"A Western interest in Buddhism began during the l9th century as a result of colonial contacts with Buddhist countries and the start of academic studies of the Buddhist tradition ... The visits to the West by Buddhists such as Anagarika Dharmapala， who spoke at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893， quickened interest. A small Buddhist movement began in the USA and Europe at the beginning of the 20th century， tending to stress the nontheistic， practical and logical nature of Buddhism in its Theravada rather than Mahayana aspects. After World War II， Zen Buddhism came into vogue due to the work of Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki and Zen practitioners who set up Zen groups in the USA.
Tibetan Buddhism arrived in the West after the flight of the Dalai Lama from Tibet， and Tibetan Buddhist centres which attracted Western followers were set up around the West ... In the last 20 years many more groups have been formed which tend to attract thinking Westerners and to have some sort of allegiance to Theravada， Zen or Tibetan Buddhism. More Westerners tend to be attracted to the Buddhist than to the Hindu or Muslim traditions， and although their numbers are still small their significance is growing."
NOTE:
"In the May-July 1994 issue of Gold Drum， the movement's magazine， （the well-known British monk） Sangharakshita wrote of the 'Idols of the Marketplace'， three modern views that， especially in the USA， are being increasingly confused with Buddhism: 'democratisation'， 'feminization'， and 'integration'. Democratization， however appropriate in society at large， undermines the notion of spiritual hierarchy， （while） the integration of spiritual life into ordinary worldly life overlooks the necessity for renunciation. Sangharakshita is determined that if he is to be respected， it is for what he actually believes and teaches."
For further details， see Europe （Buddhism in） & North America （Buddhism in）.