Going East. Buddhism as a new Frontier for italian monastics

Theories on secularization have – just as any other social theory – ran in and out of fashion. However, religious traditions haven’t desappeared but rather evolved over time. A key concept for this evolution process is the shift from one belief of belonging to a new belief of practice and attraction. This is the case with Buddhism in Italy. The birth and rise of Italian Buddhism occurs in a contest of deep secularization and shift of beliefs of a catholic country. A very first evidence of this process is the progressive shrinking and aging of Christian monasteries, and the fleeing of Christian believers from churches accompanied by the creation of Buddhist centers and monasteries. Religiosity isn’t disappearing from Italian society : it is rather shifting, changing and evolving. At a local level, this is probably one of the biggest processes of religious change of the last 200 years, but it is hardly taken into account. In a religious and at the same time secular social context like Italy – where choosing one’s faith has become routine – any way – like going East – could be “the way” to transmutatio