Nok Suksai and her friends made a pact.

Nok (rhymes with Coke), Blaa and Chew met some American friends at their university in Bangkok, Thailand. They all spent time together nearly every day. So the Americans, who were missionaries, eventually invited the students on a Christian retreat. "I was impressed by their love," says Nok.

The three Asians—all Buddhist—had decided to go only to tune up their English and spend more time with the Americans. But all three of them also made a deal with each other not to absorb the faith of their foreign friends. This was especially important to Nok, a college sophomore and die-hard Buddhist. Being Buddhist went back farther than her memory.

Ever since she was a little girl growing up in Singburi, Thailand, home of the famous 151-foot-long Reclining Buddha statue, Nok accompanied her grandparents and parents to the temples several times a week. There she prayed to her deceased ancestors and bowed down to Buddhist idols.

Nok, whose name means bird, memorized chants and offered food to the monks. She believed what her parents, grandparents and teachers always proclaimed: to be a good Thai, she must be loyal to her king, country and the religion of her land—Buddhism.

Presently, there are over 300,000 Buddhists in the U.S. While there are some basic tenets passed on from the Buddha that all 365 million followers worldwide subscribe to, Buddhism varies from region to region and is often a blend of worldviews and cultural practices.

A prince from India, Siddhartha Gautama, founded the religion in about 500 B.C. His followers named him Buddha, which means enlightened one.