Buddhism in Italy

[1][2] According to some sources, Buddhism might have been practised in Italy, although marginally, already in Ancient Rome,[3] likely disappeared with the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire.

In 1960 is founded the Buddhist Italian Association (Associazione Buddhista Italiana) and in 1967 begins the publishing of the review Buddhismo Scientifico.

Between the most important Buddhist centers of Italy there is the Soto Zen center "L'Arco", in Rome, the already cited Scaramuccia of Luigi Mario Engaku Taino, in Scaramuccia, Orvieto; even in Rome, the lay Buddhist association laica A.Me.Co for the practice of Theravada Buddhism, founded and directed by the lay Dhamma teacher Corrado Pensa, and there is also Santacittarama, Theravādin monastery of the Forest's Sangha located near Rome; In Milan, the biggest Zen center is the Zen Buddhist monastery Ensoji il Cerchio, founded and guided by the Zen master Carlo Zendo Tetsugen Serra; in Pomaia, the Tibetan Buddhism finds one of the biggest center in Europe, the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute.

Even the Japanese Buddhist denominations affiliated to Nichiren Buddhism are represented in the UBI: the temple of Nichiren Shu Renkoji, in Cereseto, near Novara, guided by the master Shoryo Tarabini, and the association Nipponzan Myohonji, which provided to the grounding of the biggest stupa in Italy, the Peace Pagoda in Comiso (Sicily).

It also recognizes the Soka Gakkai as a "Concordat" (It: "Intesa") that grants the religions status in "a special 'club' of denominations consulted by the government in certain occasions, allowed to appoint chaplains in the army - a concordat is not needed for appointing chaplains in hospitals and jails - and, perhaps more importantly, to be partially financed by taxpayers' money."