Luis Morente Leal is a lawyer with extensive experience in the legal and educational fields. He studied at the Complutense University of Madrid and at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, and then completed several postgraduate studies. Throughout his career, he has led legal departments in various public and private organizations at the international level. In the academic field, he has taught classes at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, as well as at the universities of Tours and Nanterre, and the Cartier Foundation in France, in addition to collaborating with higher technical schools of architecture in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. He currently runs a firm specialized in legal and tax advice for religious entities.
His active participation in the Buddhist field in Spain began in 2000, when he assumed the role of legal advisor to the Buddhist Federation. For twenty years, he led the Legal Commission, and helped to ensure that Buddhism obtained the recognition of its notorious roots in Spain in October 2007. Since then, he has also represented Buddhists on the Advisory Commission on Religious Freedom. In March 2022, Luis Morente was elected as the fifth president of the Buddhist Union of Spain.
In this interview, Luis Morente describes his spiritual journey from Catholicism to becoming a prominent defender of Buddhism in Spain. Initially attracted to Buddhism through reading, he immersed himself in the study of Dharma, finding his way in the Tibetan Shangpa Kagyu tradition. Guided by a teacher, he decided to serve the Buddhist community in Spain as a lawyer, thus contributing to greater official recognition of Buddhism by the State. As president of the Buddhist Union of Spain, Morente works to unite diverse Buddhist traditions, promoting inclusion and mutual understanding. In addition, it addresses legislative challenges and collaborates with national and international entities to advance common rights. Morente highlights the role of Buddhism in a secularized world, stressing the importance of values such as compassion and meditation to promote social and personal harmony.
BUDDHISTDOOR IN SPANISH: How was your initial encounter with Buddhism and how has your personal practice evolved?
LUIS MORENTE LEAL: Since almost the entire population is in Spain when I was a child, I was educated in the Catholic religion, which I practiced until I was 15 years old. Ten years later, and through biographies, and the still very few books on Buddhism that we could access, I became deeply interested. Although I was intellectually biased against any form of religion, studying Dharma opened my eyes to the spirituality that has been an essential part of my life. For some time, I felt “secretly” Buddhist. After that, I came into contact with practice centers and groups in Spain. On a personal level, I explored different traditions, to find the one that best suited my personality, and ended up in the Tibetan Shangpa Kagyu. Later in Asia, I tried to remain a monk. A teacher made me see that my path was not there, but in my country, helping the Buddhist community as a lawyer. I started working with the Buddhist Federation, we achieved recognition of the notorious roots of Buddhism by the State, in addition to other advances, and since then the work has continued.
Throughout these years, I have first tried to understand the profound meaning of the teachings, and I want to believe that this has made me more aware, at least of my ignorance. And, as a next step, to incorporate them into my daily life. I don't feel able to judge my evolution, I hope to keep learning. On the other hand, my “karma yoga” is to put my legal work at the service of the Buddhist community, as part of my practice.
BDE: What strategies does the Buddhist Union of Spain use to manage diversity within the Buddhist community in Spain and how does it integrate new members?
LML: An essential topic in the federation. One of our statutory objectives is to materialize the union between the various Buddhist entities, both traditional and modern. We try to get to know each other more, to have an interaction that is very common at the interreligious level, but that seems to be difficult when it comes to different Buddhist sensibilities. It's important to understand that “mine” isn't the only form of practice. And that we must all work for everyone. From the Board of Directors, we try to get the entities of the UBE-FEBE involved in the work of the federation, and in fact in the Standing Committee we are people of Zen, Tibetan, Nichiren tradition... it's a very good team. Working among Buddhists of different traditions is effective. Therefore, we try to avoid exclusionary positions, since they are contrary to the very essence of Buddhism, but also to regulations. The public authorities have indicated to us on several occasions the need to be inclusive, without this meaning that anyone should be admitted as a full member. At the suggestion of the Administration, and as in other religious federations, the concept of reception for legal reasons has been included in the statutes of the UBE-FEBE, making it possible to incorporate entities that the Federation Council considers cannot be full members, but that can thus access legal benefits. From that moment on, an entity that becomes a full member of the UBE-FEBE has the same statute as any other entity that has been in existence for more years. The only limitation we have is that we have to wait a while before we can assume positions on the Board of Directors, in order to acquire a minimum knowledge and experience of the federation.
There is external didactic work, for those who are not in the Union: it is not a question of proselytizing, but rather of communicating that the way in which legal benefits for religions are administered in Spain is through religious federations (or churches, if any). This is required by law, and the UBE-FEBE, as a federation that represents the Buddhist collective before the State, is obliged to promote it as soon as possible. That is why we inform Buddhists who are not in the federation, that it is a right they have as citizens.
BDE: How does UBE-FEBE collaborate with other national and international Buddhist organizations and with government institutions in Spain?
LML: Although a religious federation has a specific legal role, it is possible to do more things. At the national level, we try to maintain the best possible relationship with entities that are not, for whatever reason, in the UBE. We sign collaboration agreements, as in the case of the Catalan Coordinator of Buddhist Entities, with whom we have an excellent relationship and is also an honorary member of the federation. And others with which we do not yet have an agreement, such as Sakyadhita Spain. At the international level, we are very active members of the European Buddhist Union, where we have promoted initiatives such as developing a common directive on religious freedom in the EU, or creating a group of Buddhist lawyers to help with common work. Ideas that are progressing little by little. We would like to have more international presence, although our small budget limits us in that regard.
