Instructor’s name
Course
Date
World Religion
Although Buddhism had spread greatly throughout Asia; the religion remained unknown to the West until the modern times. Despite the fact the earlier missionaries put a lot of efforts to spread the religion by sending emperor Ashoka, it did not bear fruits. Currently, this religion has greatly spread in the West, and it has several followers. There are several factors that have contributed to the spread of this religion (Buddhists Studies). Some of the main factors that have facilitated the spread of this religion to the West include writers and artists, the work of philosophers, Western scholars, and the arrival of Asian immigrants who came with different forms of Buddhism to Australia, …show more content…
For instance, Hollywood played an important role in the familiarization of Buddhism to several countries in the West. From the beginning of the 20th century, cinema led to the emergence of the mass popular culture (Buddhists Studies). During this period, films that dealt with non-Christian and Buddhism used structures of melodrama. These films exhibited orientalism that attracted people to the religion. A majority of the films showed positive characteristics of the famous actors and actresses from Buddhists (The Guardian). Some of the films that were produced in Hollywood include Little Budda produced by Miramax Films in the year 1994. Bernardo directed this film, and it aimed at educating the Western audiences about several concepts in Buddhism religion through a familiar story. This film also reinforces Western values, and it subordinates the Buddhism religion to the values. The other film that served the purpose of educating the Western population about Buddhism is Seven Years in Tibet (Abeysekera). This film was produced in the year 1997, and it was directed by Jean-Jacques. The film also attracted the attention of several people in the …show more content…
"Appeal of Buddhism in the West." www.budsas.org/ebud/ebdha276.htm.
Buddhists Studies. "The Buddhist World: Spread of Buddhism to the West." www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/to-west.htm.
The Guardian. "Face to faith: How western Buddhism has changed in 50 years | Opinion | The Guardian." 2012, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2012/mar/16/western-buddhism-10-things-learned.
Blomfield, Vishvapani. "Face to faith: How western Buddhism has changed in 50 years." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2017. .
The Buddhist World: Spread of Buddhism to the West. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2017. .
"The Stability of Buddhism." Appeal of Buddhism in the West. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2017.