Luis Morente Leal is a lawyer with extensive experience in the legal and educational fields. He was educated at the Complutense University of Madrid and at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, subsequently completing several postgraduate studies. Throughout his career, he has led legal departments in various public and private organizations internationally. In the academic field, he has taught at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, as well as at the universities of Tours and Nanterre, and the Fondation Cartier in France, in addition to collaborating with higher technical schools of Architecture in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. He currently runs a law firm specializing 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 contributed to Buddhism obtaining the recognition of notorious rootedness in Spain in October 2007. Since then, he has also represented Buddhists on the Religious Freedom Advisory Commission. 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 leading advocate of Buddhism in Spain. Initially attracted to Buddhism through reading, he immersed himself in the study of the Dharma, finding his path in the Tibetan Shangpa Kagyu tradition. Guided by a teacher, he decided to serve the Buddhist collective 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 inclusiveness and mutual understanding. He also 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 foster social and personal harmony.
BUDDHISTDOOR EN ESPAÑOL: How was your initial encounter with Buddhism and how has your personal practice evolved?
LUIS MORENTE LEAL: Like almost the entire population of Spain at the time of my childhood, I was instructed 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 to which we had access, I became deeply interested. Although I was intellectually prejudiced against any form of religion, the study of the 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 various traditions, to find the one that best suited my personality, and ended up in the Tibetan Shangpa Kagyu. Later in Asia, I tried to stay as a monk. A teacher made me see that my path was not there, but in my country, helping the Buddhist collective as a lawyer. I began to work with the Buddhist federation, we achieved the recognition of the notorious rootedness of Buddhism by the State, as well as other advances, and since then the work has continued.
Throughout these years, I have first tried to understand the deeper 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 continue learning. On the other hand, my "karma yoga" is to put my legal work at the service of the Buddhist collective, 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 theme in the federation. One of our statutory objectives is to materialize the union between the various Buddhist entities, both traditional and modern. We are trying to get to know each other better, to have an interaction that is very common at the interfaith level, but which seems to be difficult when it comes to different Buddhist sensibilities. It is important to understand that "mine" is not the only form of practice. From the Board of Directors, we try to involve the entities of the UBE-FEBE in the work of the federation, and in fact in the Permanent Commission we have people from Zen, Tibetan, Nichiren traditions... it is a very good team. Working among Buddhists of different traditions is effective. Therefore, we try to avoid exclusionary positions, as they are contrary to the very essence of Buddhism, but also to the regulations. We have been told on several occasions by the public authorities of the need to be inclusive, but this does not mean that anyone should be admitted as a full member. At the suggestion of the Administration, and as in other religious federations, the statutes of the UBE-FEBE have included the figure of acceptance for legal reasons, which allows the incorporation of entities that the Council of the federation considers that they cannot be full members, but that can access legal benefits. An entity that becomes a full member of the UBE-FEBE has from that moment on the same status as any other entity that has been a member for more years. The only limitation we have is that it is necessary to wait some time before being able to assume positions in the Board of Directors, in order to acquire a minimum knowledge and experience of the federation.
There is an external didactic work, towards those who are not in the Union: it is not about proselytizing, but to communicate that the way in which the legal benefits for religions are administered in Spain is through religious federations (or churches, as the case may be). This is imposed by law, and the UBE-FEBE, as the federation that represents the Buddhist collective before the State, is obliged to convey it as soon as possible. Therefore, we inform Buddhists who are not members of 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 governmental institutions in Spain?
LML: Although a religious federation has a specific legal mandate, it is possible to do more. 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 Coordinadora Catalana de Entidades Budistas, with which we have an excellent relationship and is also an honorary member of the federation. And others with whom 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 in the common work. These ideas are progressing little by little. We would like to have more international presence, although our small budget limits us in that sense.
As far as relations with public administrations are concerned, they are really very good, both at state, regional and municipal level. We are now developing the project of diversifying the federation at the autonomic level, in order to achieve a better relationship with local administrations. The UBE-FEBE, as representative before the State of a confession with notorious roots, is a member of the Advisory Commission of Religious Freedom of the Ministry of the Presidency, and also of the board of trustees of the public Foundation Pluralism and Coexistence.
