Activities

The Centre for Studies organises events, research projects and training programmes focusing on Buddhist traditions, contemplative practice and their dialogue with contemporary knowledge.

Through public meetings, conferences, study days, academic collaborations, courses, postgraduate programmes and seminars, the Centre for Studies promotes dialogue between different fields of knowledge, traditions and disciplines. Its activities foster a critical and shared understanding of spirituality, contemplation, religious traditions and social transformation.

Bhaiṣajyaguru: Iconography and rituals of the Medicine Buddha between North-western and Eastern India and Tibet

Shikha Gupta – Department of Asian and North African Studies (DSAAM), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (2024-present) Recipient of a […]

Three-Year Program in Logic and Debate

The Tibetan Debate School, founded in 2020 at the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute (Italy), is a three-year course designed to […]

Buddhism and Complexity

A project realised with the support of the 8xmille funds from the Italian Buddhist Union In 2026, the “Buddhism and […]

Postgraduate Program in Contemplative Studies

Two-year first-level Postgraduate Program: “Contemplative Studies: Meditation from Ancient Traditions to the Contemporary Age”, University of Padova. Born out of […]

LucidDreamingVR

A Collaboration to Explore the Potential of Virtual Reality in Lucid DreamingLucidDreamingVR is a research project developed in collaboration between […]

The concept of agency in Buddhist doctrine and ethics

Francesco Maria Catanzaro – DREST (Italian Doctoral School for Religious Studies), Department of Asian and North African Studies (DSAAM), Ca’ […]

Sacred spaces as shared spaces: unsettling multispecies relatedness in Himalayan Buddhist communities

Rita Mancini – DREST (Italian Doctoral School Forfor Religious Studies), Department of Asian and North African Studies (DSAAM), Ca’ Foscari […]

Religions and Meditation – Study Day

December 13, 2024 – Theological Faculty of Triveneto, Padua. Interreligious dialogues to explore the variety of contemplative practices The Sstudy […]

Buddhism 2075: Shaping the Identity of European Buddhism

International Conference for the 50th Anniversary of the European Buddhist Union April 25, 2025 – Educational Centre, Vienna Organized to […]

International Conference on Contemplative Studies

June 19-23, 2024 – University of Padua Padua hosts the International Conference of the Year “Embodied Cognition and Intersubjectivity in […]

The Śālistambasūtra as pharmakon against the naturalization of contemporary ecological discourse forms

Maria Electra Pacini – DREST (Italian Doctoral School for Religious Studies), Department of Asian and North African Studies (DSAAM), Ca’ […]

Buddhist Perspectives on Consciousness, Evolution and AI

November 17-19, 2023 – Villa Selvatico, Padua (Italy) An international symposium to explore the possible connections between Buddhist contemplative traditions, […]

Dharma Today: Faces of Contemporary Buddhism

Dharma Today: Faces of Contemporary BuddhismVenice, 5–13 March 2022 The international conference Dharma Today: Faces of Contemporary Buddhism took place […]

The Elephant in the Room. Investigating Consciousness Beyond Reductionism

February 21-23, 2024 – University of Padova Addressing a crucial question through non-reductionist approaches. The international conference The Elephant in […]

The intersection of contemplative practices, spirituality, and meaning

Caterina Ugolini – Social Sciences, FISPPA, University of Padua (2024–present) Recipient of a PhD scholarship funded by the UBI Research […]

Psychosocial, ethical, and spiritual aspects of contemplative practices

Elisa Paluan – PhD in Social Sciences, Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA), University of Padua (2022-2025) […]

Medical-tantric practices in the Yuthok Heart Essence

Michele Comelli – Department of Asian and North African Studies (DSAAM), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (2023-present) Recipient of a […]

New Religious Movements in Japan

Caterina Bertoli – DREST (Italian Doctoral School for Religious Studies), DSAAM, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (2022–present)Recipient of a PhD […]

Cataloguing of the Tenjur section of the Tibetan Buddhist Canon preserved in the Narthang woodblock edition

Filippo Lunardo – Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies (ISO), Sapienza Università di Roma (2022-2025) In November 2022, a […]

Contemplative Education Network (CEN)

The UBI Research Center is one of the supporting partners of the Contemplative Education Network (CEN), an international network established […]

PhD Scholarships – DREST

The Study Center is actively involved in promoting research in the fields of Buddhist and Contemplative Studies by supporting four […]