooperation among a fast-growing network of Buddhist groups, organisation and events all across the country and to encourage mutual understanding and dialogue between the different Buddhist schools and traditions that have taken root in Austria.
