Hinduism in Poland
Encyclopedia
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).
After the breakdown of the Communist regime in Poland in 1989, missionaries from other Hindu religious denominations have arrived and met with very limited success.
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
.
, Warszawa, and Wrocław. Additionally ISKCON has its centres in almost all important cities.
Temple president: Kashi Mishra das, Deities: Gaura-Nitai
Temple president: Premadana devi dasi, Deities: Gaura-Nitai
Temple president: Raghunatha dasa, Deities : Pancha Tattva
Chaitanya Mission had 6 Clergy, 1 Temple and 97 devotees in the Year 2003
The development of the Brahma Kumaris in Poland coincided with the main events of political transformation.
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 practice Raja Yoga
, a technique of self-development.
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.
The Satya Sai Organisation has organised many meetings in the country.
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
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.
Minority religion
A minority religion is a religion held by a minority of the population of a country, state, or region. Minority religions may be subject to stigma or discrimination. An example of a stigma is using the term cult with its extremely negative connotations for certain new religious movements...
.
Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
has spread to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
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
Czarnów, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Czarnów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kamienna Góra, within Kamienna Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany....
(New Shantipur Temple in Czarnów). Main ISKCON temple is New Ramana Reti Temple in Mysiadło (est. in 1989).
After the breakdown of the Communist regime in Poland in 1989, missionaries from other Hindu religious denominations have arrived and met with very limited success.
Hindu organisations in Poland
There are around thirteen Hindu religious movements in PolandSome of the important organisations are ISKCON, Chaitanya Mission, Satya Sai Baba movement (though it is partially Hindu), Brahma kumaris, Sivananda Yoga
Sivananda Yoga
Sivananda Yoga, after teachings of Swami Sivananda, is a non-proprietary form of hatha yoga in which the training focuses on preserving the health and wellness of the practitioner. Sivananda Yoga teachers are all graduates of the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course, and students widely range in...
and Sahaja Yoga
Sahaja Yoga
Sahaja Yoga is a new religious movement founded by Nirmala Srivastava, more widely known as 'Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi' and affectionately as 'Mother' by her followers . According to the movement, Sahaja Yoga is the state of self realization produced by kundalini awakening and is accompanied by the...
.
ISKCON in Poland
There are 915 (official sources)ISKCON followers in Poland. There are 3 main temples in CzarnówCzarnów, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Czarnów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kamienna Góra, within Kamienna Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany....
, Warszawa, and Wrocław. Additionally ISKCON has its centres in almost all important cities.
ISKCON centres/temples in Poland
- WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
(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
- CzarnówCzarnów, Lower Silesian VoivodeshipCzarnów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kamienna Góra, within Kamienna Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany....
(New Shantipur Temple in Czarnów), Czarnów 21, 58-424 Pisarzowice
Temple president: Raghunatha dasa, Deities : Pancha Tattva
Chaitanya Mission in Poland
Chaitanya Mission has ashrams and centers in all major Polish cities.Chaitanya Mission had 6 Clergy, 1 Temple and 97 devotees in the Year 2003
Brahma kumaris in Poland
Brahma Kumaris community was founded in Poland at the beginning of the eighties.The development of the Brahma Kumaris in Poland coincided with the main events of political transformation.
Main centre- uL. Jasielska 1, Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
02-128
Second Centre- ul. Grunwaldzka 6/5, Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
80-236
Third Centre- ul. Piotrkowska 82, Łódź 90-102
The Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre practice Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga
Rāja Yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.Raja yoga was first described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and is part of the Samkhya tradition.In the context of Hindu...
, 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.Indians in Poland
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. But the membership of the organisation has grown since then.The Satya Sai Organisation has organised many meetings in the country.
Yoga in Poland
Yoga is gaining popularity in Poland.International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
named after Swami Sivananda
Swami Sivananda
Swami Sivananda Saraswati was a Hindu spiritual teacher and a proponent of Yoga and Vedanta. Sivananda was born Kuppuswami in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. He studied medicine and served in Malaya as a physician for several years before taking up monasticism...
and founded by his disciple Swami Vishnu-devananda
Swami Vishnu-devananda
Swami Vishnudevananda was a disciple of Swami Sivananda, and founder of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and Ashrams...
. Its purpose is to propagate the teachings of Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
as a means of achieving physical, mental and spiritual well being and self-realization.
International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres in Poland
- Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centrum - KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Yoga in Daily Life by Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
Swami Maheshwarananda, born Mangilal Garg, known as Swamiji , is a yogi, guru and the author and founder of the system Yoga In Daily Life....
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
Sahaja Yoga
Sahaja Yoga is a new religious movement founded by Nirmala Srivastava, more widely known as 'Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi' and affectionately as 'Mother' by her followers . According to the movement, Sahaja Yoga is the state of self realization produced by kundalini awakening and is accompanied by the...
is a new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
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.