History of Buddhism - wikipedia History of Buddhism Buddhist expansion, from Buddhist heartland in northern India ( dark orange ) starting 6th century BC, to Buddhist majority realm ( orange ), and historical extent of Buddhism influences ( yellow ). Mahayana ( red arrow ), Theravada ( green arrow ), and Tantric - Vajrayana ( blue arrow ). Part of a series on Buddhism History Timeline Gautama Buddha Councils Later Buddhists Dharma Concepts Four Noble Truths Five Aggregates Impermanence Suffering Non-self Dependent Origination Middle Way Emptiness Karma Rebirth Saṃsāra Cosmology Buddhist texts Buddhavacana Tripiṭaka Mahayana Sutras Pāli Canon Tibetan canon Chinese canon Practices Three Jewels Buddhist Paths to liberation Morality Perfections Meditation Philosophical reasoning Mindfulness Wisdom Compassion Aids to Enlightenment Monasticism Laity Nirvāṇa Four Stages Arhat Buddha Bodhisattva Traditions Theravāda Pāli Mahāyāna Hinayana Chinese Vajrayāna Tibetan Navayana Newar Buddhism by country India China Thailand Japan Myanmar Sri Lanka Laos Cambodia Korea Taiwan Tibet Bhutan Mongolia Russia Outline Buddhism portal The history of Buddhism spans from the 5th century BCE to the present ; which arose in the eastern part of Ancient India, in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha ( now in Bihar, India ), and is based on the teachings of Siddhārtha Gautama. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today. The religion evolved as it spread from the northeastern region of the Indian subcontinent through Central, East, and Southeast Asia. At one time or another, it influenced most of the Asian continent. The history of Buddhism is also characterized by the development of numerous movements, schisms, and schools, among them the Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna traditions, with contrasting periods of expansion and retreat. Contents 1 Life of the Buddha 2 Early Buddhism 2.1 1st Buddhist council ( 5th century BC ) 2.2 2nd Buddhist council ( 4th century BC ) 3 Aśokan proselytism ( c. 261 BC ) 3.1 3rd Buddhist council ( c. 250 BC ) 3.2 Hellenistic world 3.3 Expansion to Sri Lanka and Burma 4 Rise of the Shunga ( 2nd -- 1st century BC ) 5 Greco - Buddhist interaction ( 2nd century BC -- 1st century AD ) 5.1 Central Asian expansion 6 Rise of Mahāyāna ( 1st century BC -- 2nd century AD ) 6.1 The Two Fourth Councils 7 Mahāyāna expansion ( AD 1st -- 10th century ) 7.1 India 7.2 Central and Northern Asia 7.2. 1 Central Asia 7.2. 2 Parthia 7.2. 3 Tarim Basin 7.2. 4 China 7.2. 5 Korea 7.2. 6 Japan 7.2. 7 Tibet 7.3 Southeast Asia 7.3. 1 Srivijayan Empire ( 7th -- 13th century ) 7.3. 2 Khmer Empire ( 9th -- 13th centuries ) 7.3. 3 Vietnam 8 Emergence of the Vajrayāna ( 5th century ) 9 Theravāda Renaissance ( starting in the 11th century ) 10 Expansion of Buddhism to the West 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References Life of the Buddha The Mahajanapadas were sixteen most powerful and vast kingdoms and republics around the lifetime of Gautama Buddha, located mainly across the fertile Indo - Gangetic plains, there were also a number of smaller kingdoms stretching the length and breadth of Ancient India. Siddhārtha Gautama was the historical founder of Buddhism. He was born a Kshatriya warrior prince in Lumbini, Shakya Republic, which was part of the Kosala realm of ancient India. He is also known as the Shakyamuni ( literally : `` The sage of the Shakya clan '' ). The Buddha giving sermon to his followers at Sarnath, India. After an early life of luxury under the protection of his father, Śuddhodhana, the ruler of Kapilavasthu which later became incorporated into the state of Magadha, Siddhartha entered into contact with the realities of the world and concluded that life was inescapably bound up with suffering and sorrow. Siddhartha renounced his meaningless life of luxury to become an ascetic. He ultimately decided that asceticism could n't end suffering, and instead chose a middle way, a path of moderation away from the extremes of self - indulgence and self - mortification. Under a fig tree, now known as the Bodhi tree, he vowed never to leave the position until he found Truth. At the age of 35, he attained Enlightenment. He was then known as Gautama Buddha, or simply `` The Buddha '', which means `` the enlightened one '', or `` the awakened one ''. For the remaining 45 years of his life, he traveled the Gangetic Plain of central India ( the region of the Ganges / Ganga river and its tributaries ), teaching his doctrine and discipline to a diverse range of people. By the time of his death, he had thousands of followers. The Buddha 's reluctance to name a successor or to formalise his doctrine led to the emergence of many movements during the next 400 years : first the schools of Nikaya Buddhism, of which only Theravada remains today, and then the formation of Mahayana and Vajrayana, pan-Buddhist sects based on the acceptance of new scriptures and the revision of older techniques. Followers of Buddhism, called Buddhists in English, referred to themselves as Sakyan - s or Sakyabhiksu in ancient India. Buddhist scholar Donald S. Lopez asserts they also used the term Bauddha, although scholar Richard Cohen asserts that that term was used only by outsiders to describe Buddhists. Early Buddhism Further information : History of Buddhism in India Early Buddhism remained centered on the Ganges valley, spreading gradually from its ancient heartland. The canonical sources record two councils, where the monastic Sangha established the textual collections based on the Buddha 's teachings and settled certain disciplinary problems within the community. 1st Buddhist council ( 5th century BC ) Main article : First Buddhist Council The first Buddhist council was held just after Buddha 's Parinirvana, and presided over by Gupta Mahākāśyapa, one of His most senior disciples, at Rājagṛha ( today 's Rajgir ) during the 5th century under the noble support of king Ajāthaśatru. The objective of the council was to record all of Buddha 's teachings into the doctrinal teachings ( sutra ) and Abhidhamma and to codify the monastic rules ( vinaya ). Ānanda, one of the Buddha 's main disciples and his cousin, was called upon to recite the discourses and Abhidhamma of the Buddha, and Upali, another disciple, recited the rules of the vinaya. These became the basis of the Tripiṭaka ( Three Baskets ), which is preserved only in Pāli. Actual record on the first Buddhist Council did not mention the existence of the Abhidhamma. It existed only after the second Council. 2nd Buddhist council ( 4th century BC ) Main article : The Second Buddhist Council The second Buddhist council was held at Vaisali following a dispute that had arisen in the Saṅgha over a relaxation by some monks of various points of discipline. Eventually it was decided to hold a second council at which the original Vinaya texts that had been preserved at the first Council were cited to show that these relaxations went against the recorded teachings of the Buddha. Aśokan proselytism ( c. 261 BC ) Further information : Ashoka the Great and Maurya Empire See also : Edicts of Ashoka and Ashokavadana The Maurya Empire under Emperor Aśoka was the world 's first major Buddhist state. It established free hospitals and free education and promoted human rights. Fragment of the 6th Pillar Edict of Aśoka ( 238 BC ), in Brāhmī, sandstone. British Museum. Great Stupa ( 3rd century BC ), Sanchi, India. The Mauryan Emperor Aśoka ( 273 -- 232 BC ) converted to Buddhism after his bloody conquest of the territory of Kalinga ( modern Odisha ) in eastern India during the Kalinga War. Regretting the horrors and misery brought about by the conflict, the king magnanimously decided to renounce violence, to replace the misery caused by war with respect and dignity for all humanity. He propagated the faith by building stupas and pillars urging, amongst other things, respect of all animal life and enjoining people to follow the Dharma. Perhaps the finest example of these is the Great Stupa of Sanchi, ( near Bhopal, India ). It was constructed in the 3rd century BC and later enlarged. Its carved gates, called toranas, are considered among the finest examples of Buddhist art in India. He also built roads, hospitals, resthouses, universities and irrigation systems around the country. He treated his subjects as equals regardless of their religion, politics or caste. This period marks the first spread of Buddhism beyond India to other countries. According to the plates and pillars left by Aśoka ( the edicts of Aśoka ), emissaries were sent to various countries in order to spread Buddhism, as far south as Sri Lanka and as far west as the Greek kingdoms, in particular the neighboring Greco - Bactrian Kingdom, and possibly even farther to the Mediterranean. 