As for relations with public administrations, they are really very good, both at the state, regional and municipal levels. We are now developing the project of diversifying the federation at the regional level, in order to achieve a better relationship with local administrations. The UBE-FEBE, as the representative to the State of a confession with notorious roots, is a member of the Advisory Commission on Religious Freedom of the Ministry of the Presidency, and also of the board of trustees of the Pluralism and Coexistence Public Foundation.
In addition, we maintain collaborative relationships with other entities in fields such as academics, and even in initiatives such as the diversity unit of the Municipal Police of Madrid. It is also worth noting the excellent relationship with other denominations, with whom we actively collaborate to advance common rights.
BDE: In your role as president of the UBE-FEBE, what have been your main challenges and achievements?
LML: Essentially consolidating and developing the work of more than thirty years of existence of the federation that we celebrated in 2022. And to work to achieve a real union between the different Buddhist sensibilities, and their active collaboration in our collective, as I said before. For the first time, we have obtained space on public television, which we hope will become stable, as well as an important presence in the media. We developed the communication, web, and visibility system of the federation. We want to expand the action of the UBE-FEBE more and more, to optimize its usefulness as a forum for Buddhism in Spain. Essentially, internal development, and making visible and sharing the values of Buddhism in society.
BDE: What role can Buddhism play in seeking spirituality in an increasingly secularized world, especially in managing stress and anxiety?
LML: Great specialists have been dealing with this topic for many years. I would mention something as well developed and important as Mind & Life, who supports the S.S. Dalai Lama with a group of world elite scientists.
The question raises two issues. With regard to today's world, I believe that the great contribution of Buddhism must be to contribute to secular ethics with values, which are not necessarily inherent to religious practice, such as compassion, the great Buddhist value for real pacifism, which is not only being against war, but also against the “micro wars” that sometimes impose on us against others. I am talking about the consideration of the “other” as undifferentiated from myself, the real empathy that is achieved when we overcome the ego and put ourselves in the place of the different. I always mention a classic work of literature, such as Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet”, which portrays the love of two young people from rival families, who jump on everyone's hatred. The ability to fall in love with one's supposed enemy is profoundly Buddhist. Only prejudice prevents it. Understanding the other as “not odiable” breaks down barriers. Unfortunately, from political and economic power, hate is often encouraged through the media. By rejecting the prevailing hatred, Buddhism becomes profoundly revolutionary in times such as the ones we live in. An empathetic and peaceful attitude on the part of each individual, what Robert Thurman defines as the “inner revolution” of each person, will ultimately lead to universal harmony.
Spirituality is important for everyone, and not just religious spirituality. It is a way of understanding ourselves and of being in life as more complete beings. Any religious or secular path is valid if it is guided by compassion. Buddhism has a differentiating element, not only valid for Buddhists, which is the deepening of the knowledge of our mind.
As for stress and anxiety, the benefits of the practice are also well studied: the deepening of the understanding of the nature of the mind (not as a dogma, but by incorporating it into our daily lives), meditative practice and post-meditation, I can personally assure that they work. And I'm a lawyer, not a monk.
The benefits of meditation are obvious to anyone, without needing to be a Buddhist. We think correctly, eliminating uncontrolled mental speech. It produces peace of mind, improves sleep, we manage better. Health benefits, as does relationships with others.
BDE: What are the current legislative challenges facing Buddhism in Spain and how can they be addressed?
LML: There are several, and we are achieving objectives little by little. At the present time, the approval by the Spanish parliament of the reform of the Patronage Act is pending, which would considerably alleviate the economic burden of Buddhist religious entities and would also benefit practitioners, as it would entail a significant reduction in taxes. We are also working with the State Administration on a specific social security law for Buddhist ministers of worship. We must make progress on other issues, such as religious foundations (currently only Catholic foundations are legislated), the tax allocation in income tax, the development of the protection of places of worship, and others. In this regard, we always depend on fluid dialogue with public authorities, and on the slowness of legislative processes: for politicians we are not a priority. You have to have perseverance and patience. This has achieved things such as the civil recognition of Buddhist marriage, and the possibility of keeping the body for a minimum of three days after death. We will continue to move forward.
BDE: What is your vision for the future of Buddhism in Spain? How do you imagine the development of Buddhism in Spain in the next 10 to 20 years?
LML: At various levels: in the legal field, with legal development that is increasingly beneficial to centers and practitioners. In the organizational area, with an increasingly consolidated federation that includes as many entities as possible, being a forum for the development of the fundamental right of religious freedom in the Buddhist field. Socially, by transmitting values, which I am convinced can achieve a more necessary coexistence harmony than ever.
Link:
Website of the Buddhist Union of Spain
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Daniel Millet Gil has a law degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and has a master's degree and a doctorate in Buddhist Studies from the Center for Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong. He received the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Award for Excellence in Buddhist Studies (2018-2019). He is a regular editor and collaborator of the web platform. Buddhistdoor in Spanish. Millet is also the founder and president of the Dharma-Gaia Foundation (FDG), a non-profit organization dedicated to the academic teaching and dissemination of Buddhism in Spanish-speaking countries. This foundation also sponsors the Catalan Buddhist Film Festival. In addition, he serves as co-director of the Buddhist Studies Program of the Fundació Universitat Rovira i Virgili (FURV), a joint initiative between the FDG and the FURV. In the editorial field, Millet manages both Editorial Dharma-Gaia and Editorial Unalome. He has published numerous articles and titles in academic and popular journals, which are available in his Academia.edu profile: https://hku-hk.academia.edu/DanielMillet.