In addition, we maintain collaborative relationships with other entities in areas such as academia, and even in initiatives such as the diversity unit of the Municipal Police of Madrid. It is also worth mentioning the excellent relationship with the rest of the confessions, with whom we actively collaborate to advance in common rights.
BDE: In your role as president of UBE-FEBE, what have been your main challenges and achievements?
LML: Essentially to consolidate and develop the work of more than thirty years of existence of the federation, which we will complete in 2022. And to work to achieve a real union between the different Buddhist sensibilities, and their active collaboration in our collective, as I mentioned before. We have obtained for the first time space on public television, which we hope will become stable, as well as an important presence in the media. We have developed the communication system, web, and visibility of the federation. We want to expand more and more the action of the UBE-FEBE, to optimize its usefulness as a forum for Buddhism in Spain. Essentially, internal development, and to make visible and share the values of Buddhism in society.
BDE: What role can Buddhism play in the search for spirituality in an increasingly secularized world, especially in managing stress and anxiety?
LML: Great specialists have been dealing with this subject for many years. I would mention something as well developed and important as Mind & Life, which is supported by H.H. Dalai Lama with a group of the world's elite scientists.
The question raises two issues. Regarding today's world, I believe that the great contribution of Buddhism should be to contribute to secular ethics with values that 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 are sometimes imposed on us against others. I speak of 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 one. I always mention a classic work of literature, such as Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," which depicts the love of two young people from rival families, who leap over everyone's hatred. The ability to fall in love with one's supposed enemy is deeply Buddhist. Only prejudice prevents it. The understanding of the other as "non-hatable" breaks down barriers. Unfortunately from the political and economic power, through the media, hatred is often promoted. Buddhism, by rejecting the prevailing hatred, becomes profoundly revolutionary in times like these. An empathetic and peaceful attitude of everyone, what Robert Thurman defines as the "inner revolution" of each person, will eventually lead to universal harmony.
Spirituality is important for everyone, and not only 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 in the knowledge of our mind.
As for stress and anxiety, the benefits of the practice are also well studied: deepening the understanding of the nature of the mind (not as dogma, but incorporating it into our daily lives), meditative practice and post meditation, I can personally assure you that they work. And I am a lawyer, not a monk.
The benefits of meditation are obvious to anyone, no need to be a Buddhist. We think in the right way, eliminating uncontrolled mental discourse. It produces tranquility, improves sleep, we manage better. Health benefits, as well as the relationship 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, we are awaiting the approval by the Spanish parliament of the reform of the Law of Patronage, which would considerably alleviate the economic burden of Buddhist religious entities and would also benefit practitioners, as it would mean a significant tax reduction. We are also working with the State Administration on a social security law specifically for Buddhist ministers of worship. We need to move forward on other issues, such as religious foundations (currently only Catholic foundations are legislated), the income tax allowance, the development of the protection of places of worship, and others. In this, we always depend on the fluid dialogue with the public authorities, and on the slowness of the legislative processes: for the politicians we are not a priority. We need perseverance and patience. This is how things like the civil recognition of Buddhist marriage and the possibility of keeping the body for a minimum of three days after death have been achieved. 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: at the legal level, with an increasingly beneficial legal development for the centers and practitioners. Organizationally, with an increasingly consolidated federation in which the largest possible number of entities have a place, being a forum for the development of the fundamental right of religious freedom in the Buddhist sphere. Socially, transmitting values, which I am convinced can achieve a harmony of coexistence more necessary than ever.
Link:
Website of the Buddhist Union of Spain
-----------
Daniel Millet Gil holds a law degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a master's degree and a PhD in Buddhist Studies from the Centre for Buddhist Studies at 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 contributor to the web platform Buddhistdoor en Español. 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 Buddhist Film Festival of Catalonia. 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 publishing field, Millet directs both Editorial Dharma-Gaia and Editorial Unalome. He has published numerous articles and titles in academic and popularization journals, which are available in his Academia.edu profile: https://hku-hk.academia.edu/DanielMillet.