3rd Buddhist council ( c. 250 BC ) Main article : Third Buddhist Council King Aśoka convened the third Buddhist council around 250 BC at Pataliputra ( today 's Patna ). It was held by the monk Moggaliputtatissa. The objective of the council was to purify the Saṅgha, particularly from non-Buddhist ascetics who had been attracted by the royal patronage. Following the council, Buddhist missionaries were dispatched throughout the known world. Hellenistic world Some of the edicts of Aśoka describe the efforts made by him to propagate the Buddhist faith throughout the Hellenistic world, which at that time formed an uninterrupted continuum from the borders of India to Greece. The edicts indicate a clear understanding of the political organization in Hellenistic territories : the names and locations of the main Greek monarchs of the time are identified, and they are claimed as recipients of Buddhist proselytism : Antiochus II Theos of the Seleucid Kingdom ( 261 -- 246 BC ), Ptolemy II Philadelphos of Egypt ( 285 -- 247 BC ), Antigonus Gonatas of Macedonia ( 276 -- 239 BC ), Magas ( 288 -- 258 BC ) in Cyrenaica ( modern Libya ), and Alexander II ( 272 -- 255 BC ) in Epirus ( modern Northwestern Greece ). Buddhist proselytism at the time of Emperor Aśoka ( 260 -- 218 BC ), according to the edicts of Aśoka. `` The conquest by Dharma has been won here, on the borders, and even six hundred yojanas ( 5,400 -- 9,600 km ) away, where the Greek king Antiochos rules, beyond there where the four kings named Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas and Alexander rule, likewise in the south among the Cholas, the Pandyas, and as far as Tamraparni ( Sri Lanka ). '' ( Edicts of Aśoka, 13th Rock Edict, S. Dhammika ). Furthermore, according to Pāli sources, some of Aśoka 's emissaries were Greek Buddhist monks, indicating close religious exchanges between the two cultures : `` When the thera ( elder ) Moggaliputta, the illuminator of the religion of the Conqueror ( Aśoka ), had brought the ( third ) council to an end (... ) he sent forth theras, one here and one there : (... ) and to Aparantaka ( the `` Western countries '' corresponding to Gujarat and Sindh ) he sent the Greek ( Yona ) named Dhammarakkhita ``. ( Mahavamsa XII ). Bilingual inscription ( Greek and Aramaic ) by Emperor Aśoka, from Kandahar. Kabul Museum ( click image for full translation ). Aśoka also issued edicts in the Greek language as well as in Aramaic. One of them, found in Kandahar, advocates the adoption of `` piety '' ( using the Greek term eusebeia for Dharma ) to the Greek community : `` Ten years ( of reign ) having been completed, King Piodasses ( Aśoka ) made known ( the doctrine of ) piety ( Greek : εὐσέβεια, eusebeia ) to men ; and from this moment he has made men more pious, and everything thrives throughout the whole world. '' ( Trans. from the Greek original by G.P. Carratelli ) It is not clear how much these interactions may have been influential, but some authors have commented that some level of syncretism between Hellenist thought and Buddhism may have started in Hellenic lands at that time. They have pointed to the presence of Buddhist communities in the Hellenistic world around that period, in particular in Alexandria ( mentioned by Clement of Alexandria ), and to the pre-Christian monastic order of the Therapeutae ( possibly a deformation of the Pāli word `` Theravāda '' ), who may have `` almost entirely drawn ( its ) inspiration from the teaching and practices of Buddhist asceticism '' and may even have been descendants of Aśoka 's emissaries to the West. The philosopher Hegesias of Cyrene, from the city of Cyrene where Magas of Cyrene ruled, is sometimes thought to have been influenced by the teachings of Aśoka 's Buddhist missionaries. Buddhist gravestones from the Ptolemaic period have also been found in Alexandria, decorated with depictions of the Dharma wheel. The presence of Buddhists in Alexandria has even drawn the conclusion : `` It was later in this very place that some of the most active centers of Christianity were established ''. In the 2nd century AD, the Christian dogmatist, Clement of Alexandria recognized Bactrian Buddhists ( śramanas ) and Indian gymnosophists for their influence on Greek thought : `` Thus philosophy, a thing of the highest utility, flourished in antiquity among the barbarians, shedding its light over the nations. And afterwards it came to Greece. First in its ranks were the prophets of the Egyptians ; and the Chaldeans among the Assyrians ; and the Druids among the Gauls ; and the śramanas among the Bactrians ( '' Σαρμαναίοι Βάκτρων `` ) ; and the philosophers of the Celts ; and the Magi of the Persians, who foretold the Saviour 's birth, and came into the land of Judea guided by a star. The Indian gymnosophists are also in the number, and the other barbarian philosophers. And of these there are two classes, some of them called śramanas ( '' Σαρμάναι `` ), and others Brahmins ( '' Βραφμαναι `` ). '' Clement of Alexandria `` The Stromata, or Miscellanies '' Book I, Chapter XV Expansion to Sri Lanka and Burma Further information : Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Buddhism in Burma Sri Lanka was proselytized by Aśoka 's son Mahinda and six companions during the 2nd century BC. They converted the King Devanampiya Tissa and many of the nobility. In addition, Aśoka 's daughter, Saṅghamitta also established the bhikkhunī ( order for nuns ) in Sri Lanka, also bringing with her a sapling of the sacred bodhi tree that was subsequently planted in Anuradhapura. This is when the Mahāvihāra monastery, a center of Sinhalese orthodoxy, was built. The Pāli canon was written down in Sri Lanka during the reign of king Vattagamani ( 29 -- 17 BC ), and the Theravāda tradition flourished there. Later some great commentators worked there, such as Buddhaghoṣa ( 4th -- 5th century ) and Dhammapāla ( 5th -- 6th century ), and they systemised the traditional commentaries that had been handed down. Although Mahāyāna Buddhism gained some influence in Sri Lanka at that time, the Theravāda ultimately prevailed and Sri Lanka turned out to be the last stronghold of it. From there it would expand again to South - East Asia from the 11th century. In the areas east of the Indian subcontinent ( modern Burma and Thailand ), Indian culture strongly influenced the Mons. The Mons are said to have been converted to Buddhism from the 3rd century BC under the proselytizing of the Indian Emperor Aśoka, before the fission between Mahāyāna and Hinayāna Buddhism. Early Mon Buddhist temples, such as Peikthano in central Burma, have been dated to between the 1st and the 5th century CE. Mons Wheel of the Law ( Dharmachakra ), art of Dvaravati, c. 8th century. The Buddhist art of the Mons was especially influenced by the Indian art of the Gupta and post-Gupta periods, and their mannerist style spread widely in South - East Asia following the expansion of the Mon kingdom between the 5th and 8th centuries. The Theravāda faith expanded in the northern parts of Southeast Asia under Mon influence, until it was progressively displaced by Mahāyāna Buddhism from around the 6th century AD. According to the Aśokāvadāna ( 2nd century AD ), Aśoka sent a missionary to the north, through the Himalayas, to Khotan in the Tarim Basin, then the land of the Tocharians, speakers of an Indo - European language. Rise of the Shunga ( 2nd -- 1st century BC ) Further information : Shunga Empire See also : Pushyamitra Shunga and Decline of Buddhism in India The Shunga dynasty ( 185 -- 73 BC ) was established in 185 BC, about 50 years after Aśoka 's death. After assassinating King Brhadrata ( last of the Mauryan rulers ), military commander - in - chief Pushyamitra Shunga took the throne. Buddhist religious scriptures such as the Aśokāvadāna allege that Pushyamitra ( an orthodox Brahmin ) was hostile towards Buddhists and persecuted the Buddhist faith. Buddhists wrote that he `` destroyed hundreds of monasteries and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Monks '' : 840,000 Buddhist stupas which had been built by Aśoka were destroyed, and 100 gold coins were offered for the head of each Buddhist monk. In addition, Buddhist sources allege that a large number of Buddhist monasteries ( vihāras ) were converted to Hindu temples, in places like, but not limited to, Nalanda, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, and Mathura, among many others. Modern historians, however, dispute this view in the light of literary and archaeological evidence. They opine that following Aśoka 's sponsorship of Buddhism, it is possible that Buddhist institutions fell on harder times under the Shungas, but no evidence of active persecution has been noted. Etienne Lamotte observes : `` To judge from the documents, Pushyamitra must be acquitted through lack of proof. '' Another eminent historian, Romila Thapar points to archaeological evidence that `` suggests the contrary '' to the claim that `` Pushyamitra was a fanatical anti-Buddhist '' and that he `` never actually destroyed 840,000 stupas as claimed by Buddhist works, if any ''. Thapar stresses that Buddhist accounts are probably hyperbolic renditions of Pushyamitra 's attack of the Mauryas, and merely reflect the desperate frustration of the Buddhist religious figures in the face of the possibly irreversible decline in the importance of their religion under the Shungas. During the period, Buddhist monks deserted the Ganges valley, following either the northern road ( uttarapatha ) or the southern road ( dakṣinapatha ). Conversely, Buddhist artistic creation stopped in the old Magadha area, to reposition itself either in the northwest area of Gandhāra and Mathura or in the southeast around Amaravati. Some artistic activity also occurred in central India, as in Bhārhut, to which the Shungas may or may not have contributed. Greco - Buddhist interaction ( 2nd century BC -- 1st century AD ) This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2008 ) Main article : Greco - Buddhism See also : Greco - Buddhist art and Buddhism and the Roman world At the start of the Silk Road in the crossroads between India and China ( modern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, and Tajikistan ) Greek kingdoms had been in place since the time of the conquests of Alexander the Great around 326 BC and continued for over 300 years : first the Seleucids from around 323 BC, then the Greco - Bactrian kingdom from around 250 BC and finally the Indo - Greek Kingdom, lasting until 10 CE. A Greco - Buddhist statue, one of the first representations of the Buddha, 1st - 2nd century AD, Gandhara. The Greco - Bactrian king Demetrius I invaded the Indian Subcontinent in 180 BC, establishing an Indo - Greek kingdom that was to last in parts of Northwest South Asia until the end of the 1st century CE. Buddhism flourished under the Indo - Greek and Greco - Bactrian kings, and it has been suggested that their invasion of India was intended to show their support for the Mauryan empire and to protect the Buddhist faith from the alleged religious persecutions of the Shungas ( 185 -- 73 BC ). One of the most famous Indo - Greek kings is Menander ( reigned c. 160 -- 135 BC ). He converted to Buddhism and is presented in the Mahāyāna tradition as one of the great benefactors of the faith, on a par with king Aśoka or the later Kushan king Kaniśka. Menander 's coins bear the mention of the `` saviour king '' in Greek ; some bear designs of the eight - spoked wheel. Direct cultural exchange is also suggested by the dialogue of the Milinda Pañha around 160 BC between Menander and the Buddhist monk Nāgasena, who was himself a student of the Greek Buddhist monk Mahadharmaraksita. Upon Menander 's death, the honor of sharing his remains was claimed by the cities under his rule, and they were enshrined in stupas, in a parallel with the historic Buddha. Several of Menander 's Indo - Greek successors inscribed `` Follower of the Dharma, '' in the Kharoṣṭhī script, on their coins, and depicted themselves or their divinities forming the vitarka mudrā. A coin of Menander I with an eight - spoked wheel and a palm of victory on the reverse ( British Museum ). It is also around the time of initial Greek and Buddhist interaction that the first anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha are found, often in realistic Greco - Buddhist style. The former reluctance towards anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha, and the sophisticated development of aniconic symbols to avoid it ( even in narrative scenes where other human figures would appear ), seem to be connected to one of the Buddha 's sayings, reported in the Digha Nikaya, that discouraged representations of himself after the extinction of his body. Probably not feeling bound by these restrictions, and because of `` their cult of form, the Greeks were the first to attempt a sculptural representation of the Buddha ''. In many parts of the Ancient World, the Greeks did develop syncretic divinities, that could become a common religious focus for populations with different traditions : a well - known example is the syncretic God Sarapis, introduced by Ptolemy I in Egypt, which combined aspects of Greek and Egyptian Gods. In India as well, it was only natural for the Greeks to create a single common divinity by combining the image of a Greek God - King ( The Sun - God Apollo, or possibly the deified founder of the Indo - Greek Kingdom, Demetrius ), with the traditional attributes of the Buddha. Many of the stylistic elements in the representations of the Buddha point to Greek influence : the Greco - Roman toga - like wavy robe covering both shoulders ( more exactly, its lighter version, the Greek himation ), the contrapposto stance of the upright figures ( see : 1st -- 2nd century Gandhara standing Buddhas ), the stylicized Mediterranean curly hair and topknot ( ushnisha ) apparently derived from the style of the Belvedere Apollo ( 330 BCE ), and the measured quality of the faces, all rendered with strong artistic realism ( See : Greek art ). A large quantity of sculptures combining Buddhist and purely Hellenistic styles and iconography were excavated at the Gandharan site of Hadda. Several influential Greek Buddhist monks are recorded. Mahadharmaraksita ( literally translated as ' Great Teacher / Preserver of the Dharma ' ), was `` a Greek ( '' Yona `` ) Buddhist head monk '', according to the Mahavamsa ( Chap. XXIX ), who led 30,000 Buddhist monks from `` the Greek city of Alasandra '' ( Alexandria of the Caucasus, around 150 km north of today 's Kabul in Afghanistan ), to Sri Lanka for the dedication of the Great Stupa in Anuradhapura during the rule ( 165 BC - 135 BC ) of King Menander I. Dharmaraksita ( Sanskrit ), or Dhammarakkhita ( Pali ) ( translation : Protected by the Dharma ), was one of the missionaries sent by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka to proselytize the Buddhist faith. He is described as being a Greek ( Pali : `` Yona '', lit. `` Ionian '' ) in the Mahavamsa. Central Asian expansion The Tillya Tepe Buddhist coin, with naked deity wearing chlamys cape and petasus hat pushing the Wheel of the Law. Kabul Museum. A Buddhist gold coin from India was found in northern Afghanistan at the archaeological site of Tillia Tepe, and dated to the 1st century AD. On the reverse, it depicts a lion in the moving position with a nandipada in front of it, with the Kharoṣṭhī legend `` Sih ( o ) vigatabhay ( o ) '' ( `` The lion who dispelled fear '' ). The Mahayana Buddhists symbolized Buddha with animals such as a lion, an elephant, a horse or a bull. A pair of feet was also used. The symbol called nandipada by archaeologists and historians is actually a composite symbol. The symbol at the top symbolizes the `` Middle Path '', the Buddha dhamma. The circle with a centre symbolizes cakka. Thus, the composite symbol symbolizes dhammacakka, the Buddhist Wheel of the Law. Thus, the symbols on the reverse of the coin jointly symbolize Buddha rolling the dhammacakka. In the `` Lion Capital '' of Saranath, India, Buddha rolling the dhammacakka is depicted on the wall of the cylinder with lion, elephant, horse and bull rolling the dhammacakkas. On the obverse, an almost naked man only wearing an Hellenistic chlamys and wearing a head - dress rolls a dhammacakka. The legend in Kharoṣṭhī reads `` Dharmacakrapravata ( ko ) '' ( `` The one who turned the Wheel of the Law '' ). It has been suggested that this may be an early representation of the Buddha. The head - dress symbolizes the `` Middle Path ''. Thus, the man with the head - dress is a person who adheres to the Middle Path. ( In one of the Indus Valley seals, we find a similar head - dress worn by 9 women. ) Thus, on both sides of the coin, we find Buddha rolling the dhammacakka. As no scientific study on literary and physical symbolization of Buddha and Buddhism was conducted by the archaeologists and historians, imaginary and false interpretations were only given on coins, seals, Brahmi and other inscriptions and other archaeological finds. Rise of Mahāyāna ( 1st century BC -- 2nd century AD ) Further information : Mahayana Gold coin of Kanishka I with a representation of the Buddha ( c. 120 AD ). Obv : Kanishka standing, clad in heavy Kushan coat and long boots, flames emanating from shoulders, holding standard in his left hand, and making a sacrifice over an altar. Kushan - language legend in Greek script ( with the addition of the Kushan Ϸ `` sh '' letter ) : ϷΑΟΝΑΝΟϷΑΟ ΚΑΝΗϷΚΙ ΚΟϷΑΝΟ ( `` Shaonanoshao Kanishki Koshano '' ) : `` King of Kings, Kanishka the Kushan ''. Rev : Standing Buddha in Hellenistic style, forming the gesture of `` no fear '' ( abhaya mudra ) with his right hand, and holding a pleat of his robe in his left hand. Legend in Greek script : ΒΟΔΔΟ `` Boddo '', for the Buddha. Kanishka monogram ( tamgha ) to the right. Several scholars have suggested that the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, which are among the earliest Mahāyāna sūtras, developed among the Mahāsāṃghika along the Kṛṣṇa River in the Āndhra region of South India. The earliest Mahāyāna sūtras to include the very first versions of the Prajñāpāramitā genre, along with texts concerning Akṣobhya Buddha, which were probably written down in the 1st century BCE in the south of India. Guang Xing states, `` Several scholars have suggested that the Prajñāpāramitā probably developed among the Mahāsāṃghikas in southern India, in the Āndhra country, on the Kṛṣṇa River. '' A.K. Warder believes that `` the Mahāyāna originated in the south of India and almost certainly in the Āndhra country. '' Anthony Barber and Sree Padma note that `` historians of Buddhist thought have been aware for quite some time that such pivotally important Mahayana Buddhist thinkers as Nāgārjuna, Dignaga, Candrakīrti, Āryadeva, and Bhavaviveka, among many others, formulated their theories while living in Buddhist communities in Āndhra. '' They note that the ancient Buddhist sites in the lower Kṛṣṇa Valley, including Amaravati, Nāgārjunakoṇḍā and Jaggayyapeṭa `` can be traced to at least the third century BCE, if not earlier. '' Akira Hirakawa notes the `` evidence suggests that many Early Mahayana scriptures originated in South India. '' The two Fourth councils This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2009 ) Main article : The Fourth Buddhist Councils The Fourth Council is said to have been convened in the reign of the Kashmir emperor Kaniṣka around 100 AD at Jalandhar or in Kashmir. Theravāda Buddhism had its own Fourth Council in Sri Lanka about 200 years earlier in which the Pāli canon was written down in toto for the first time. Therefore, there were two Fourth Councils : one in Sri Lanka ( Theravāda ), and one in Kashmir ( Sarvāstivādin ). Extent of Buddhism and trade routes in the 1st century AD. It is said that for the Fourth Council of Kashmir, Kaniṣka gathered 500 monks headed by Vasumitra, partly, it seems, to compile extensive commentaries on the Abhidharma, although it is possible that some editorial work was carried out upon the existing canon itself. Allegedly during the council there were altogether three hundred thousand verses and over nine million statements compiled, and it took twelve years to complete. The main fruit of this council was the compilation of the vast commentary known as the Mahā - Vibhāshā ( `` Great Exegesis '' ), an extensive compendium and reference work on a portion of the Sarvāstivādin Abhidharma. Scholars believe that it was also around this time that a significant change was made in the language of the Sarvāstivādin canon, by converting an earlier Prakrit version into Sanskrit. Although this change was probably effected without significant loss of integrity to the canon, this event was of particular significance since Sanskrit was the sacred language of Brahmanism in India, and was also being used by other thinkers, regardless of their specific religious or philosophical allegiance, thus enabling a far wider audience to gain access to Buddhist ideas and practices. For this reason there was a growing tendency among Buddhist scholars in India thereafter to write their commentaries and treatises in Sanskrit. Many of the early schools, however, such as Theravāda, never switched to Sanskrit, partly because Buddha explicitly forbade translation of his discourses into what was an elitist religious language ( as Latin was in medieval Europe ). He wanted his monks to use a local language instead - a language which could be understood by all. Over time, however, the language of the Theravādin scriptures ( Pāli ) became a scholarly or elitist language as well, exactly opposite to what the Buddha had explicitly commanded. Mahāyāna expansion ( AD 1st -- 10th century ) Further information : Mahayana Expansion of Mahāyāna Buddhism between the 1st and 10th centuries AD. From that point on, and in the space of a few centuries, Mahāyāna was to flourish and spread in the East from India to South - East Asia, and towards the north to Central Asia, China, Korea, and finally to Japan in 538 AD and Tibet in the 7th century. India Further information : History of Buddhism in India After the end of the Kushans, Buddhism flourished in India during the dynasty of the Guptas ( 4th - 6th century ). Mahāyāna centers of learning were established, especially at Nālandā in north - eastern India, which was to become the largest and most influential Buddhist university for many centuries, with famous teachers such as Nāgārjuna. The influence of the Gupta style of Buddhist art spread along with the faith from south - east Asia to China. Buddha and Bodhisattvas, 11th century, Pāla Empire. Indian Buddhism had weakened in the 6th century following the White Hun invasions and Mihirakula 's persecution. Xuanzang reported in his travels across India during the 7th century, of Buddhism being popular in Andhra, Dhanyakataka and Dravida, which area today roughly corresponds to the modern day Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. While reporting many deserted stupas in the area around modern day Nepal and the persecution of Buddhists by Shashanka in the Kingdom of Gauda in modern - day West Bengal, Xuanzang complimented the patronage of Harṣavardana during the same period. After the Harṣavardana kingdom, the rise of many small kingdoms that led to the rise of the Rajputs across the gangetic plains and marked the end of Buddhist ruling clans along with a sharp decline in royal patronage until a revival under the Pāla Empire in the Bengal region. Here Mahāyāna