This is a list of Buddhist members of the United States Congress.
, four Buddhists have been elected to Congress, the first being both Mazie Hirono and Hank Johnson in 2007. As of the 119th Congress, three Buddhists currently serve in Congress, two in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate. All being members of the Democratic Party.
Senate
SenatorPartyStateTermSect (School)NotesStartEndLength ofserviceDemocraticHawaiiIncumbentJodo Shu (Pure Land)First Buddhist senator
House of Representatives
RepresentativePartyDistrictTermSect (School)NotesStartEndLength ofserviceDemocraticHI-02Jodo Shu (Pure Land)One of the first two Buddhists in Congress. Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senator from Hawaii.DemocraticGA-04IncumbentSoka Gakkai (Nichiren)One of the first two Buddhists in CongressDemocraticHI-01Jodo Shinshu (Pure Land)Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senator from Hawaii.Elected in special election to succeed Mark Takai, who died in officeRetired to run unsuccessfully for governor of HawaiiDemocraticCA-45IncumbentUnspecifiedTran has not specified a specific school or sect, but has spoken at Vietnamese Buddhist temples, a tradition that is usually Mahayana, and in defense of prosecuted Vietnamese Buddhist officials.
Secular Buddhism A number of members of the United States Congress who do not formally affiliate with or have a background of Buddhism varyingly engage with Buddhist practices like mindfulness, meditation and studying the Buddhist Dharma; notably Republican US Representative from SC-1, Mark Sanford, engaged with and spoke about Buddhism and stated that his friend told him he was "becoming a Buddhist Christian", with his own staffers reportedly telling FITSNews that "it seemed to me he [Sanford] was both Christian and Buddhist." However, Sanford did refute claims that he had formally converted to Buddhism.
Former Congressman Tim Ryan (D) of Ohio also engaged with Buddhist practices through a secular lens; Ryan, formally a Roman Catholic, regularly engaged with Buddhist meditation and mindfulness; publishing the book A Mindful Nation in 2012 and speaking about his practice regularly throughout his career, as well as encouraging his fellow Congressmembers to try meditation as well as securing federal funding for a meditation program for schools in his district. However, Ryan, similarly to Sanford, has stated he is still a Catholic.
See also List of Hindu members of the United States Congress List of Jewish members of the United States Congress List of Mormon members of the United States Congress List of Muslim members of the United States Congress List of Quaker members of the United States Congress List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
References