Hinduism in Poland
Hinduism in Poland is a minority religion. Hinduism has spread to Poland through ISKCON missionaries since 1976. First groups of Polish devotees were established in Warszawa and Wrocław. The first Polish Hindu temple was established in 1980 in Czarnów, Lower Silesian Voivodeship (New Shantipur Temple in Czarnów). Main ISKCON temple is New Ramana Reti Temple in Mysiadło (est. in 1989).[1]
The Communist regime in Poland promoted an antireligious campaign. After the breakdown of this regime in 1989, missionaries from other Hindu religious denominations have arrived and met with very limited success.[2]
Contents
Hindu organisations in Poland
There are around thirteen Hindu religious movements in Poland[3] Some of the important organisations are ISKCON, Chaitanya Mission, Satya Sai Baba movement (though it is partially Hindu), Brahma kumaris, Sivananda Yoga and Sahaja Yoga.
ISKCON in Poland
There are 915 (official sources) ISKCON followers in Poland. There are 3 main temples in Czarnów, Warszawa, and Wrocław.[4] Additionally ISKCON has its centres in almost all important cities.
ISKCON centres/temples in Poland[5]
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- Warsaw (New Ramana Reti Temple in Mysiadło), ul. Zakręt 11, Mysiadło, 05-500 Piaseczno
Temple president: Kashi Mishra das, Deities: Gaura-Nitai
- Wrocław (New Navadvip Temple), ul. Brodzka 157, 54-067 Wroclaw, Poland.
Temple president: Premadana devi dasi, Deities: Gaura-Nitai
- Czarnów (New Shantipur Temple in Czarnów), Czarnów 21, 58-424 Pisarzowice
Temple president: Raghunatha dasa, Deities : Pancha Tattva
Chaitanya Mission in Poland
Chaitanya Mission - Science of Identity Institute (Instytut Wiedzy o Tożsamości "Misja Czaitanii"), followers of Chris Butler[disambiguation needed] a.k.a. Jagad Guru Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa) has ashrams and centers in all major Polish cities[citation needed].
Chaitanya Mission had 6 Clergy, 1 Temple and 97 devotees in the Year 2003[citation needed]
Brahma Kumaris in Poland
The Brahma Kumaris community was founded in Poland at the beginning of the eighties[citation needed].
The development of Brahma Kumaris in Poland coincided with the main events of political transformation[citation needed].
Main Centre — ul. Jasielska 1, Warsaw 02-128
Second Centre — ul. Grunwaldzka 6/5, Gdańsk 80-236
Third Centre — ul. Piotrkowska 82, Łódź 90-102
The Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre practices Raja Yoga, a technique of self-development.
Bhakti Marga in Poland
The Bhakti Marga Foundation led by Swami Vishwananda established its first Polish temple in Warszawa in 2009.[6]
Indians in Poland[7]
The Indian community in Poland is relatively small and is estimated at around 2,000 persons. The large majority are NRIs and there not more than 100 PIOs.
The NRI community, who are, by and large, recent arrivals in Poland's post-Communist phase, fall into two categories. There is a business and trading community which is mainly specialised in textiles, garments and consumer electronics, though a small number are in manufacturing as well. These companies also have a number of Indian employees who are in Poland on work visas.
The second category of NRIs consists of young professionals working with multinational or Indian companies and software/IT experts. They are in Poland on projects or against fixed contracts and stay from a few weeks to several years.
Sai devotees in Poland
The number of the Sathya Sai Baba devotees in Poland is very hard to state, because many of them do not belong to the Sathya Sai Organisation. In 2002 around 300 Sai devotees came to the all-Polish meeting of the Sai organisation[citation needed]. But the membership of the organisation has grown since then[citation needed].
The Satya Sai Organisation has organised many meetings in the country.
Yoga in Poland
Yoga is gaining popularity in Poland[citation needed].
International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres is a non-profit organization named after Swami Sivananda and founded by his disciple Swami Vishnu-devananda. Its purpose is to propagate the teachings of Yoga and Vedanta as a means of achieving physical, mental and spiritual well being and self-realization.
International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres in Poland
Yoga in Daily Life by Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda is a holistic and comprehensive system concerning body, mind, consciousness and soul. It is a complete system elaborated on the basis of the authentic yoga heritage.
Yoga in daily Life Centre in Poland
- Centrum Jogi Joga w Zyciu Codziennym, Warszawa.
Sahaja Yoga is a new religious movement initiated by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in 1970: it says that it uses the spontaneous, individual and collective awakening of one's Kundalini and the tangible perception of the Vibrations of the Spirit, it seeks to actualize one's Divine essence, bringing all the aspects of a person into balance and peace.
References
- ↑ Polish ISKCON history (in Polish), accessed 2010.8.4
- ↑ Dominican Information Centre about New Religious Movements and Sects (in Polish), accessed 2010.09.12
- ↑ 13 Hindu organizations exists in Poland
- ↑ Polish ISKCON history (in Polish), accessed 2010.8.4
- ↑ Polish ISKCON history (in Polish), accessed 2010.8.4
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ http://www.indianembassy.pl/iprelation.html Embassy of India in Poland
