John Walters, a British journalist converted to Buddhism, writes in his The Essence of Buddhism: "This, in the West, is a period of gigantic material and economic progress..... It is often boasted that everything in America has, with her amazing material progress, changed for the better. But what of man ? Everything may appear happier; yet man himself is no happier. Today, as statistics prove, a bigger proportion of people than ever before worry themselves into insanity. Psychiatry has become a big business because of the fears of men and women that they are going mad." "An increasing number of men and women, bewildered by the material and ideological chaos of today, are finding that the teaching of the Buddha brings them back to sense and clarity, to serenity and peace."

Trevor Ling, Senior Lecturer at the University of Leeds, writes: "In other quarters there is a suspicion that religion in the West has betrayed man at the most important point in life, and consequently a tendency to find meaning in Eastern Religion."

"There is plenty of evidence that in Western Europe people desire to find a coherent and meaningful system of values.... It may be that the words and the way of the Buddha have much to contribute at this moment of history to the religious life of the West."

According to Dr. Donald K. Swearer, "Among American college students at this time there is an active and increasing interest in Asian religions. While acknowledging the esoteric appeal of Buddhism and other Asian religions, this interest is not simply part of the youthful rebellion against the religious establishment. Rather, much student involvement in these areas reflects a genuine quest for a meaningful set of values and a viable life-style. Nor is the growing interest in Buddhism simply the preserve of the young. John Cobb, an outstanding contemporary theologian, has observed that Buddhism offers one of the most compelling religious alternatives today, and Christian ministers utilizing Buddhist insights and practices are becoming less and less rare. Indeed, a United Church minister friend of mine recently wrote requesting information on Zen Buddhism to be used in a senior high church school class."

"Buddhism is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Its popularity rests not only on the appeal it has among college students or the role it has played in influencing "hip" culture. It offers a serious religious option for many Westerners, and it may well prove to have a significant impact on Judaeo-Christian thought and practice. Alan Watts exemplifies those whose thinking has been decisively influenced by Buddhism, and even as devout a Catholic mystic as Thomas Merton was deeply involved in Buddhism before his untimely death in Asia while visiting Buddhist centers."
"Yet, among all the varieties of Buddhism one can find in America today and all the forms of Buddhist practice, no aspect of Buddhism has a stronger appeal than meditation, especially among younger people."

"Buddhist meditation is attractive for many reasons, to be sure. For some it offers a retreat from the chaos and complexity of today's world. For others it may serve as a means of introspective self-understanding; and, for still others it is the means for attempting seriously to grasp the truth of Buddhism."

In the words of another American writer: "Today Buddhism and Buddhist art have spread round the world, from Japan east to America, from India west to Europe."

"With the advance of science and psychology many of the older faiths have suffered. Their beliefs went against the new knowledge and the new knowledge won. But in this conflict the teaching of Buddha required no adjustments. Its wisdom has encompassed everything that modern thought can devise. Over 2,500 years ago the Buddhists had already solved many of the problems that modern psychology is still discovering."

"It is perhaps significant that while mighty empires built upon greed and oppression have never lasted for more than a few centuries, the selfless life of the Buddhist community has carried it safely through 2,500 years ... Knowledge of Buddhism is being sought with increasing interest in the West, for it offers a personal philosophy to counteract the fragmented condition of Western society where many individuals no longer feel part of, or responsible for, the community in which they live. Expressions of this distress are seen in the demonstrations of students, flower people, hippies, and others who wish to drop out of, or change a society which they feel no longer supplies their needs."
As it was written by a German scholar, Ernst Benz: "Many of these European students of Buddhism became converts to the new faith. They were also active in the creation and guidance of Buddhist organizations-matters in which the Asiatic Buddhists are less inclined to engage."