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Buddhism In America. ... Unlike in Asia where there is century’s worth of social and
political background for Buddhism, America has almost none by comparison. ...
Buddhism in America. Buddhism in America Buddhism first came to America
in the late 1800’s from the Europeans. 1893 is the year ...
Buddhism in America. Buddhism is ... Some scholars suggest that Buddhism in America
can be divided into three separate categories. The oldest ...
... Buddhism, in particular, is becoming very popular in North America. What ... The
face of Buddhism in America can be seen everywhere. From ...
... Diane Eck began her chapter on Buddhism in America by explaining that the Buddhist
birthday is celebrated for weeks on end in Los Angeles. ...
Submitted by JonH721 on November 29, 2005
Category: Religion
Words: 1964 | Pages: 8
Views: 434
Popularity Rank: 19,324
Average Member Grade: N/A (Add a Comment / Grade this Paper)
Buddhism is a religion with millions of followers in the United States, including traditionally Buddhist Asian Americans as well as non-Asian converts. While in the large history of Buddhism it is relatively new to the United States, it’s introduction to the U.S. is interesting because is a new and different environment for Buddhists. Because it is relatively new to the United States, it developed an already interesting history and continues to do so as America and Buddhism come to grips with each other. While western interaction with Buddhism has happened, it has developed quite differently in America. Aside from sprouting various followings, it has rooted itself in American culture through schools and Universities. This essay will trace Buddhism’s interactions with the West, specifically America, and describe the three types of modern American Buddhism: immigrant Buddhism, import Buddhism, including Zen, Tibetan Buddhism, and Vipassana, and export Buddhism.
Western civilization and the Buddhist world have been interacting for thousands of years, but only rarely. The most significant began in 334 BC, early in the history of Buddhism, when Alexander the Great conquered most of Central Asia. An important influence in the area was made, which interacted with the Buddhism that had been introduced from India creating Greco-Buddhism. This significantly affected Mahayana Buddhism, but it has not made the same influence on Western thought. The Middle East also provided a way for Buddhist thoughts to infiltrate Europe during the Christian era. One example is the story of Barlaam and Josaphat. This story of folk heroes is believed to be a changed account of the life of Siddhartha Gautama. It was translated from Persian to Arabic to Greek. These intermittent relations produced very little real religious interaction, therefore the European settlers who colonized the Americas had almost no exposure to Buddhism. This lasted until the 19th century, when...
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