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Union Bouddhiste de France

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Union Bouddhiste de France
Common nameUBF
Legal nameUnion Bouddhiste de France – Fédération Nationale des Associations Bouddhistes de France
TypeUmbrella
Focus areasNational federation of Buddhist associations in France; representation to public authorities; management of the Grande Pagode du Bois de Vincennes
SubjectsReligion & Spiritual Life
CityParis
CountryFrance
AddressGrande Pagode, Route de la Ceinture du Lac Daumesnil, 75012 Paris, France
Founded1986
WebsiteWebsite
DonationDonation
Contact06 19 14 25 52; [email protected]
FacebookFacebook
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Operating statusactive

The Union Bouddhiste de France (UBF) is the national federation of Buddhist associations in France. Founded in 1986, it is a non-profit, non-political association under the French law of 1901. It represents Buddhists to the public authorities and to other religions, and it is based at the Grande Pagode du Bois de Vincennes in Paris, which it manages. Its members include Khmer temples and associations such as Wat Khemararam (Créteil) and the Association pour le Soutien du Bouddhisme Khmer, and Khmer associations hold New Year, Pchum Ben and Kathina celebrations at the Grande Pagode. (Union Bouddhiste de France, La fédération; Union Bouddhiste de France, Statuts (AGE du 6 avril 2023); Ville de Paris, press visit to the restored Grande Pagode du Bois de Vincennes; Union Bouddhiste de France, Annuaire des membres; Union Bouddhiste de France, Grande Pagode festivities, 2026 season)

History

The federation was founded in June 1986 by Jacques Martin and Bernard Lebeau, who belonged to the Sakyapa and Kagyupa branches of Buddhism. Both died on the same day, May 20, 2001. (Union Bouddhiste de France, Hommage aux deux fondateurs de l'UBF)

Under Jacques Martin, its founding president from 1986 to 2001, the federation obtained a Buddhist television program on France 2, Voix bouddhistes, official recognition of Buddhist congregations and the appointment of Buddhist chaplains. (Union Bouddhiste de France, Les présidents de l'UBF depuis 1986)

A November 1998 report for the Constitutional Council named the UBF among the five bodies that the French state treats as its usual interlocutors for the main religions. The federation states that it has been recognized by the Conseil d'État since January 8, 1998. (Union Bouddhiste de France, UBF, interlocuteur reconnu des pouvoirs publics; Union Bouddhiste de France, Les Reliques : de leur découverte à aujourd'hui)

In 2004 the federation received the concession of a park and buildings in the Bois de Vincennes, now the Grande Pagode. In 2009, for Vesak, relics of the Buddha offered by the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand were installed there. The UBF marked its fortieth anniversary in 2026. (Union Bouddhiste de France, Soutenir les travaux à la Grande Pagode; Union Bouddhiste de France, Les Reliques de Bouddha; Ouest-France, interview with Antony Boussemart on the UBF's 40 years (June 2026))

Leadership

The federation's list of presidents runs from Jacques Martin (1986 to 2001) to the present co-presidency. It names Antony Boussemart as co-president for external affairs since March 2021 and Lama Thrinlé Gyatso as co-president for internal affairs since March 2022. (Union Bouddhiste de France, Les présidents de l'UBF depuis 1986)

Antony Boussemart represented the UBF at the October 2025 meeting of the Conference of Religious Leaders in France (CRCF), which brings together Buddhist, Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders. Ouest-France described him as co-president in June 2026. (Église catholique en France, CRCF autumn 2025 meeting (October 2025); Ouest-France, interview with Antony Boussemart on the UBF's 40 years (June 2026))

Mission and membership

Under its statutes, the federation groups Buddhist associations and congregations, represents them to public authorities and other bodies, strengthens links between Buddhist communities of Asian, Western and other origins, and works to make the cultures of Asia known in France, in particular those of Southeast Asia and their ties with France. (Union Bouddhiste de France, Statuts (AGE du 6 avril 2023))

Member organizations are placed in four colleges and must accept the other Buddhist schools and refrain from militant proselytism. Only active members vote at general assemblies. The online member directory listed 99 member organizations when it was read in September 2026. (Union Bouddhiste de France, Statuts (AGE du 6 avril 2023); Union Bouddhiste de France, Devenir membre de l'UBF; Union Bouddhiste de France, Annuaire des membres)

In a June 2026 interview, Antony Boussemart put Buddhism in France at close to one million practitioners around 350 places of worship, two thirds of them with roots in Asia. (Ouest-France, interview with Antony Boussemart on the UBF's 40 years (June 2026))

Khmer member organizations

The federation's member directory lists these Cambodian (Khmer) Theravada organizations in the Île-de-France region: (Union Bouddhiste de France, Annuaire des membres)

Grande Pagode du Bois de Vincennes

The Grande Pagode stands by the Lac Daumesnil in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. It occupies the former Cameroon pavilion of the 1931 International Colonial Exposition, a historic monument owned by the City of Paris, and houses a 10-metre statue of the Buddha described as the largest in Europe. The UBF has managed the site since May 2004 under an agreement with the City of Paris. (Ville de Paris, press visit to the restored Grande Pagode du Bois de Vincennes)

Relics of the Buddha are kept there in the federation's care. According to the UBF, they come from the relics found at Piprahwa, India, in 1898, which the British government of India gave to King Rama V of Thailand and which were enshrined at Wat Saket in Bangkok. (Union Bouddhiste de France, Les Reliques de Bouddha; Union Bouddhiste de France, Les Reliques : de leur découverte à aujourd'hui)

The pagoda is not a resident monastery. It opens mainly for festivals held by the associations that book it, usually on Sundays, and the Tibetan temple Kagyu Dzong on the same site runs its own program. (Union Bouddhiste de France, Grande Pagode festivities, 2026 season)

Khmer festivals at the Grande Pagode

Khmer associations hold several events on the pagoda's calendar. The 2026 season listed: (Union Bouddhiste de France, Grande Pagode festivities, 2026 season)

For details of each program, the UBF asks visitors to contact the organizing association, since the federation provides the venue but does not prepare the festivities. (Union Bouddhiste de France, Grande Pagode festivities, 2026 season)

Activities

Supporting the federation

The UBF is funded by membership fees and donations, which go to the upkeep of the pagoda and the relics sanctuary, the chaplaincies, Vesak and running costs. Donations to the federation itself are not tax-deductible in France; tax-deductible gifts go to the separate Fonds de dotation de l'UBF. The federation has also appealed for help with replacing the 400-metre perimeter fence of the Grande Pagode. (Union Bouddhiste de France, Soutenir l'UBF; Union Bouddhiste de France, Soutenir les travaux à la Grande Pagode)

Visiting and participation

See also

Sources

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