Specifically, these are some of the most pressing issues for the EBU to address like, for instance:

1) AI and digital society
Examining the role of artificial and digital intelligence and the impact these have on both the capacity to understand phenomena and its ability to influence decision-making processes on both an individual and societal level. In the specific case of Buddhism, what kind of impact do digital technologies have on the formulation of a contemporary Dharma?

2) Environment
The environmental theme calls for a paradigm shift in social action and questions the very idea of identity.

3) Education
The topic of education - both school and youth, is another central theme. Here, too, it is important to identify what contributions Buddhist thought can make.

4) Human rights and Gender
The European Buddhism wants to promote an open, non-judgemental mind, to exchange ideas related to sexual orientation and gender identity. The dharma can offer a new perspective about the social, existential and spiritual challenges related to these topics and how it can motivate people towards engaged Buddhist actions.

To make the EBU's voice stronger in the European social and cultural landscape it is important to have a network of experts and academics to support our work on topical issues such as ecology, human rights, the impact of artificial intelligence and others. Topics requiring the specific expertise of experts.

Below are the academics who have joined so far. The network is open to other members. For information and contact: s.bettera@europeanbuddhistunion.org

Prof. Giovanni Leghissa

Associated Professor of Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy, University of Torino, Torino, Italy. He graduated in Philosophy from the University of Trieste, Italy. From the same University he holds a PhD in Philosophy. He was Visiting Professor at the Institut für Philosophie at the University of Vienna, Austria, and at the Hochschule für Gestaltung, Karlsruhe, Germany. His work focuses on phenomenology, continental philosophy, and psychoanalysis; postcolonial, gender and cultural studies; comparative philosophy; post-humanism; epistemology of economics and theory of organizations. He is member of the editorial board of the journal of philosophy “aut aut” and director of the online journal “Philosophy Kitchen. Rivista di filosofia contemporanea”.

Nadeem Omar Tarar

Currently Executive Director at the Center for Culture and Development, has research interests spanning South Asian anthropology, archaeology, art history, and cultural studies. His diverse professional background includes serving as a Professor of Cultural Studies and Director at the National College of Arts (NCA) Lahore, Gandhara Chair at the University of Wah, Visiting Professor at the School of Ethnology at North Minzu University, China, and a visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. Tarar is acknowledged for his authorship of two books on South Asian art history and anthropology. He has contributed academically through publications in Economic and Political Weekly, International Journal of Art and Design Education, Journal of South Asian Studies, and Third Text.

His educational background includes an MSc. in Cultural Anthropology from Quaid-e Azam University, Islamabad, an MA in Critical Theory and Cultural Studies from the University of Nottingham, UK, and a Ph.D. in Art History and Theory from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Moreover, Tarar has completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT, USA. He has received recognition through a Charles Wallace Fellowship at the School of Oriental and African Studies, UK, and a South Asia Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council, New York, USA.

Jørn Borup 

Jørn Borup is an associate professor at the Department of the Study of Religion at Aarhus University. His research areas include Japanese Buddhism, Buddhism in the West, religious diversity, spirituality, and religion and migration. Besides articles for journals and publications in Danish, he is the author of Decolonising the study of religion, and beyond. Who owns Buddhism? (Routledge 2023) and Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhism. Myōshinji, a Living Religion (Brill 2008). He has been director of the Center for Contemporary Religion and head of the Department of the Study of Religion (Aarhus University) as well as the chair of the Danish Association for the Study of Religion.

Prof. Chiara Mascarello

She holds a research grant at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, where she also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Tibetan Language, and co-directs the Italian Buddhist Union’s Research Center. Additionally, she is among the founders and board members of the Contemplative Studies program at the University of Padua and has lectured in various university programs. After earning her PhD in Philosophy, she advanced her studies in Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan language at Sera Monastic University (India), UMA Institute (USA), and the University of Hamburg. She has worked extensively as a Tibetan translator and regularly conducts translation workshops. Her research focuses on the Indo-Tibetan contemplative tradition, particularly exploring the nature of mind and the practice of mind training, and its relevance to contemporary societies.

Prof. Francesco Tormen

He is an Adjunct Professor of Tibetan Language and Literature at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and serves as the Co-Director of the Italian Buddhist Union’s Research Center. He is also one of the founders of the Master’s Program in "Contemplative Studies" at the University of Padova and has published various contributions on Madhyamaka philosophy and the contemplative practices of Tibetan Buddhism, focusing on Dream Yoga and Lucid Dreaming. Recently, he has been exploring the transformations Buddhism is undergoing in the digital age, examining its relationship with Posthumanism and Transhumanism.