University Seminar, Sapienza 

For this first lecture, titled Buddhist Psychology in Seven Fundamental Ideas: Mindfulness, Perception, and Language, I invited participants to explore a series of key concepts that reveal the profound psychological and semiotic structure of the Buddhist tradition.

From the outset, I guided the audience through seven central ideas that, taken together, delineate the Buddhist understanding of the mind. Drawing directly from classical Buddhist texts, I sought to show how perception emerges not as a simple reception of external stimuli but as a complex and constantly evolving process in which attention, memory, and conceptualisation all play a defining role. By reflecting on these mechanisms, we examined how experience is actively shaped by the mind and how this dynamic understanding, articulated centuries ago, resonates in a striking way with the models proposed by contemporary cognitive science. My intention was not merely to trace parallels but to highlight how Buddhist thought already offered, in its earliest formulations, a coherent and sophisticated psychology capable of illuminating present-day discussions on consciousness and cognition.

A significant portion of the lecture was devoted to the relationship between perception and language. Approaching the subject from a psychosemiotic perspective, I discussed how linguistic categories intervene in organising the world that appears to us, and how words do more than describe reality: they participate in constructing it. This opened up a reflection on the Buddhist conception of the sign and on the ways in which language shapes both thought and experience. In this context, mindfulness revealed itself not in its contemporary, often simplified interpretations, but in its original meaning as a meditative and cognitive practice deeply rooted in a theory of attention, intentionality, and the formation of meaning. By linking meditative practice to a reflection on signs and linguistic processes, I aimed to show how the Buddhist tradition offers a fertile ground for understanding the cultural and cognitive dimensions of awareness.

Throughout the lecture, I encouraged participants to consider the dialogue between Buddhist phenomenology and the theories developed within Western psychology. This comparison brought to light unexpected affinities while also suggesting how Buddhist models can challenge or expand certain assumptions in modern scientific discourse. Themes such as the structure of consciousness, the role of relationality in shaping the self, and the cultural grounding of perception became the basis for a shared exploration, inviting the audience to rethink the boundaries between philosophy, psychology, and semiotics.

My presentation was enriched by the broader context of my research, which investigates meditative practices in their psychological, cultural, and linguistic dimensions. Over the years, I have examined the phenomenology and ethnography of contemplative traditions, the intersections between mind and culture, and the ways in which different societies articulate their understanding of mental processes, healing, and relational life. I have published essays and scholarly articles on Buddhist philosophy and psychology, medical anthropology, ethnopsychiatry, and the semiotics of perception, always with the intention of highlighting how consciousness is shaped by the interaction between experience, culture, and language. These long-term research interests informed the lecture in a direct and essential way, giving shape to the reflections I proposed at Sapienza.

The meeting concluded with an engaging conversation with students and faculty, whose questions and observations added depth and resonance to the topics addressed. I am grateful to the Sapienza community for the invitation and for the intellectual openness with which my work was received. Speaking in such a stimulating environment is always a reminder of the value of interdisciplinary dialogue, and this lecture offered yet another opportunity to build bridges between traditions, methods, and ways of imagining the mind. I look forward to continuing this conversation and to further opportunities for collaboration and shared inquiry.