Source: The Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2004/02/29/awakenings/
On February 29, 2004 The Boston Globe published a review of Jeffrey Paine's new book "Re-enchantment: Tibetan Buddhism Comes to the West." The article notes that "Paine, formerly editor of the Smithsonian Institution's Wilson Quarterly, offers several reasons for Tibetan Buddhism's many recent successes. First, uprooted from its country of origin, it has been encouraged by circumstances to become ecumenical and universal. Second is its emphasis on individual responsibility, enabling those who succeed at their practice to communicate directly what they have learned. Then there's the heightened mental capability nurtured by meditation. Scientists recently began documenting the physical benefits of prolonged meditative practice. A religion defining itself as 'a science of the mind' has made a timely arrival in the empirically oriented West. Finally, and most immediately, the Chinese occupation created a cadre of uniquely qualified teachers who welcomed new students and were willing to travel."