A center for studies and research that engages Buddhism in dialogue with contemporary philosophy and Mediterranean culture

Why the Institute of Mediterranean Buddhism (IBUM)

The Mediterranean has historically been a space of exchange and dialogue between cultures. It is our inspiration to create a setting where Buddhism and our traditions mutually enrich each other. We aspire for this genuine encounter to give rise to a Buddhism truly rooted in our culture, that embraces our Western and Southern European heritage, is expressed in our native languages, and responds to the concerns of our present. Moreover, we trust that our tradition of thought can learn from this encounter, diversifying the sources from which it draws and welcoming a new interlocutor, both demanding and kind, in its debates.

What do we aim to do

Introduce the Spanish and Catalan-speaking public to an academic perspective of Buddhism, associating it with its practical dimension and free from colonial projections. To this end, we will offer rigorous educational courses in person and online, and we will highlight experts in Buddhist studies beyond the Anglo-Saxon world.

What are our commitments

Dialogue with our present and context: We will demonstrate the relevant contribution of Buddhism to significant issues for Western culture, both classical and contemporary.

Postcolonial approach: We will apply a constructive two-way critique between our culture and traditionally Buddhist cultures. Thus, we will avoid both the unreflective assimilation of another culture and colonial arrogance.

Existential dimension: We will associate Buddhism with practice, without reducing it to an object of purely intellectual study.

Where do we come from

We are a group of Buddhist practitioners who approach Buddhism with respect and rigor, because we believe it is a tradition with an extraordinary transformative potential if neither study nor practice, nor vision nor method is neglected.

Moreover, we have the courage to update Buddhism, to translate it, to make it live through impermanence, as has happened in all its transmissions since it appeared in Northern India, and which have given rise to new ways of expressing the practice of the Dharma.

Finally, we are interested in engaging Buddhism in dialogue with contemporary debates on interdependence, care, responsibility, social commitment and personal practice, desire, non-violent resistance... And also with our Mediterranean culture, where the reception of Buddhism at the academic level is still pending. This void seems to us a great opportunity.

These commitments and convictions have for years given life to Casa Virupa, a retreat and meditation center where a community of young practitioners lives and with a wide network of students; and they also animate the LAC (Laboratory of Contemplative Arts), a project of artistic and philosophical residencies that explore the encounter between introspection, creativity and thought. The IBUM is one more way of embodying a Mediterranean, contemporary and committed Buddhism. Now, as a center of studies.