FGS, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.75-92.
Print ISSN: 3106-5503; Online ISSN: 3106-5511
Journal homepage: https://www.fgsjournal.com
DOI：https://doi.org/10.64058/fgs260108tbucd
Tibetan Buddhism in the UK:
Cross-Cultural Dissemination, Localization and Cultural Impacts
Zhang Junping, Cao Min
Abstract: As one of the core lineages of Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism embarked on its large-scale dissemination in Europe in the 1960s, with the United Kingdom emerging as the pioneering European nation to host Tibetan Buddhist centers and a pivotal cradle for the Western development of multiple Tibetan Buddhist sects. This study systematically explores the historical impetuses and social-cultural conditions that enabled Tibetan Buddhism to infiltrate and take root in British society, and conducts an in-depth analysis of the establishment processes, organizational frameworks, and doctrinal characteristics of the three major Tibetan Buddhist sects thriving in the UK-the Karma Kagyu, Gelug, and New Kadampa Tradition (NKT). It further examines the dynamic mechanisms of cultural integration between Tibetan Buddhism and British society, and unearths the innovative communication features formed by Tibetan Buddhism in the UK in organizational operation, doctrinal teaching, and operational models during its localization adaptation. The findings reveal that Tibetan Buddhism has formed a uniquely localized development model in the UK through active adaptation to the British cultural and social context, and in turn, it has exerted a lasting influence on multiple dimensions of British culture.
Keywords: Tibetan Buddhism; United Kingdom; cross-cultural dissemination; religious localization; cultural adaptation
Authors Biographies: Zhang Junping (Corresponding Author), a professor of English from School of Foreign Studies, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China, specializing in Culture, Religion, Comparative Literature and World Literature. E-mail: jndxzjp@163.com. Cao Min, a post-graduate student of religion from Center for Judaic and Inter-Religious Studies, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China, specializing in World Religion. E-mail: caomin040202@gmail.com.
标题：英国藏传佛教：跨文化传播、本土化发展与文化影响
摘要：作为中国佛教的核心流派之一的藏传佛教，于20世纪60年代在欧洲开启大规模传播进程。英国是欧洲最早设立藏传佛教活动中心的国家，同时也是藏传佛教诸多教派在西方发展的重要基地。本文系统梳理了藏传佛教能够在英国社会传播并扎根的历史动因与社会文化条件，深入剖析了噶玛噶举派、格鲁派及新噶当派（NKT）三大藏传佛教教派在英国的发展历程、组织架构与教义特点，探讨了藏传佛教与英国社会之间的文化融合动力机制，揭示了藏传佛教在本土化适应过程中，在组织运作、教义阐释与实践模式等方面形成的创新性传播特征。研究表明，藏传佛教通过主动适配英国的文化与社会环境，在英国形成了独具特色的本土化发展模式，同时也对英国文化的多个维度产生了深远影响。
关键词：藏传佛教；英国；跨文化传播；宗教本土化；文化适应
作者简介：张俊萍（通讯作者），江南大学外国语学院英语系教授，研究方向：文化、宗教、比较文学与世界文学，电邮：jndxzjp@163.com。曹敏，山东大学犹太教与跨宗教研究中心宗教学专业硕士研究生，研究方向：世界宗教，电邮：caomin040202@gmail.com。
Received: 12 Mar 2026 / Revised: 27 Apr 2026 / Accepted: 28 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.
