An alternative approach to the comparison of Buddhist thought with Western philosophy is to use the concept of the Middle Way in Buddhism as a critical tool for the assessment of Western philosophies.

Central Asian and North Western Indian Buddhism weakened in the 6th century after the White Hun invasion, who followed their own religions such as Tengri, and Manichaeism.

Newer present-day world religions established themselves throughout Eurasia during the Middle Ages by: Christianization of the Western world ; Buddhist missions to East Asia ; the decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent ; and the spread of Islam throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa and parts of Europe and India.

Schopenhauer's doctrine, which Nietzsche also refers to as Western Buddhism, advocates a separating oneself of will and desires in order to reduce suffering.

New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam ( especially Sufism ), Judaism ( especially Kabbalah ), Sikhism ; with strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Universalism and Western esotericism.

The third figure was the Russian Helena Blavatsky ( 1831 – 1891 ), one of the founders of the Theosophical Society, through which she propagated her religious movement of Theosophy, which itself combined a number of elements from Eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism with Western elements.

Concepts similar to qi can be found in many cultures, for example, Prana in Vedantic philosophy, mana in Hawaiian culture, Lüng in Tibetan Buddhism, and Vital energy in Western philosophy.

Some philosophic and psychological teachings within Buddhism share commonalities with modern Western scientific and philosophic thought.

A Tibetan diaspora has spread Tibetan Buddhism to many Western countries, where the tradition has gained popularity.

Altogether, Dharmaraksa translated around 154 Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna sutras, representing most of the important texts of Buddhism available in the Western Regions.

After his move to Sausalito, he attended talks by Alan Watts, a notable Western interpreter of Zen Buddhism, who introduced him to the distinction between mind and self ; Erhard subsequently became close friends with Watts.

Recent attempts to incorporate Western philosophy into Eastern thought include the Kyoto School of philosophers, who combined the phenomenology of Husserl with the insights of Zen Buddhism.

Pure Land Buddhism emphasizes the role of Amitabha Buddha and promises that reciting the phrase " Namu Amida Butsu " upon death will result in being removed by Amitabha to the " Western Paradise " or " Pure Land ", and then to Nirvana.

Nevertheless, van Gulik's fiction was adapted to a more Western audience, avoiding the supernatural and religious traditions of Buddhism and Daosim in favour of rationality.

He spoke on major spiritual traditions including Jainism, Hinduism, Hassidism, Tantrism, Taoism, Christianity, Buddhism, on a variety of Eastern and Western mystics and on sacred scriptures such as the Upanishads and the Guru Granth Sahib.

This experience is significant in that Suzuki realized that Western ignorance of Buddhism could be transformed.

While recognized by the Japanese Shingon sect, Eastern Pure Land Buddhism is less popular than Western Pure Land Buddhism.

Egawa argued that just as Confucianism and Buddhism had been introduced from abroad, it made sense to introduce useful Western techniques.

Olcott utilized Western scientific reasoning in his synthesis and presentation of Buddhism.

The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition ( 2001 ) Oxford University Press.

Firstly, he fought for the people to embrace modern geography, among other sciences considered “ Western .” Secondly he sought reform in Buddhism and, as a result, a new sect was created in Siamese Theravada Buddhism.

He has authored more than 60 books, including compilations of his talks, and has been described as " one of the most prolific and influential Buddhists of our era ," " a skilled innovator in his efforts to translate Buddhism to the West ," and as " the founding father of Western Buddhism " for his role in setting up what is now the Triratna Buddhist Community.

Nichiren was vocal in criticizing other schools of Buddhism, using the rhetorical style of the day, and accusing them for the disastrous situation in society.

Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are one, a painting in the litang style portraying three men laughing by a river stream, 12th century, Song Dynasty.

The style is also sometimes used by leaders in non-Christian religions such as Judaism and Buddhism.

This ceremony, more Chinese in style, was introduced to Japan in the 17th century by Ingen, the founder of the Ōbaku school of Zen Buddhism, which is in general more Chinese in style than earlier schools.

Some tiles from the Asuka period ( shown above ), the first period following the conversion of the country to Buddhism, display a strikingly classical style, with ample Hellenistic dress and realistically rendered body shape characteristic of Greco-Buddhist art.

A feature of Buddhism in the West today is the emergence of other groups which, even though they draw on traditional Buddhism, are in fact an attempt at creating a new style of Buddhist practice.

" Three laughs at Tiger Brook ", Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are one, a litang style painting portraying three men laughing by a river stream, 12th century, Song Dynasty.

When Ashoka embraced Buddhism in the latter part of his reign, he brought about significant changes in his style of governance, which included providing protection to fauna, and even relinquished the royal hunt.

The gate, built of decay-resistant camphor wood, is about 16 metres high ; the placement of an additional leg before and behind each main pillar identifies the torii as reflecting the style of Ryōbu Shintō ( dual Shinto ), a medieval school of esoteric Japanese Buddhism associated with the Shingon Sect.

Modern researchers hypothesize that Buddhist missionaries travelling on the Silk Road introduced this artistic influence, along with Buddhism itself, into Serindia, resulting in a style that is a hybrid of Greek, Chinese and Persian.

# epic ballad narration entitled wasan, later revised by into a new style of shomyo called Rokudo-koshiki, which refers to six worlds of Buddhism ( Heaven through Hell ); it was the chief model for the singing

Xie Yi style is closely associated with the " sudden enlightenment ", " mindfulness ", and " spontaneity " aspects of this school of Buddhism.

Near the end of the Heian period a new garden architecture style appeared, created by the followers of Pure Land Buddhism.

Some tiles from the Asuka period, the first period following the conversion of the country to Buddhism, display a strikingly classical style, with ample Hellenistic dress and realistically rendered body shape characteristic of Greco-Buddhist art.

When Ashoka embraced Buddhism in the latter part of his reign, he brought about significant changes in his style of governance, which included providing protection to fauna, and even relinquished the royal hunt.

In the history of Zen Buddhism, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng ( d. 713 ) emphasized the practice of prajñā in counterpoint to the quietistic and self-absorbed style of meditation that was then current.

The findings combine elements of Buddhism and Hellenism in an almost perfect Hellenistic style.

Izumo Taisha, Sumiyoshi Taisha and Nishina Shinmei Shrine in fact represent each a different style whose origin is believed to predate Buddhism in Japan, a religion which arrived in Japan around the beginning of the sixth century.

However, with the rise of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism a less technical style appeared, representative of Zen attitudes and exemplified in the works of Musō Soseki who wrote in a refined sosho style, or Shūhō Myōcho ( 1282 – 1337 ; better known as Daito Kokushi ), the founder of Daitoku-ji in Kyoto, who had not traveled to China to study.

The Mauryan emperor Ashoka ( 304 – 232 BC ), embraced Buddhism in the latter part of his reign and brought about significant changes in his style of governance.

Warrior monks, like most other Buddhist monks of related sects, wore a series of kimono-like robes over one another, usually white underneath, and tan or saffron yellow on top ; this style has changed very little since the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the seventh century.