Buddhism flourished and spread to Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim between the 7th and the 12th centuries before the Pālas collapsed under the assault of the Hindu Sena dynasty. The Pālas created many temples and a distinctive school of Buddhist art. Xuanzang noted in his travels that in various regions Buddhism was giving way to Jainism and Hinduism. By the 10th century Buddhism had experienced a sharp decline beyond the Pāla realms in Bengal under a resurgent Hinduism and the incorporation in Vaishnavite Hinduism of Buddha as the 9th incarnation of Vishnu. A milestone in the decline of Indian Buddhism in the North occurred in 1193 when Turkic Islamic raiders under Muhammad Khilji burnt Nālandā. By the end of the 12th century, following the Islamic conquest of the Buddhist strongholds in Bihar and the loss of political support coupled with social pressures, the practice of Buddhism retreated to the Himalayan foothills in the North and Sri Lanka in the south. Additionally, the influence of Buddhism also waned due to Hinduism 's revival movements such as Advaita, the rise of the bhakti movement and the missionary work of Sufis. See also : Indian Buddhism and Decline of Buddhism in India Central and northern Asia This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2009 ) Further information : Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Central Asia Central Asia had been influenced by Buddhism probably almost since the time of the Buddha. According to a legend preserved in Pāli, the language of the Theravādin canon, two merchant brothers from Bactria named Tapassu and Bhallika visited the Buddha and became his disciples. They then returned to Bactria and built temples to the Buddha. Central Asia long played the role of a meeting place between China, India and Persia. During the 2nd century BC, the expansion of the Former Han to the west brought them into contact with the Hellenistic civilizations of Asia, especially the Greco - Bactrian Kingdoms. Thereafter, the expansion of Buddhism to the north led to the formation of Buddhist communities and even Buddhist kingdoms in the oases of Central Asia. Some Silk Road cities consisted almost entirely of Buddhist stupas and monasteries, and it seems that one of their main objectives was to welcome and service travelers between east and west. The Theravādin traditions first spread among the Iranian tribes before combining with the Mahāyāna forms during the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC to cover modern - day Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. These were the ancient states of Gandhāra, Bactria, Margiana and Sogdia, from where it spread to China. Among the first of these states to come under the influence of Buddhism was Bactria as early as the 3rd century BC ( see Greco - Buddhism ). It was not, however, the exclusive faith of this region. There were also Zoroastrians, Hindus, Nestorian Christians, Jews, Manichaeans, and followers of shamanism, Tengrism, and other indigenous, nonorganized systems of belief. Various Nikāya schools persisted in Central Asia and China until around the 7th century AD. Mahāyāna started to become dominant during the period, but since the faith had not developed a Nikaya approach, Sarvāstivādins and Dharmaguptakas remained the Vinayas of choice in Central Asian monasteries. Various Buddhist kingdoms rose and prospered in both the Central Asian region and downwards into the Indian sub-continent, such as the Kushan Empire, prior to the White Hun invasion in the 5th century, where under the King Mihirakula they were heavily persecuted. Buddhism in Central Asia started to decline with the expansion of Islam and the destruction of many stupas in war from the 7th century. The Muslims accorded them the status of dhimmis as `` people of the Book '', such as Christianity or Judaism, and Al - Biruni wrote of Buddha as prophet `` burxan ''. Buddhism saw a surge during the reign of Mongols following the invasion of Genghis Khan and the establishment of the Il Khanate and the Chagatai Khanate who brought their Buddhist influence with them during the 13th century ; however, within 100 years the Mongols who remained in that region would convert to Islam and spread Islam across all the regions of central Asia. Only the eastern Mongols and the Mongols of the Yuan dynasty would keep Vajrayāna Buddhism. See also : Silk Road, Silk Road transmission of Buddhism, and Buddhism Parthia See also : Parthia Buddhism expanded westward into the easternmost fringes of Arsacid Parthia, to the area of Merv, in ancient Margiana, today 's territory of Turkmenistan. Soviet archeological teams have excavated in Giaur Kala near Merv a Buddhist chapel, a gigantic Buddha statue and a monastery. Parthians were directly involved in the propagation of Buddhism : An Shigao ( c. 148 AD ), a Parthian prince, went to China, and is the first known translator of Buddhist scriptures into Chinese. Tarim Basin Blue - eyed Central Asian and East - Asian Buddhist monks, Bezeklik, Eastern Tarim Basin, China, 9th and 10th centuries ; although Albert von Le Coq ( 1913 ) assumed the blue - eyed, red - haired monk was a Tocharian, modern scholarship has identified similar Caucasian figures of the same cave temple ( No. 9 ) as ethnic Sogdians, an Eastern Iranian people who inhabited Turfan as an ethnic minority community during the phases of Tang Chinese ( 7th - 8th century ) and Uyghur rule ( 9th - 13th century ). The eastern part of central Asia ( Chinese Turkestan, Tarim Basin, Xinjiang ) has revealed extremely rich Buddhist works of art ( wall paintings and reliefs in numerous caves, portable paintings on canvas, sculpture, ritual objects ), displaying multiple influences from Indian and Hellenistic cultures. Serindian art is highly reminiscent of the Gandhāran style, and scriptures in the Gandhāri script Kharoṣṭhī have been found. Central Asians seem to have played a key role in the transmission of Buddhism to the East. The first translators of Buddhists scriptures into Chinese were Parthian ( Ch : Anxi ) like An Shigao ( c. 148 AD ) or An Hsuan, Kushan of Yuezhi ethnicity like Lokaksema ( c. 178 AD ), Zhi Qian and Zhi Yao or Sogdians like Kang Sengkai. Thirty - seven early translators of Buddhist texts are known, and the majority of them have been identified as Central Asians. Central Asian and East Asian Buddhist monks appear to have maintained strong exchanges until around the 10th century, as shown by frescoes from the Tarim Basin. These influences were rapidly absorbed, however, by the vigorous Chinese culture, and a strongly Chinese particularism develops from that point. See also : Dunhuang and Kingdom of Khotan China This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2009 ) Main article : Buddhism in China See also : Tang Dynasty art and Chinese Buddhist cuisine According to traditional accounts, Buddhism was introduced in China during the Han dynasty ( 206 BC - 220 AD ) after an emperor dreamed of a flying golden man thought to be the Buddha. Although the archaeological record confirms that Buddhism was introduced sometime during the Han dynasty, it did not flourish in China until the Six Dynasties period ( 220 - 589 AD ). The year 67 AD saw Buddhism 's official introduction to China with the coming of the two monks Moton and Chufarlan. In 68 AD, under imperial patronage, they established the White Horse Temple ( 白馬 寺 ), which still exists today, close to the imperial capital at Luoyang. By the end of the 2nd century, a prosperous community had settled at Pengcheng ( modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu ). The first known Mahāyāna scriptural texts are translations into Chinese by the Kushan monk Lokakṣema in Luoyang, between 178 and 189 AD. Some of the earliest known Buddhist artifacts found in China are small statues on `` money trees '', dated c. 200 AD, in typical Gandhāran drawing style : `` That the imported images accompanying the newly arrived doctrine came from Gandhāra is strongly suggested by such early Gandhāra characteristics on this `` money tree '' Buddha as the