I'm sorry that I can't add to this thread in a real meaningful manner as i would want to :) - but I am reading several books which should fuel my future posts. :) Let me share it. Roger-Pol Droit : Le Culte du Neant ,1997 ShortSum - The word buddism found its genesis in europe of the 1820s. Until then, even the japanese word of "bukkyou" or the 'teachings of budda' did not exist. However, europe of the nineteenth century feared buddism. It was seen as a worship of an unthinking void, and the people of asia who worshipped such a void were feared and hated. Europe had difficulty understanding budda to begin with. they confused him with a god of commerce, and for a while thought him as an etheopian man. For a period, he was conjoined and confused with mercurius of the roman(or Hermes of Greek)Pantheonon. Not a book directly on buddism, but follows the (mis)understandings leveled against buddism in euopean cultures over the past century and a half. Take a look at it if you can.