People around the world speak of American influence in politics, business, and merchandise. The terms ?globalization' or ?global interdependence' are recently being more understood by most when defining them with relation to corporations, environmental issues, and the modern economy. Can these terms be used to describe the religious beliefs in Canada? The religious life of North American society does not find its roots here at home. We live in a Christian domain. Its roots are 2000 years old and lie half way around the world. It is all around us in our homes, schools, workplace, media, and quite inescapable in our daily lives. In the 21st Century however, basic Christian values are being influenced by ?Eastern' religions. Buddhism, in particular, is becoming very popular in North America. What happens when a person attempts to be a Buddhist follower in a Christian society?
Long before Christian missionaries spread their word around the globe, Buddhist monks were traveling afar attracting followers. Buddhism was the world's first missionary religion. There was no evidence that any religion before it was interested in spreading their faith on a world-wide basis. Indeed, the opposite was the case. Pre-Buddhist religions were more interested in excluding others from its fold rather than welcoming them. However, outside Asia, these missionary attempts were somewhat unfruitful. Although Buddhism successfully spread throughout Asia it remained virtually unknown in the West until modern times. Knowledge of Buddhism has come through three main channels: Western scholars; the work of philosophers, writers and artists; and the arrival of Asian immigrants who have brought various forms of Buddhi ...