high uṣniṣa, vertical arrangement of the hair, moustache, symmetrically looped robe and parallel incisions for the folds of the arms. '' Maitreya Buddha, Northern Wei, 443 AD. In the period between 460 - 525 AD during the Northern Wei dynasty, the Chinese constructed Yungang Grottoes, and it 's an outstanding example of the Chinese stone carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries. All together the site is composed of 252 grottoes with more than 51,000 Buddha statues and statuettes. Another famous Buddhism Grottoes is Longmen Grottoes which started with the Northern Wei Dynasty in 493 AD. There are as many as 100,000 statues within the 1,400 caves, ranging from an 1 inch ( 25 mm ) to 57 feet ( 17 m ) in height. The area also contains nearly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, whence the name `` Forest of Ancient Stelae '', as well as over sixty Buddhist pagodas. Buddhism flourished during the beginning of the Tang Dynasty ( 618 -- 907 ). The dynasty was initially characterized by a strong openness to foreign influences and renewed exchanges with Indian culture due to the numerous travels of Chinese Buddhist monks to India from the 4th to the 11th centuries. The Tang capital of Chang'an ( today 's Xi'an ) became an important center for Buddhist thought. From there Buddhism spread to Korea, and Japanese embassies of Kentoshi helped gain footholds in Japan. However, foreign influences came to be negatively perceived towards the end of the Tang Dynasty. In the year 845, the Tang emperor Wuzong outlawed all `` foreign '' religions including Christian Nestorianism, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism in order to support the indigenous Taoism. Throughout his territory, he confiscated Buddhist possessions, destroyed monasteries and temples, and executed Buddhist monks, ending Buddhism 's cultural and intellectual dominance. However, about a hundred years after the Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution, Buddhism revived during the Song Dynasty ( 1127 -- 1279 ). Pure Land and Chan Buddhism, however, continued to prosper for some centuries, the latter giving rise to Japanese Zen. In China, Chan flourished particularly under the Song dynasty ( 1127 -- 1279 ), when its monasteries were great centers of culture and learning. In the last two thousand years, the Buddhist have built The Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism, they are Mount Wutai, Mount Emei, Mount Jiuhua, Mount Putuo. Today, China boasts one of the richest collections of Buddhist arts and heritages in the world. UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang in Gansu province, the Longmen Grottoes near Luoyang in Henan province, the Yungang Grottoes near Datong in Shanxi province, and the Dazu Rock Carvings near Chongqing are among the most important and renowned Buddhist sculptural sites. The Leshan Giant Buddha, carved out of a hillside in the 8th century during the Tang Dynasty and looking down on the confluence of three rivers, is still the largest stone Buddha statue in the world. Korea Main article : Buddhism in Korea Buddhism was introduced around 372 AD, when Chinese ambassadors visited the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, bringing scriptures and images. Buddhism prospered in Korea - in particular Seon ( Zen ) Buddhism from the 7th century onward. However, with the beginning of the Confucian Yi Dynasty of the Joseon period in 1392, a strong discrimination took place against Buddhism until it was almost completely eradicated, except for a remaining Seon movement. Japan Tile with seated Buddha, Nara Prefecture, Asuka period, 7th century. Tokyo National Museum. Main article : Buddhism in Japan See also : Japanese Art and Zen The Buddhism of Japan was introduced from Three Kingdoms of Korea in the 6th century. The Chinese priest Ganjin offered the system of Vinaya to the Buddhism of Japan in 754. As a result, the Buddhism of Japan has developed rapidly. Saichō and Kūkai succeeded to a legitimate Buddhism from China in the 9th century. Being geographically at the end of the Silk Road, Japan was able to preserve many aspects of Buddhism at the very time it was disappearing in India, and being suppressed in Central Asia and China. The Buddhism quickly became a national religion and thrived, particularly under Shotoku Taishi ( Prince Shotoku ) during Asuka period ( 538 - 794 ). From 710, numerous temples and monasteries were built in the capital city of Nara, such as the five - story pagoda and Golden Hall of the Hōryū - ji, or the Kōfuku - ji temple. Countless paintings and sculptures were made, often under governmental sponsorship. The creations of Japanese Buddhist art were especially rich between the 8th and 13th centuries during Nara period ( 710 - 794 ), Heian period ( 794 - 1185 ) and Kamakura period ( 1185 - 1333 ). During Kamakura period, major reformation activities started, namely changing from Buddhism for the imperial court to the Buddhism for the common people. The traditional Buddhism mostly focused on the protection of the country, imperial house or noble families from the ill spirits and salvation of the imperial families, nobles and monks themselves ( self - salvation ). On the other hand, new sects such as Jodo shu ( pure land sect ) founded by Honen and Jodo Shinshu ( true pure land sect ) founded by Shinran, Honen 's disciple, emphasized salvation of sinners, common men and women and even criminals such as murderers of parents. Shinran preached the commoners by teaching that saying nembutsu ( prayer of Amida Buddha ) is a declaration of faith in Amida 's salvation. Also for the first time in the history of Buddhism, Shinran started a new sect allowing marriage of monks by initiating his own marriage, which was deemed as taboo from the traditional Buddhism. Another development in Kamakura period was Zen, by the introduction of the faith by Dogen and Eisai upon their return from China. Zen is highly philosophical with simplified words reflecting deep thought, but, in the art history, it is mainly characterized by so - called zen art, original paintings ( such as ink wash and the Enso ) and poetry ( especially haikus ), striving to express the true essence of the world through impressionistic and unadorned `` non-dualistic '' representations. The search for enlightenment `` in the moment '' also led to the development of other important derivative arts such as the Chanoyu tea ceremony or the Ikebana art of flower arrangement. This evolution went as far as considering almost any human activity as an art with a strong spiritual and aesthetic content, first and foremost in those activities related to combat techniques ( martial arts ). Buddhism remains active in Japan to this day. Around 80,000 Buddhist temples are preserved and regularly restored. Tibet See also : Tibetan Buddhist History, Tibetan Buddhism, and Tibetan art Buddhism arrived late in Tibet, during the 7th century. The form that predominated, via the south of Tibet, was a blend of mahāyāna and vajrayāna from the universities of the Pāla empire of the Bengal region in eastern India. Sarvāstivādin influence came from the south west ( Kashmir ) and the north west ( Khotan ). Although these practitioners did not succeed in maintaining a presence in Tibet, their texts found their way into the Tibetan Buddhist canon, providing the Tibetans with almost all of their primary sources about the Foundation Vehicle. A subsect of this school, Mūlasarvāstivāda was the source of the Tibetan Vinaya. Chan Buddhism was introduced via east Tibet from China and left its impression, but was rendered of lesser importance by early political events. From the outset Buddhism was opposed by the native shamanistic Bon religion, which had the support of the aristocracy, but with royal patronage it thrived to a peak under King Rälpachän ( 817 - 836 ). Terminology in translation was standardised around 825, enabling a translation methodology that was highly literal. Despite a reversal in Buddhist influence which began under King Langdarma ( 836 - 842 ), the following