Oriental philosophy in western every-day life. Buddhist groups in Rome

Fois, F; Sesto, C

Abstract

During the last twenty years the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, coming from Japan, has
spread all around Europe, and in particularly in Italy, which has the largest number of members in
the continent. The base approach of this eastern philosophy/religion puts the individual and his/her
attitude at the heart of environmental dynamics. The individual is no longer considered a victim at the
mercy of external circumstances, but rather an active subject that can use them, through a process
called ‘Human Revolution’ (Ikeda 2003) to create a profound turn in his/her sphere of action (Okri
2002). Firstly, this paper aims to analyse the reasons that attracted people to follow this philosophy
through in-depth interviews conducted in Rome. Secondly, it seeks to investigate the relationship
between people and the environment (esho funi) by employing the view of the educator and geographer,
as well as leader of the Buddhism of Daishonin, Tsunaburo Makiguchi (Takeuchi 1999). In accordance
with qualitative methodologies, such as analysis of discourse and focus groups, we will seek to understand
and evaluate how, using the theory of ‘human revolution’, people and places are interconnected
with each other and how people influenced the places where they live in.

Citation

Fois, F., & Sesto, C. (2012). Oriental philosophy in western every-day life. Buddhist groups in Rome

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2012
• Deposit Date: Mar 20, 2019
• Journal: International Journal of Humanities
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 207-218
• Related Public URLs: https://cgnetworks.org/journals