<P> Buddhism has been gaining popularity in the west . Starting with a cultural and academic elite in the 19th century, it is now widespread in western culture, especially since the 1960s . </P> <P> In the 20th century Christian monastics such as Thomas Merton, Wayne Teasdale, David Steindl - Rast and the former nun Karen Armstrong, and Buddhist monastics such as Ajahn Buddhadasa, Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama have taken part in an interfaith dialogue about Buddhism and Christianity . This dialogue aims to shed light on the common ground between Buddhism and Christianity . </P> <P> Although the prevalent romantic view on Buddhism sees it as an authentic and ancient practice, contemporary Buddhism is deeply influenced by the western culture . With the rise of western colonialism in the 19th century, Asian cultures and religions developed strategies to adapt to the western hegemony, without losing their own traditions . Western discourses were taken over, and western polemic styles were applied to defend indigenous traditions . </P> <P> In 1989 the Catholic Church, through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, rejected attempts at mixing some aspects of Christian and Buddhist practices, in a letter titled "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects of Christian meditation", generally known as the Aspects of Christian meditation letter . </P>

What is the difference between catholic and buddhism