Imported Religion: Chilean Buddhism in a Global Market

Abstract

The author explores the presence of Nichiren Buddhism in Chile in the context of Jose Casnova’s theories of globalized religion, and how the Buddhist religion and lifestyle fit into a culturally Chilean setting. Within that broader conceptualization, she explores how the powerful Catholic Church has played a part in the resurgence of Buddhism and how those differing religious cultures are, or are not, synchronizing in a complex way. The author spent six weeks in Santiago, Chile immersed in the observation and study of a small Nichiren Buddhist group out of the province of Nufioa, attending meetings, events, activities, classes, and interviewing members.