centuries saw a colossal effort in collecting available Indian sources, many of which are now extant only in Tibetan translation. Tibetan Buddhism was favored above other religions by the rulers of imperial Chinese and Mongol Yuan Dynasty ( 1271 -- 1368 ). Southeast Asia The bronze torso statue of Padmapani, 8th century Srivijayan art, Chaiya, Surat Thani, Southern Thailand. Further information : Indianized kingdom During the 1st century AD, the trade on the overland Silk Road tended to be restricted by the rise in the Middle - East of the Parthian empire, an unvanquished enemy of Rome, just as Romans were becoming extremely wealthy and their demand for Asian luxury was rising. This demand revived the sea connections between the Mediterranean and China, with India as the intermediary of choice. From that time, through trade connection, commercial settlements, and even political interventions, India started to strongly influence Southeast Asian countries ( excluding Vietnam ). Trade routes linked India with southern Burma, central and southern Siam, islands of Sumatra and Java, lower Cambodia and Champa, and numerous urbanized coastal settlements were established there. For more than a thousand years, Indian influence was therefore the major factor that brought a certain level of cultural unity to the various countries of the region. The Pāli and Sanskrit languages and the Indian script, together with Theravāda and Mahāyāna Buddhism, Brahmanism, and Hinduism, were transmitted from direct contact and through sacred texts and Indian literature such as the Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahābhārata. From the 5th to the 13th centuries, South - East Asia had very powerful empires and became extremely active in Buddhist architectural and artistic creation. The main Buddhist influence now came directly by sea from the Indian subcontinent, so that these empires essentially followed the Mahāyāna faith. The Sri Vijaya Empire to the south and the Khmer Empire to the north competed for influence, and their art expressed the rich Mahāyāna pantheon of the bodhisattvas. Srivijayan Empire ( 7th -- 13th century ) Further information : Srivijaya The graceful golden statue of Avalokiteçvara in Malayu - Srivijayan style, Jambi, Indonesia. Srivijaya, a maritime empire centered at Palembang on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, adopted Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism under a line of rulers named the Sailendras. Yijing described Palembang as a great center of Buddhist learning where the emperor supported over a thousand monks at his court. Yijing also testified to the importance of Buddhism as early as the year 671 and advised future Chinese pilgrims to spend a year or two in Palembang. Atiśa studied there before travelling to Tibet as a missionary. As Srivijaya expanded their thalassocracy, Buddhism thrived amongst its people. However, many did not practice pure Buddhism but a new syncretism form of Buddhism that incorporated several different religions such as Hinduism and other indigenous traditions. Srivijaya spread Buddhist art during its expansion in Southeast Asia. Numerous statues of bodhisattvas from this period are characterized by a very strong refinement and technical sophistication, and are found throughout the region. Extremely rich architectural remains are visible at the temple of Borobudur the largest Buddhist structure in the world, built from around 780 in Java, which has 505 images of the seated Buddha. Srivijaya declined due to conflicts with the Hindu Chola rulers of India, before being destabilized by the Islamic expansion from the 13th century. Khmer Empire ( 9th -- 13th centuries ) Further information : Khmer Empire Buddha from Preah Khan ( Angkor ), style post-bayon, 1250 - 1400, Musée Guimet, Paris. Later, from the 9th to the 13th centuries, the Mahāyāna Buddhist and Hindu Khmer Empire dominated much of the South - East Asian peninsula. Under the Khmer, more than 900 temples were built in Cambodia and in neighboring Thailand. Angkor was at the center of this development, with a temple complex and urban organization able to support around one million urban dwellers. One of the greatest Khmer kings, Jayavarman VII ( 1181 -- 1219 ), built large Mahāyāna Buddhist structures at Bayon and Angkor Thom. Vietnam Main article : Buddhism in Vietnam Buddhism in Vietnam as practiced by the Vietnamese is mainly of Mahāyāna tradition. Buddhism came from Vietnam as early as the 2nd century AD through the North from Central Asia via India. Vietnamese Buddhism is very similar to Chinese Buddhism and to some extent reflects the structure of Chinese Buddhism after the Song Dynasty. Vietnamese Buddhism also has a symbiotic relationship with Taoism, Chinese spirituality and the native Vietnamese religion. Emergence of the Vajrayāna ( 5th century ) Main article : Vajrayana See also : Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan art Various classes of Vajrayana literature developed as a result of royal courts sponsoring both Buddhism and Saivism. The Mañjusrimulakalpa, which later came to classified under Kriyatantra, states that mantras taught in the Shaiva, Garuda and Vaishnava tantras will be effective if applied by Buddhists since they were all taught originally by Manjushri. The Guhyasiddhi of Padmavajra, a work associated with the Guhyasamaja tradition, prescribes acting as a Shaiva guru and initiating members into Saiva Siddhanta scriptures and mandalas. The Samvara tantra texts adopted the pitha list from the Shaiva text Tantrasadbhava, introducing a copying error where a deity was mistaken for a place. Theravāda renaissance ( starting in the 11th century ) Further information : Theravada Expansion of Theravāda Buddhism from the 11th century. From the 11th century, the destruction of Buddhism in the Indian mainland by Islamic invasions led to the decline of the Mahāyāna faith in South - East Asia. Continental routes through the Indian subcontinent being compromised, direct sea routes developed from the Middle - East through Sri Lanka to China, leading to the adoption of the Theravāda Buddhism of the Pāli canon, introduced to the region around the 11th century from Sri Lanka. King Anawrahta ( 1044 -- 1078 ) ; the founder of the Pagan Empire, unified the country and adopted the Theravādin Buddhist faith. This initiated the creation of thousands of Buddhist temples at Pagan, the capital, between the 11th and 13th centuries. Around 2,200 of them are still standing. The power of the Burmese waned with the rise of the Thai, and with the seizure of the capital Pagan by the Mongols in 1287, but Theravāda Buddhism remained the main Burmese faith to this day. The Theravāda faith was also adopted by the newly founded ethnic Thai kingdom of Sukhothai around 1260. Theravāda Buddhism was further reinforced during the Ayutthaya period ( 14th -- 18th century ), becoming an integral part of Thai society. In the continental areas, Theravāda Buddhism continued to expand into Laos and Cambodia in the 13th century. From the 14th century, however, on the coastal fringes and in the islands of south - east Asia, the influence of Islam proved stronger, expanding into Malaysia, Indonesia, and most of the islands as far as the southern Philippines. Nevertheless, since Suharto 's rise to power in 1966, there has been a remarkable renaissance of Buddhism in Indonesia. This is partly due to the requirements of Suharto 's New Order for the people of Indonesia to adopt one of the five official religions : Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism or Buddhism. Today it is estimated there are some 10 million Buddhists in Indonesia. A large part of them are people of Chinese ancestry. Expansion of Buddhism to the west Further information : Western Buddhism Saint Josaphat preaching Christianity. 