Nan Huai Chin provides an overview of the history and tradition of Buddhism, tracing it from its inception in India to its transmission to China, and its subsequent blossoming throughout the world. He shares the basis and origins, relating the many stories surrounding the life of Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, as well as the cultural and religious setting of India that fostered the initial rise of Buddhism. He explains the various philosophical trends and evolution, and provides an overview of the Vinaya, Tiantai, Satyasiddhi, Three Treatises, Pure Land, Abhidharmakosha, Zen, Tantra/Esoteric, and other schools. He also discusses Buddhism in the rest of Asia, Europe, and America. and brings us up to date with a discussion of Buddhism in the 20th century. This is an indispensable book for a solid understanding of contemporary Buddhism in its varied forms.