Reddit mentions of The Awakening of the West: The Encounter of Buddhism and Western Culture

It is (and vice versa). You should read Batchelors "The Awakening of the West" and even the works of some others (I'll post links) to get a better explanation than I could give, but I'll do my best:

Ok, so you know how there was Gautama Buddha and then his disciples went out and spread the Dhamma far and wide? Well, one group of people to encounter the Dhamma was King Ashoka of India and his family (those who preceded him and his descendants). Around this time (between Gautama Buddha and Ashoka), you had Alexander the Great running around trying to conquer the world. One result of this was a group of ethnically Greek people that lived in the far west of India (Pakistan / Afghanistan as the current borders don't correspond to the ancient ones). The result was an interaction between the ideas of early Buddhism and Greek/ Hellenic ideas (like Stoicism). Google "King Menander" for more on this. Oh, and King Ashoka recorded that he sent at least 2 Buddhist missionaries to Greece - so there's that too.

Also, check these out:
http://secularbuddhism.org/2015/03/21/episode-220-massimo-pigliucci-secular-buddhism-and-neo-stoicism/

http://secularbuddhism.org/2014/08/31/tend-your-garden/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Awakening-West-Encounter-Buddhism/dp/0963878441

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menander_I

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Buddhism