This paper aims at being a first approach to the trends of the Brazilian religious concerning the intellectual upper-middle class. Here I analyse the spreading of Zen Buddhism in Brazil. Arriving first by the hands of Japanese immigrants, from the 1960s onwards it took roots amongst Brazilian intellectuals. However, these two groups defined Zen Buddhism differently. Japanese immigrants considered it a marker of their ethnic identity and for them Zen involved funeral services, memorials and devotion. For Brazilians of non-Japanese origin Zen entailed meditation practices. This paper is concerned mainly with these Brazilians of non-Japanese ancestry. It analyses their reasons for leaving the Catholic Church, the image the Church has to them and finally their motivations for becoming sympathisers or even converting to Zen Buddhism.