Anyone interested in Buddhism should first read what Buddha actually said. This will get one to the essence of his logic/wisdom.
Do not look at "traditional" Buddhism as this is mostly folk-lore, superstition and culture; Just as Christians honour little of what Christ said, so Buddhists tend to avoid the Buddha's actual teachings.
Remember the moon, not the finger.

I think that we can recognize the growing influence of the range of Eastern philosophies/religions within the West over the last few centuries.

The concept of yin/yang polarity is central to these philosophies and leads to a nature based spirituality. Recognition of paradox, the interdependence of opposites, and the benefits of walking on the 'middle way' also grow out of the principle of polarity.

While he has yet to gain the Buddha's popularity in the West, personally I like Confucious' teachings: Get involved in life, do the right thing by your community and try to be a good person.

Given that the pages of OLO are filled with disputes over pedophilia in the Catholic Church and neverending diatribes about how the poor Jews have been badly treated by the terrible Palestinians (who are under Israeli occupation) it's refreshing to see an article about Buddhism.

The philosophy of Buddhism has much to give, and it is one of the few pacifist forces in the world today (unlike Christianity, Islam and Judaism).

One of the problems is that all 'Buddhism ain't Buddhism': specifically having spent a number of years studying and training in Zen I have always found Tibetan Buddhism practice very off–putting. Your comment on disengagement being central to Zen is very true and a bit difficult as you mention. I would simply leave it as 'compassion trumps disengagement' but then I am no longer an active or even practising Zen Buddhist.

We must remember that the goal of Buddhism is to eliminate suffering, for ourselves and for all other sentient beings - not to provide a sustainable world (which is a neurotic idea, because the world will end one day anyway, regardless of whatever we practice).

Although the world may happen to be sustained a bit longer as a side-effect of Buddhist practices, the world is only a means, not an end. It is the best place for one to reflect, to meditate and to resolve their karma. Whether one gets involved in the world or not, depends on one's stage of life: ideally, householders get involved while hermits/monks/renunciates do not. Ultimately, one must let go of all worldly concerns.

"War and Peace in the World's Religions" by John Ferguson is a powerful antidote to thinking of any religion as a religion of peace or a religion of war. Ferguson examined 15 religions and found both traditions in all of them.

The Japanese officer corps in WW2 were almost entirely Buddhist. They were a notably violent group. The Buddhist gestalt that the world we apprehend through our senses is only an illusion allows a person to remain distant from atrocities he is witnessing or committing.

Efforts for peace in Sri Lanka in the struggle between the Hindu Tamils and the majority Sinhalese were sabotaged for years by the Buddhist Sinhalese clergy. The conquest of the Tamils ended the conflict.

Generally one can find in any religion the tradition one wishes to follow.