This is an extract from “Transformation and Evolution of Buddhism,” 　　an article written by Jan Hai, President of the Texas
　　Buddhist Association, for the first World Buddhist Forum
　　As the traditional religions of Europe and the United States have long been Christianity and Catholicism, it is only in the past 100-200 years that Westerners have begun to become acquainted with Buddhism. More especially in recent years the large number of Asians emigrating to Europe and the United States has done much to promote the popularity of Buddhism in these regions.
　　It is estimated that today there are 120,000 Buddhists in Britain. While Theravada Buddhism was predominant in the early years, the number of Tibetan Buddhists is growing by leaps and bounds. In 1989, there were over 200 mainly Theravada Buddhist organizations in Germany, home to 20,000 Buddhists, most of whom live in Hamburg, Berlin and Munich. In the 1980s, swarms of refugees fleeing from Southeast Asia to Europe led to a surging population of Buddhists in France. This had a marked effect on the French, many of whom took up Buddhism. According to statistics issued in 1989, France was then home to 500,000 Buddhists, 70,000 of them French natives. It is recently reported by National Geographic magazine that among all major religions in the United States, Buddhism has the fastest-growing number of followers, totalling some 4 million or 1.5 percent of the country’s total population. In addition, the United States also has 2,000 Buddhist societies and associations of various sizes.
　　Westerners came to know Buddhism mainly through Buddhist scriptures. In 1903, the first German Bhikkhu (fully ordained Buddhist monk), Nyanatiloka, relinquished his worldly life to become a monk in Rangoon, Myanmar. Later, he went to Sri Lanka to study Theravada Buddhism. He attached great importance to his Buddhist practice and translated many important scriptures, which subsequently proved to be of great linguistic and literary significance.
　　In 1826, Pali Grammar was coauthored by French scholar Burnouf and German scholar Lassen, igniting people’s passion in the study of Pali, an ancient Prakrit language (derived from Sanskrit) that is the scriptural and liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism.
　　The two scholars also jointly established the France-Asian Association in Paris, where Buddhist texts were translated by cross-referencing Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese and Tibetan. Sylvain Levi’s translations of Trimsikavijnapti matratasidhi by Sthiramati and Mahayana sutra lankara by Asanga laid the foundation for the study of Buddhist philosophy and history. Another scholar, Louis de la Vallee Poussin, translated Abhidharma-kosa-sastra by Venerable Vasubandha into French, which may be regarded as a pioneering work in the study of Sarvastivadin (proclaiming that all exists).
　　In 1893, the first World’s Parliament of Religions was held in Chicago, attended, among others, by Sri Lankan scholar Dharmapala, and Japanese Zen Buddhist Venerable Soyen Shaku, who introduced Zen Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism.
　　Later, the Washington Buddhist Center was built, with financial support from Sri Lankan and Thai Buddhists. The center is devoted to Dharma education, Zen meditation instruction, Pali and Sanskrit instruction, as well as publishing and library services.
　　In the 1950s and 1960s, a number of Japanese immigrants arrived in Central and South America, bringing Buddhism to those shores. At around the same time Tibetan Buddhism and Soka-gakkai of Nichiren Buddhism began to flourish in the United States. A great contribution was also made by the Japanese Zen Master D.T. Suzuki, who taught Buddhist texts and English Zen literature at Columbia University.
　　The 1970s witnessed a spurge of Chinese immigrants to the United States, among whom were Buddhist monks and Dharma teachers. Among the eminent Chinese monks are Master Hsuan Hua, who set up Gold Mountain Monastery in San Francisco and the Dharma Realm Buddhist University; Venerable Master Hsing Yun, who founded the first Hsi Lai Temple in Los Angeles and the Buddhist Association of the United States; Dharma Master Sheng Yen, who established the Chu Temple and the Ch’ an Meditation Center in New York; Venerable Jen Chun, who founded the Yin-Shun Foundation in New Jersey; Venerable Jan Hai and Venerable Hung I, who opened the Texas Buddhist Association and Jade Buddha Temple in Houston; Venerable Ji Ru, who founded the Mid-America Buddhist Association in St. Louis; and Venerable Master Cheng Yen, who founded the Tzu Chi Foundation with numerous branches in the United States. All these Buddhist masters and their organizations have contributed a great deal to both Dharma teaching and charity.

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