Organization

Union Bouddhiste de France


The Union Bouddhiste de France (UBF) is the national federation of Buddhist associations in France, founded in 1986 and based at the Grande Pagode in Paris.[1][2] It is a non-profit, non-political association under the French law of 1901. It represents Buddhists to the public authorities and to other religions, and it manages the Grande Pagode du Bois de Vincennes.[2][3] Its members include Khmer temples and associations such as Wat Khemararam (Créteil) and the Association pour le Soutien du Bouddhisme Khmer. Khmer associations hold New Year, Pchum Ben and Kathina celebrations at the Grande Pagode.[4][5]

History

Buddhism grew in France from the 1960s onward, and the federation was founded in that setting.[6] Jacques Martin and Bernard Lebeau, who belonged to the Sakyapa and Kagyupa branches of Buddhism, founded it in June 1986 to represent the Buddhist community in civil society and to act as its link with the public authorities. Both founders died on the same day, May 20, 2001.[7][8]

Under Jacques Martin, its founding president from 1986 to 2001, the federation obtained a Buddhist television program on France 2, Voix bouddhistes. It also won official recognition of Buddhist congregations, the appointment of Buddhist chaplains and affiliation with CAVIMAC.[8] A November 1998 report for the Constitutional Council named the UBF among the five bodies that the French state treats as its usual partners for the main religions. The federation dates its recognition by the Conseil d'État (Council of State) to January 8, 1998.[9][10]

In 2004 the federation received the concession of a large park and buildings in the Bois de Vincennes, now the Grande Pagode.[11] Relics of the Buddha, offered by the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, were installed there permanently at Vesak in 2009, after a UBF delegation traveled to Thailand. Major ceremonies for the relics followed on September 27, 2009.[12] In 2012 the UBF worked to set up Buddhist chaplaincies in prisons and hospitals, and it became the reference body for the ministries that oversee them.[13] The UBF marked its fortieth anniversary in 2026. By then it was consulted by the public authorities on the same footing as other religious bodies.[6]

Leadership

Antony Boussemart has been co-president for external affairs since March 2021, and Lama Thrinlé Gyatso co-president for internal affairs since March 2022.[8] Antony Boussemart represented the UBF at the October 2025 meeting of the Conference of Religious Leaders in France (CRCF), which brings together Buddhist, Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders, and he was co-president in June 2026.[14][6]

Presidents since 1986

The federation's own list of presidents.[8]

  • Jacques Martin, founding president (1986 to 2001)
  • Patricia Gaden (May to December 2001)
  • Tampalawela Dhammaratana (2002 to 2003)
  • Roland Yuno Rech, interim president (2003); a founder in 1986 and long its vice president
  • Pierre Dôkan Crépon (2003 to 2007)
  • Olivier Reigen Wang-Genh (June 2007 to May 2012)
  • Marie-Stella Boussemart (May 31, 2012, to March 12, 2015)
  • Olivier Reigen Wang-Genh (March 2015 to March 2018)
  • Minh Tri Vo (March 2017 to March 2019)
  • Olivier Reigen Wang-Genh, co-president for external affairs, and Michelle Pillot, co-president for internal affairs (March 2019 to March 2021)
  • Antony Boussemart, co-president for external affairs (since March 2021)
  • Lama Thrinlé Gyatso, co-president for internal affairs (since March 2022)

Membership

Under its statutes, the federation groups Buddhist associations and congregations and represents them to public authorities and other bodies. It works to strengthen links between Buddhist communities of Asian, Western and other origins. It also works to make the cultures of Asia better known in France, in particular those of Southeast Asia and their ties with France.[2]

Member organizations are placed in four colleges by size and affiliation. They must take refuge in the Three Jewels, accept the other Buddhist schools and refrain from militant proselytism. Only active members vote at general assemblies and serve on the board. Associations and individuals may apply to join, and individuals who support the federation's work can become sympathizing members.[2][15] As of September 2026, the online member directory listed 99 member organizations.[4]

In a June 2026 interview, Antony Boussemart put Buddhism in France at close to one million practitioners around 350 places of worship, including pagodas, meditation centers, temples and monasteries. About two thirds have roots in Asia, and about one third are French people whose families have lived in France for generations.[6]

Khmer member organizations

The federation's member directory lists these Cambodian (Khmer) Theravada organizations in the Île-de-France region:[4]

Grande Pagode du Bois de Vincennes

The Grande Pagode stands by the Lac Daumesnil in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. It occupies the former Cameroon pavilion of the 1931 International Colonial Exposition, a historic monument owned by the City of Paris. It houses a Buddha image 10 meters (33 feet) tall, which the City of Paris calls the largest in Europe. The UBF has managed the site since May 2004 under an agreement with the City of Paris.[3]

Relics of the Buddha are kept there in the federation's care. The UBF traces them to the relics found at Piprahwa, India, in 1898, which the British government of India gave to King Rama V of Thailand and which were enshrined at Wat Saket in Bangkok.[12][10]

