Buddhism, which originated 2,500 years ago in ancient India, significantly influences more than a billion people worldwide, most of whom live in Asia. The Eastern religion has increasingly spread to the West with the popularity of meditation and mindfulness as well as the continued growth of the Asian population in places like the United States, Canada, Australia, and some European countries.

Yet American churches still are unprepared to reach out to their Buddhist neighbors. A 2019 Pew study found that 58 percent of Americans said they knew nothing or little about Buddhism, the second least understood religion behind Hinduism.

To help the church better understand this complex religion, CT has launched the Engaging Buddhism series. Every other week, we look at a different aspect of the religion and how Christians can interact with and minister to people who hold a Buddhist worldview. Browse through the stories in the series so far in the right-hand column.