Buddhism in the West broadly encompasses the knowledge and practice of Buddhism outside of Asia.

Occasional intersections between Western civilization and the Buddhist world have been occurring for thousands of years. With the rise of European colonization of Buddhist countries in Asia during the 19th century detailed knowledge of Buddhism became available to large numbers of people in the West, as a result of accompanying scholarly endeavours.

The Western and Buddhist worlds have occasionally intersected since the distant past. It was possible that the earliest encounter was in 334 BCE, early in the history of Buddhism, when Alexander the Great conquered most of Central Asia. The Seleucids and successive kingdoms established Hellenistic influence in the area, interacting with Buddhism introduced from India, producing Greco-Buddhism.

The Mauryan Emperor Aśoka (273–232 BCE) converted to Buddhism after his bloody conquest of the territory of Kalinga (modern Orissa) in eastern India during the Kalinga War. Regretting the horrors brought about by the conflict, the Emperor decided to renounce violence. He propagated the faith by building stupas and pillars urging, amongst other things, respect of all animal life and enjoining people to follow the Dharma.

In The West is the second full-length album released by indie rock band Silkworm. It is the band's first full-length album to be produced by their long-time friend Steve Albini; the first official recording that the band recorded with him was the His Absence Is A Blessing EP.

The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident (from Latin: occidens "sunset, West"; as contrasted with the Orient), is a term referring to different nations depending on the context. There is no agreed upon definition about what all these nations have in common.

Though the term originally had a literal geographic meaning and contrasted Europe with the cultures of the Orient or Asia, today the term West does not imply geographic location, as most of Europe and Oceania, major components of the West, lie in the Eastern Hemisphere.^{[citation needed]}

The concept of the Western part of the earth has its roots in Greco-Roman civilization in Europe, with the advent of Christianity. In the modern era, Western culture has been heavily influenced by the traditions of The Renaissance, The Protestant Reformation, The Enlightenment, and shaped by the expansive colonialism of the 16th-20th centuries. Its political usage was temporarily informed by a mutual antagonism with the Soviet bloc during the Cold War in the mid-to-late 20th Century (1945–1991).

David Robert Loy (born 1947) is an American author and authorized teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Japanese Zen Buddhism.

Loy was born in the Panama Canal Zone. His father was in the U.S. Navy so the family traveled a great deal. He attended Carleton College in Minnesota, and spent his junior year abroad studying philosophy at King’s College, University of London. After graduation in 1969 he moved to San Francisco and then to Hawaii where he began to practice Zen Buddhism.

Loy received an M.A. in Asian philosophy from the University of Hawaii in 1975, and his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1984 from the National University of Singapore, where he was teaching. In 1984 Loy moved to Kamakura, Japan to continue Zen practice with Yamada Koun Roshi, director of the Sanbo Kyodan. He was professor of philosophy and religion at Bunkyo University in Chigasaki, Japan until January 2006, when he accepted the Besl Family Chair of Ethics/Religion & Society, a visiting appointment with Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio that ended in September 2010. In 1971, he began practicing Zen with Yamada Koun Roshi and Robert Aitken in Hawaii. He completed formal koan study in 1988 with Yamada Koun and received the dharma name Tetsu-un, "Wisdom Cloud". Loy's main research interest is the dialogue between Buddhism and modernity, especially the social implications of Buddhist teachings. In addition to academic lectures, he offers workshops and leads meditation retreats in the U.S. and internationally.

David Nichtern is an American songwriter and television composer, soundtrack artist and Buddhist teacher.

Nichtern is the son of broadway producer Claire Nichtern, the first female Tony award winner. He began his career as a professional musician during his college years at Columbia University, having begun practicing music at age eight. He served as director of sales for the New England Digital Corporation in the 1980s. He is the founder of music-marketing company Nudgie Music LLC, and its divisions Dharma Moon and 5 Points Records. He wrote the song "Midnight at the Oasis".

He has his own world/fusion band, Drala and has also released a solo record entitled From Here To Nichternity, which features 5 cuts that were originally cues on One Life to Live, in addition to an instrumental duet of "Midnight at the Oasis" showcasing Michael Brecker. David Nichtern is also a member of The Beyman Bros, an instrumental trio featuring Nichtern, Christopher Guest and C.J. Vanston.

Beginning in 1970, Nichtern became a student of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and was taught by the founder, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Nichtern has since become a senior teacher. He is married to Cyndi Lee, a yoga teacher who founded the OM yoga center in New York City, with whom he has created a DVD package on yoga, OM Yoga & Meditation Workshop. The couple also teaches yoga internationally. Nichtern is the director of expansion for Shambhala Training, having previously worked as the director of the Karme Choling Meditation Center in Vermont.