The pagoda is not a resident monastery, and no religious community lives there. It opens mainly for festivals held by the associations that book it, usually on Sundays. The Tibetan temple Kagyu Dzong on the same site runs its own program.[5] The UBF replaced the entire 400-meter (1,300-foot) perimeter fence of the site. The work cost more than 430,000 euros, most of it paid by donations and grants.[11]

Khmer festivals at the Grande Pagode (2026)

The federation provides the venue but does not prepare the festivities; each program is run by the organizing association.[5] Khmer events on the pagoda's 2026 calendar:[5]

  • Khmer New Year: April 5, organized by Vatt Khémararam de Créteil (Wat Khemararam (Créteil)), and April 11 and 12, organized by the Fondation Bouddhique Khmer de Bagneux (Wat Dhammarangsey (Bagneux)).[5]
  • Regards sur la gastronomie d'Asie, an Asian food event listed under Cambodia: September 5 and 6. The sixth Asian Street Food Festival, co-organized by Samaki Kohn Khmer, took place at the Grande Pagode on the same dates.[21][5]
  • Pchum Ben: September 27, organized by the Fondation Bouddhique Khmer de Bagneux (Wat Dhammarangsey (Bagneux)), and October 4, organized by Vatt Khémararam de Créteil.[5]
  • Kathina, marking the end of the monks' rains retreat: October 25, organized by Vatt Khémararam de Créteil.[5]

Activities

The UBF produces Sagesses Bouddhistes, a weekly program on France 2 on Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 8:45.[22] Its companion magazine, Sagesses Bouddhistes - Le Mag, appears every three months, and issue 38 came out in summer 2026.[23]

The federation runs Buddhist chaplaincy programs in prisons and hospitals. Chaplains offer listening and support and, when asked, guidance drawn from the Buddha's teachings. Hospital chaplains may lead ceremonies, including funerals. Candidates need at least eight years of personal practice after taking refuge and the support of a spiritual guide from their lineage.[13]

With the Buddhist centers of Île-de-France, the UBF organizes a Vesak for peace at the Grande Pagode, open to all traditions; the 2026 celebration was held on May 30 and 31.[5] Its Assises are meetings of representatives of pagodas, centers and congregations. The second, at the Pagode Khuong Viet in Orsay on October 19, 2013, led to a statement on euthanasia and the end of life. Later Assises took up climate change and bioethics.[24] The federation takes part in interreligious dialogue and in national consultations. It spoke at a National Assembly hearing of the main religions on same-sex marriage legislation on November 29, 2012, and at a Senate colloquium on religions and the COP21 climate talks on May 21, 2015. It is a member of the European Buddhist Union.[25]

Funding

The UBF is funded by membership fees and donations. The money goes to the upkeep of the pagoda, the relics sanctuary and the reception pavilion, and to the chaplaincies, Vesak and running costs. Donations to the federation itself are not tax-deductible in France; tax-deductible gifts go to the separate Fonds de dotation de l'UBF, its endowment fund.[26][11]

Visiting

The Grande Pagode is on the Route de la Ceinture du Lac Daumesnil in the 12th arrondissement. The nearest stop is Porte Dorée, on Metro line 8 and Tram T3. No parking is allowed near the pagoda.[27][28] The pagoda opens during scheduled festivals, usually on Sundays. During the week it is closed except for Zen meditation on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m., led by the Zen dojo of Montreuil. The site closed for the summer in August 2026.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, La fédération
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Union Bouddhiste de France, Statuts (AGE du 6 avril 2023)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ville de Paris, press visit to the restored Grande Pagode du Bois de Vincennes
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Union Bouddhiste de France, Annuaire des membres
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 Union Bouddhiste de France, Grande Pagode festivities, 2026 season
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Ouest-France, interview with Antony Boussemart on the UBF's 40 years (June 2026)
  7. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Hommage aux deux fondateurs de l'UBF
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Union Bouddhiste de France, Les présidents de l'UBF depuis 1986
  9. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, UBF, interlocuteur reconnu des pouvoirs publics
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Union Bouddhiste de France, Les Reliques : de leur découverte à aujourd'hui
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Union Bouddhiste de France, Soutenir les travaux à la Grande Pagode
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Union Bouddhiste de France, Les Reliques de Bouddha
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Union Bouddhiste de France, Les aumôneries
  14. ↑ Église catholique en France, CRCF autumn 2025 meeting (October 2025)
  15. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Devenir membre de l'UBF
  16. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Association bouddhique khmère - Vatt Khemararam
  17. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Association pour le Soutien du Bouddhisme Khmer
  18. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, ABCK - Association bouddhique et culturelle Khmère
  19. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Association Bouddhique Khmère du Kampuchea-krom
  20. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Association Samaki Kohn Khmer
  21. ↑ Shotgun, Asian Street Food Festival, 6th edition (September 2026)
  22. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Sagesses Bouddhistes (France 2)
  23. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, La revue Sagesses Bouddhistes - Le Mag
  24. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Assises
  25. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Participations nationales
  26. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Soutenir l'UBF
  27. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Contacter l'Union Bouddhiste de France
  28. ↑ Union Bouddhiste de France, Activités à la Pagode
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This page was last edited on 26 September 2026, at 23:14.