To what degree do Westerners understand the notions of the Buddhist philosophy, such as karma, sunya, samsara, and nirvana?

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In short, not really at all. Westerners can’t be bothered to read, digest, and integrate their own spiritual truths, much less those of another part of the world.

The vast majority of Westerners interested in Buddhism are not interested in spirituality or the transcendent at all. Rather, they want a “philosophy” sanitized of everything that makes it deep and rich. They want truths that they can hold in their heads and make sense of, not deep, abiding mysteries that take lifetimes to uncover and are always shifting and moving. They want to know and teach, not search and learn.

Some guy asked me once, what’s Buddhism. I said, “it means you don’t have a self.” He’s was like, “sure, but what does that mean?” I said, “it means you don’t have a self.” Satisfied, he went on his way. He’s now shooting his mouth off on message boards about enlightenment like he’s got a clue about what that means.

Depth is anathema to Westerners.