<Li> A trend in Buddhism is "export" or "evangelical Buddhist" groups based in another country who actively recruit members in the US from various backgrounds . Modern Buddhism is not just an American phenomenon . </Li> <P> Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is perhaps the most successful of Japan's new religious movements that grew around the world after the end of World War II . Soka Gakkai, which means "Value Creation Society," is one of three sects of Nichiren Buddhism that came to the United States during the 20th century . The SGI expanded rapidly in the US, attracting non-Asian minority converts, chiefly African Americans and Latino, as well as the support of celebrities, such as Tina Turner, Herbie Hancock, and Orlando Bloom . Because of a rift with Nichiren Shōshū in 1991, the SGI has no priests of its own . Its main religious practice is chanting the mantra Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō and sections of the Lotus Sutra . Unlike trends such as Zen, Vipassanā, and Tibetan Buddhism, Soka Gakkai Buddhists do not practice meditative techniques other than chanting . An SGI YouTube series called "Buddhist in America" has over a quarter million views in total as of 2015 . </P> <P> Buddhism was introduced into the USA by Asian immigrants in the 19th century, when significant numbers of immigrants from East Asia began to arrive in the New World . In the United States, immigrants from China entered around 1820, but began to arrive in large numbers following the 1849 California Gold Rush . </P> <P> Immigrant Buddhist congregations in North America are as diverse as the different peoples of Asian Buddhist extraction who settled there . The US is home to Chinese Buddhists, Japanese Buddhists, Korean Buddhists, Sri Lankan Buddhists, Cambodian Buddhists, Vietnamese Buddhists, Thai Buddhists, and Buddhists with family backgrounds in most Buddhist countries and regions . The Immigration Act of 1965 increased the number of immigrants arriving from China, Vietnam, and the Theravada - practicing countries of Southeast Asia . </P>

Which asia community first brought buddhism to america during the gold rush of 1848