For three days during January 1997, more than eight hundred people met in Boston for the first-ever conference to address issues of Buddhist meditation as practiced in America.

It brought together men and women from all walks of life - Buddhist monks, nuns, and priests living lives devoted to Buddhism and its practice as well as people just beginning their journey on this path; adherents to a wide array of approaches, traditions, and practices, from India- and Tibet-based Mahayana and Theravada traditions, to Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Zen, to the contemporary manifestations of these traditions that have begun to take root in North America and Europe.

But the principal thrust of the conference arose from the keynote presentations, Dharma talks, and workshops led by Buddhist luminaries who inspired audiences with their lifelong quests for enlightenment and their struggles to understand and embody Buddhist teachings and values. This volume comprises excerpts and synopses of the majority of these talks and workshops and serves as a permanent record of Buddhism in America.