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List of Buddhist members of the United States Congress

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This is a list of Buddhist members of the United States Congress.

As of 2025, four Buddhists have been elected to Congress, the first being both Mazie Hirono and Hank Johnson in 2007. As of the 119th Congress, three Buddhists currently serve in Congress, two in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate. All being members of the Democratic Party.[1]

Senate

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Senator Party State Term Sect (School) Notes
Start End Length of
service
Mazie Hirono Democratic Hawaii January 3, 2013 Incumbent 13 years, 287 days Jodo Shu (Pure Land)[2] First Buddhist senator[3][4]

House of Representatives

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Representative Party District Term Sect (School) Notes
Start End Length of
service
Mazie Hirono Democratic HI-02 January 3, 2007 January 3, 2013 6 years, 0 days Jodo Shu (Pure Land)[2] One of the first two Buddhists in Congress. Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senator from Hawaii.[3][4]
Hank Johnson Democratic GA-04 January 3, 2007 Incumbent 19 years, 287 days Soka Gakkai (Nichiren)[5][6] One of the first two Buddhists in Congress[7]
Colleen Hanabusa Democratic HI-01 January 3, 2011 January 3, 2015 4 years, 0 days Jodo Shinshu (Pure Land)[8] Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senator from Hawaii.[9]
November 14, 2016 January 3, 2019 2 years, 50 days Elected in special election to succeed Mark Takai, who died in office
Retired to run unsuccessfully for governor of Hawaii
Derek Tran Democratic CA-45 January 3, 2025 Incumbent 1 year, 287 days Unspecified[10][11][12] Tran has not specified a specific school or sect, but has spoken at Vietnamese Buddhist temples, a tradition that is usually Mahayana,[13] and in defense of prosecuted Vietnamese Buddhist officials.[14]

Secular Buddhism

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A number of members of the United States Congress who do not formally affiliate with or have a background of Buddhism varyingly engage with Buddhist practices like mindfulness, meditation and studying the Buddhist Dharma; notably Republican US Representative from SC-1, Mark Sanford, engaged with and spoke about Buddhism[15][16] and stated that his friend told him he was "becoming a Buddhist Christian",[17] with his own staffers reportedly telling FITSNews that "it seemed to me he [Sanford] was both Christian and Buddhist."[18] However, Sanford did refute claims that he had formally converted to Buddhism.[19]

Former Congressman Tim Ryan (D) of Ohio also engaged with Buddhist practices through a secular lens; Ryan, formally a Roman Catholic, regularly engaged with Buddhist meditation and mindfulness; publishing the book A Mindful Nation in 2012[20][21] and speaking about his practice regularly throughout his career, as well as encouraging his fellow Congressmembers to try meditation[16] as well as securing federal funding for a meditation program for schools in his district.[16] However, Ryan, similarly to Sanford, has stated he is still a Catholic.[22]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Faith on the Hill".
  2. 1 2 "Seager Interviewed by News Service About the Religions of New Congress". Hamilton. November 12, 2006. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Buddhists Get the Vote". Manitoba Buddhist Temple. November 5, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Camire, Dennis (January 5, 2007). "What happened to ... religious tolerance". Honolulu Advertiser. Gannett Company. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Hank Johnson". December 24, 2006. Archived from the original on June 17, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  6. ↑ "First Buddhists Elected to U.S. Congress - Timeline Event". 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  7. ↑ Tilove, Jonathan. "New Congress Brings with It Religious Firsts". Newhouse News Service. Archived from the original on December 19, 2006.
  8. ↑ Hongwanji Hawaii (January 14, 2017). "Buddhist Wisdom & Compassion reaches Capitol Hill". Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 114th Congress". Pew Research Center. January 5, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2016. The number of Buddhists in Congress fell from three to two, as Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii, lost her bid for a Senate seat.
  10. ↑ Legistorm. "Duc Truyen Tran".
  11. ↑ "Derek Tran, Representative for California". Presidential Prayer Team. July 10, 2025. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  12. ↑ Dioamant, Jeff (January 2, 2025). "Faith on the Hill". Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Theravada Buddhism in Vietnam". June 8, 1999. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Michelle Steel Honors Vietnamese Communist Officials". June 13, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  15. ↑ Gregoire, Carolyn. "Congressman Mark Sanford Opens Up About Mindfulness Practice, Buddhism".
  16. 1 2 3 Seitz-Wald, Alex. "Meet the "mindfulness" caucus: Politicians who meditate!".
  17. ↑ Burk, Denny. "Governor Mark Sanford practices Buddhist meditation".
  18. ↑ "Mark Sanford Is Now A Buddhist?".
  19. ↑ "Mark Sanford Says He's Still A Christian".
  20. ↑ Burke, Daniel. "Ohio Congressman on a Mission to Bring Meditation to the Masses".
  21. ↑ Miles, Kathleen. "Tim Ryan, Ohio Congressman, Shares His Mindfulness Vision For The Country (PHOTOS)".
  22. ↑ Severson, Lucky. "Mindfulness Goes Mainstream".
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