Black Buddhist

The term Black Buddhist can be used to refer to one who follows any of the various schools of Buddhism and who is of black or African descent; or to a follower of the modern Black Buddhist school of Buddhism, headed by Buddhist Nation, a U. S. based organization with ties to the Dalit and Theravada movements of India and south Asia.
It can also be used to refer to any of the early communities that made statuary representations of the Buddha depicting what some have interpreted as black or African features. The term dates back to 1833 and was first used by Godfrey Higgins, in his work Anacalypsis. A large part of Higgins' work is an attempt to show the historical existence of an "ancient Black Nation of Buddhists in Asia." Higgins envisioned a once widespread network of communities centered in India and extending from Southeast Asia to North Africa. This view is not recognized by modern historians. The commonly accepted view among modern historians holds that early Black Buddhists were likely the descendants of aboriginal populations of India whom scholars usually refer to as Dravidians. This group is related to the Buddhist Nation.
Some famous people affiliated in various degrees include Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Hank Johnson, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ernestine Anderson, RZA, Tina Turner, Tiger Woods, angel Kyodo Williams, Charles R. Johnson, Jan Willis, Bob Kaufman, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Merle Kodo Boyd, Jarvis Jay Masters, Ron Glass and Russell Simmons.

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