List of converts to Buddhism from Christianity

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

This is a list of notable converts to Buddhism from Christianity.

Roberto Baggio

Pema Chödrön

Steve Jobs

Name	Former denomination	Nationality	Notes	Refs.
Roberto Baggio	Roman Catholicism	Italian	one of the greatest footballers of all time	[1][2]
Solomon Bandaranaike	Anglicanism	Sri Lankan	former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and founder of Sri Lanka Freedom Party	[3]
Helena Blavatsky	Russian Orthodox Church	Russian	philosopher, occultist, founder of the Theosophical Society	[4]
Orlando Bloom	Church of England	English	actor	[5][6]
Ajahn Brahm	N/A	English	religious teacher and student of the late Thai monk Ajahn Chah	[7]
Ajahn Candasiri	N/A	Scottish	Thai Theravada Buddhist nun	[8][9]
Pema Chödrön	Roman Catholicism	American	Tibetan Buddhist nun	[10]
Thomas William Rhys Davids	Congregationalism	British	scholar of the Pāli language	[11]
Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle	Society of Jesus	German	religious teacher	[12]
Junius Richard Jayewardene	N/A	Sri Lankan	first President of Sri Lanka and former Prime minister	[13]
Steve Jobs	Lutheranism	American	co-founder of Apple Computer, Inc.	[14][15]
Charles R. Johnson	African Methodist Episcopal Church	American	political cartoonist, novelist and Buddhist writer	[16]
Irvin Kershner	N/A	American	film director	[17]
Dewi Lestari	Pentecostalism	Indonesian	singer and writer	[18][19]
Wayne Shorter	N/A	American	saxophonist	[20]
Ajahn Sumedho	N/A	American	most senior representative of the Thai Forest Tradition in the Western hemisphere and abbot of the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in the UK
Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero	Roman Catholic	Sri Lankan	Buddhist monk and the founder of Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery
Tina Turner	Baptist	Swiss	singer and actress	[21]
Herman Vetterling	Swedenborgianism	American	mystic but he retained elements of Swedenborg thought after his conversion	[22][23]

References

1. Planet Sport: Roberto Baggio returns ponytail for Italian federation Guardian – August 8, 2010
2. "Buddisti Soka Gakkai. Una Sabina vi convertirà" (in Italian). Chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
3. New York Times
4. Cranston 1993, p. 9.
5. Orlando Bloom 'converts to Buddhism'
6. Interview with Orlando Bloom
7. "I Kidnapped a Monk!". Buddhistdoor International. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
8. BBC
9. Ajahn Candasiri's website
10. PBS
11. "Buddhist India, by T.W. Rhys Davids". Fsnow.com. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
12. "Sanbokyodan Zen and the Way of the New Religions by Robert H. Sharf, Terebess Asia Online (TAO)". Terebess.hu. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
13. de Silva, K. M.; William Howard Wriggins (1988). J.R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press. p. 133. ISBN 0-8248-1183-6.
14. What do Steve Jobs’s final words mean?
15. The spiritual side of Steve Jobs
16. Charles R. Johnson interview at Monsters&Critics: "Buddhism has been my refuge (as it was intended to be for practitioners) since I was 14-years-old, and first sat in formal meditation."
17. Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of The Making of The Empire Strikes Back by Alan Arnold (1980, Sphere Books) p.238.
18. Dewi 'Dee' Lestari: Love, spirituality and ecology
19. Sensasi Pernikahan Kedua Dewi Lestari
20. "Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
21. Orth, Maureen (2004). "Proud Tina: Tina Turner". The Importance of Being Famous. Henry Holt and Company. p. 42. ISBN 9780805075458. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
22. The Dharma of Emanuel Swedenborg: A Buddhist Perspective
23. Imagining Tibet : Perceptions, Projections, and Fantasies by Thierry Dodin