first westerners formally convert buddhism helena blavatsky henry steel olcott ref name prothero ''the white buddhist'' olcott approach buddhism terminology protestant buddhism creolization prothero extensively discussed ka mcmahan creolization american religious history metaphysical nature henry steel olcott phd dissertation unpublished manuscript ann arbor ref important event introduction buddhism west world parliament religions first time saw well publicized speeches major buddhist leaders alongside religious leaders th century saw prolific growth
Humanities Theology Buddhism