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

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