Books on buddhism of a number of decades ago would typically state that the western mind would be unlikely to be able to fully grasp the religions and philophies of the east. Now buddhism finds increasing popularuty in the west, but seems to be taking a slightly different path. In eastern buddhism one may find temples, prayer wheels and flags and talks of entities such as mara. It is a religion. The western buddhist would rarely be found in a temple though, will likely have read many books on the subject and buddhism is often claimed as a philosophy not a religion. Does the western mind now fully grasp the path of the east, and maybe even perceives more truly? Does the western mind still only perceive buddhism from a western viewpoint? Or do both east and west slightly miss the 'middle way' that buddha talked of. This same phenomona can be found in Taoism, but to a leseer degree.
There is a big difference in Eastern and Western culture, which has in the past, made Buddhism more difficult for westerners. Even the languages of the East tend to shape how they think. Since the cultural revolution of the 1960's, though, western minds have opened up to such ideas. I think much of the ritualistic aspects of the eastern practice have made these regions less vital, and perhaps westerners represent a renewal of the original spirit of Buddhism. Certainly there is much to learn from the original practitioners in Asia.
The same can be said about western philosphies in the east. Just look at Japan. I'm not a buddhist, but I do know that buddhist ideas are gaining popularity. We live in a fast food culture where people WANT their ideas to be nicely packaged and easily dissemenated. The reason Buddhism is a philosophy in the west, and not a religion is because there is way too much information and its mostly incompatible with the culture. Think of it like mixing oil in water..
The west, particularly the western US, happens to be the vital area of Buddhism because we already have a tendency to break with tradition. This helps because tradition can be an impediment to discovering new things. Enlightenment deals with discovering new things about yourself, not following a tradition.
Someone once told me there is a crucial difference between how martial arts are taught in the East, and how those same martial arts are taught in the West. In Japan, the student is first trained in flexibility and strength, without learning the moves at all. The teacher goes at him, attacks him, and the student has to defend himself, act as he thinks best. In this, he gets beaten, with bruises and everything. Only after his body has been fortified enough, only then does the student begin to be taught the actual moves. In the West, the teacher is the student's friend, and the students begins to learn the moves right away, no longsuffering "general training". I think similar goes for at least some "eastern" philosophies/religions as well. Originally, a good basis is established, a sense of discipline, before one even enters the teaching. Like in Buddhism, you first have to learn to lead a moral life, and only later can you start with wisdom. But the westernized version of that philosophy seems to go for the wisdom part first. Something like fast philosophy, as there is fast food. I know some people who conisder themselves buddhists and they like to talk about the teachings, but they are not leading moral lives at all.
Nonsense. You can get the wisdom first. This will lead to a more or less moral life anyway. BTW, your description of martial arts training in the states is simplistic and contrived. They have all been started by asians or people taught by asians, and for the most part, follow asian tradition. The martial artist I know started learning both flexibility, falling, and the other stuff like kicking and throwing, etc...
Yes, there are schools of Bhuddism that literally mean "the quick way". But to answer the original post I don't think it is big enough in the west yet to make generalizations like that. Time will tell. For now, it all depends on the individual, and his/her personal devotion to it. Though you might find it interesting to query western languages like english which mechanically revolve around the self- often the 'enemy' of buddhism.
