Buddhism in San Antonio

Soon there'll be a history of Buddhism in San Antonio available here.

There are several locations in San Antonio where Buddhism is represented:

Downtown, we have the San Antonio Zen Center, founded in 2003, and located at 417 W Woodlawn Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212. The Zen Center focuses on the "sitting practice in the Soto traditions of Shunryu Suzuki". Nearby is the Shambhala Meditation Center of San Antonio, which is located at 257 E Hildebrand Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212. As the name indicates, the Shambhala tradition is the focus here.

Along Loop 410, you can find It's Alive! Zen, located at 2186 Jackson Keller Rd PMB 3081, San Antonio, TX 78213. This is a branch of the Pacific Zen Institute. Just west is Soka Gakkai International, located at 2727 Northwest Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78230. "SGI members base their practice on the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Buddhism, which teaches that each person has within the courage, wisdom and compassion to face and surmount any of life’s challenges."

If you make your way up I-10, you can find the Rissho Kosei-Kai Buddhist Center of San Antonio, located at 6803 Babcock Rd, San Antonio, TX 78240. "Rissho Kosei-Kai" is "a worldwide Buddhist organization founded in Japan in 1938 by Nikkyo Niwano and Myoko Naganuma. It combines the wisdom of both the Lotus Sutra and the foundational teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha." Then, just up the road is the Phuoc Hue Buddhist Temple of San Antonio, located at 6292 Lockhill Rd, San Antonio, TX 78240. Phuoc Hue Buddhist Temple of San Antonio identifies as a "Mahayana temple following the Tiantai tradition and lineage". It was founded in 2007 by Most Venerable Abbot Thich Phuoc Quang. (For a full introduction to this temple, see "An Introduction to the  Phuoc Hue Buddhist Temple  of San Antonio, History of Buddhism, And Foundational Teachings").

If you head east, you can find even more locations where Buddhism is practiced. This includes the Chùa Bảo Quang - Bao Quang Temple located at 14837 Santa Gertrudis St, San Antonio, TX 78217; the Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple, located at 5043 Excalibur Dr, San Antonio, TX 78218; and in nearby Schertz, Wat Saddhadhamma, founded in 1995, and located at 8000 FM1518, Schertz, TX 78154.

Further north, you can find the Tibetan Buddhist Center for World Peace. This community was founded in 2005 and is located at 759 W Oak Estates Dr, San Antonio, TX 78260. Participants follow "the Gelugpa lineage".

Also, you can find the Insight Meditation Center online which is currently using Zoom and not a physical space. The practice of Vipassana meditation is the focus.

The following articles discuss Buddhism in the San Antonio area: 

• Keith Kachtick, Texas Monthly, "Let It Be" (March 2001)
• Jeffrey Wisniewski, artspace San Antonio, "Battle of the Buddha" (Fall 2009)
• Kiley Jon Clarkm, Lion's Roar, "Journeys: Don’t Get All Butt Hurt!" (February 15, 2012)
• UTSA News, "Tibetan monks share their traditions and artistic talents with the UTSA community" (November 14, 2016)
• San Antonio Museum of Art, "Heaven and Hell: New Exhibition Explores Pure Land Buddhism" (June 16, 2017)
• Buddhist Art News, "A rare chance to see Buddhist art in San Antonio" (June 21, 2017)
• Savannah Louie, KENS5, "Seven-foot tall Buddha vanishes from west-side hair salon porch" (October 26, 2018)
• UT Health | San Antonio, "Conversations About Ethics lecture to feature Buddhist teacher, anthropologist" (July 9, 2019)
• Jeff Garcia, NEWS4SA, "Check it out Spurs' Lonnie Walker IV gets new 'Buddah' tattoo" (September 19, 2019)
• Lindsey Carnett, The Herald-Zeitung, "Monk at center of lawsuit over temple stays serene" (December 27, 2019)
• Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express, "Cooking dishes from Thailand, land of her birth, is a way of meditation for San Antonio woman" (May 3, 2021)