Buddhas--Gautama (Sakyamuni); Buddhism--United States; Buddhist doctrines; Christianity and Buddhism; theravada Buddhism; 禪宗=Zen Buddhism=Zazen Buddhism; tibetan Buddhism
摘要
Theravada Buddhism in North America is primarily associated with Southeast Asian Americans. It is a religious tradition with roots that go far back to the early days of Buddhism 25 centuries ago. Today the religious beliefs of Southeast Asian Americans are quite varied because this group includes peoples with diverse histories and cultures. While Vietnamese Americans are more inclined to Mahayana Buddhism, the other Southeast Asian peoples practice and believe in a religion that is a strange mixture of Theravada Buddhism and animism. Christians need to understand the cultural diversity of these peoples and comprehend the Buddhist strains that distinguish them.
