Buddhism in Costa Rica

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Costa Rica has more Buddhists than the other countries in Central America with almost 100,000^[1] (2.34% of total population), followed closely by Panama, with almost 70,000 (2.1% of total population).

Buddhism was introduced in the country for the first time by Chinese immigrants during the early 19th and 20th century, but an important part of these migrants later became --at least nominally-- Roman Catholics due to the then very Conservative Catholic-lead society. But there is registry that some of them kept their Buddhist believes practicing discreetly, for example, the testimony of writer Jorge Cardona of Buddhist altars among Chinese merchants in the early 20 century Puntarenas.^[2] Another source of Buddhism in the country was the Theosophical Society, popular among important members of the economic and intellectual elite. Among the poets and theosophists that wrote Buddhist-influenced poetry are Roberto Brenes Mesén and José Basileo Acuña Zeledón. However one of the first Buddhist temples made in the country was the Casa Zen (Zen House) of Costa Rica created in 1974 with support of the Japanese government,^[3][4] followed by the first Dharma Center of Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelug tradition founded in 1989 after the Dalai Lama's first visit to the country.^{[citation needed]}

In recent years there has been a tendency for growing dissatisfaction with Catholicism, the dominant religion. Some convert to other branches of Christianity, most notably Protestantism (with a growing number of Protestant churches throughout Costa Rica). But others stay as agnostics, atheists or "free thinkers". It is these latter groups, especially if already interested or practicing some form of meditation, that can become influenced or inspired by "exotic religions" (in Costa Rica) such as Buddhism and therefore convert to it, or adopt it as a philosophy.