12th - century Greek manuscript. After the Classical encounters between Buddhism and the West recorded in Greco - Buddhist art, information and legends about Buddhism seem to have reached the West sporadically. An account of Buddha 's life was translated into Greek by John of Damascus, and widely circulated to Christians as the story of Barlaam and Josaphat. By the 14th century this story of Josaphat had become so popular that he was made a Catholic saint. The next direct encounter between Europeans and Buddhism happened in Medieval times when the Franciscan friar William of Rubruck was sent on an embassy to the Mongol court of Mongke by the French king Saint Louis in 1253. The contact happened in Cailac ( today 's Qayaliq in Kazakhstan ), and William originally thought they were wayward Christians ( Foltz, `` Religions of the Silk Road '' ). In the period after Hulagu, the Mongol Ilkhans increasingly adopted Buddhism. Numerous Buddhist temples dotted the landscape of Persia and Iraq, none of which survived the 14th century. The Buddhist element of the Il - Khanate died with Arghun. The Kalmyk Khanate was founded in the 17th century with Tibetan Buddhism as its main religion, following the earlier migration of the Oirats from Dzungaria through Central Asia to the steppe around the mouth of the Volga River. During the course of the 18th century, they were absorbed by the Russian Empire. At the end of the Napoleonic wars, Kalmyk cavalry units in Russian service entered Paris. Interest in Buddhism increased during the colonial era, when Western powers were in a position to witness the faith and its artistic manifestations in detail. The opening of Japan in 1853 created a considerable interest in the arts and culture of Japan, and provided access to one of the most thriving Buddhist cultures in the world. Buddhism started to enjoy a strong interest from the general population in the West following the turbulence of the 20th century. In the wake of the 1959 Tibetan uprising, a Tibetan diaspora has made Tibetan Buddhism in particular more widely accessible to the rest of the world. It has since spread to many Western countries, where the tradition has gained popularity. Among its prominent exponents is the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. The number of its adherents is estimated to be between ten and twenty million. See also Buddhism portal Timeline of Buddhism Ordination of women in Buddhism Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Incorporation of Tibet into the People 's Republic of China 14th Dalai Lama Notes Jump up ^ Narendra K. Wagle ( 1995 ). Society at the Time of the Buddha. Popular Prakashan. pp. 41 --. ISBN 978 - 81 - 7154 - 553 - 7. Jump up ^ Beyond Enlightenment : Buddhism, Religion, Modernity by Richard Cohen. Routledge 1999. ISBN 0415544440. pg 33. `` Donors adopted Sakyamuni Buddha 's family name to assert their legitimacy as his heirs, both institutionally and ideologically. To take the name of Sakya was to define oneself by one 's affiliation with the buddha, somewhat like calling oneself a Buddhist today. Jump up ^ Sakya or Buddhist Origins by Caroline Rhys Davids ( London : Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1931 ) pg 1. `` Put away the word `` Buddhism '' and think of your subject as `` Sakya. '' This will at once place you for your perspective at a true point. You are now concerned to learn less about ' Buddha ' and ' Buddhism, ' and more about him whom India has ever known as Sakya - muni, and about his men who, as their records admit, were spoken of as the Sakya - sons, or men of the Sakyas. '' Jump up ^ Curators of the Buddha By Donald S. Lopez. University of Chicago Press. pg 7 Jump up ^ Beyond Enlightenment : Buddhism, Religion, Modernity by Richard Cohen. Routledge 1999. ISBN 0415544440. pg 33. Bauddha is `` a secondary derivative of buddha, in which the vowel 's lengthening indicates connection or relation. Things that are bauddha pertain to the buddha, just as things Saiva relato to Siva and things Vaisnava belong to Visnu... baudda can be both adjectival and nominal ; it can be used for doctrines spoken by the buddha, obejects enjoyed by him, texts attributed to him, as well as individuals, communities, and societies that offer him reverence or accept ideologies certified through his name. Strickly speaking, Sakya is preferable to bauddha since the latter is not attested at Ajanta. In fact, as a collective noun, bauddha is an outsider 's term. The bauddha did not call themselves this in India, though they did sometimes use the word adjectivally ( e.g., as a possessive, the buddha 's ). '' Jump up ^ History of Afghanistan Jump up ^ According to the linguist Zacharias P. Thundy Jump up ^ `` Zen living '', Robert Linssen Jump up ^ `` The Original Jesus '' ( Element Books, Shaftesbury, 1995 ), Elmar R Gruber, Holger Kersten Jump up ^ `` The philosopher Hegesias of Cyrene ( nicknamed Peisithanatos, `` The advocate of death '' ) was a contemporary of Magas and was probably influenced by the teachings of the Buddhist missionaries to Cyrene and Alexandria. His influence was such that he was ultimately prohibited from teaching. '' Jean - Marie Lafont, Inalco in `` Les Dossiers d'Archéologie '', No254, p. 78 Jump up ^ Tarn, The Greeks in Bactria and India Jump up ^ Robert Linssen, Zen living Jump up ^ Clement of Alexandria `` The Stromata, or Miscellanies '' Book I, Chapter XV : http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/clement-stromata-book1.html Jump up ^ Divyāvadāna, pp. 429 -- 434 Jump up ^ Indian Historical Quarterly Vol. XXII, p. 81 ff cited in Hars. 407 Jump up ^ Elst, Koneraad Ashoka and Pushyamitra, iconoclasts ? Jump up ^ Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas by Romila Thapar, Oxford University Press, 1960 P200 Jump up ^ `` Gandhara '', Francine Tissot, p128 : `` The monks, expelled from the Ganges valley, maybe by sectarian disputes, followed the northern road ( Uttarapatha ) or the northern road ( Daksinapatha ), which conducted them to the Northwest for some, and to the Occidental ocean for the others, with multiple artistic creations marking their respective roads '' Jump up ^ Plutarch, Praec. reip. ger. 28, 6 Jump up ^ `` Due to the statement of the Master in the Dighanikaya disfavouring his representation in human form after the extinction of body, reluctance prevailed for some time ''. Also `` Hinayanis opposed image worship of the Master due to canonical restrictions ''. R.C. Sharma, in `` The Art of Mathura, India '', Tokyo National Museum 2002, p. 11 Jump up ^ Linssen, `` Zen Living '' Jump up ^ Standing Buddhas : Image 1 Archived 2013 - 06 - 16 at the Wayback Machine., Image 2 Archived 2006 - 10 - 21 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ The Belvedere Apollo : Image Archived 2014 - 06 - 03 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Full text of the Mahavamsa Click chapter XXIX Jump up ^ `` Il semble qu'on ait là la plus ancienne représentation du Buddha, selon une modalité qui n'est pas encore celle de l'iconographie boudhique traditionnelle '' ( French ) : `` It seems this might be the earliest representation of the Buddha, in a style which is not yet that of traditional Buddhist iconography '', in `` Afghanistan, les trésors retouvés '', p280. Jump up ^ Williams, Paul. Buddhist Thought. Routledge, 2000, pages 131. Jump up ^ Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism : The Doctrinal Foundations 2nd edition. Routledge, 2009, pg. 47. Jump up ^ Guang Xing. The Concept of the Buddha : Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikaya Theory. 2004. pp. 65 -- 66 `` Several scholars have suggested that the Prajñāpāramitā probably developed among the Mahasamghikas in Southern India, in the Andhra country, on the Krsna River. '' Jump up ^ Akira, Hirakawa ( translated and edited by Paul Groner ) ( 1993 ). A History of Indian Buddhism. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass : pp. 253, 263, 268 Jump up ^ `` The south ( of India ) was then vigorously creative in producing Mahayana Sutras '' -- Warder, A.K. ( 3rd edn. 1999 ). Indian Buddhism : p. 335. Jump up ^ Guang Xing. The Concept of the Buddha : Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikaya Theory. 2004. pp. 65 -- 66 Jump up ^ Warder, A.K. Indian Buddhism. 2000. p. 313 Jump up ^ Padma, Sree. Barber, Anthony W. Buddhism in the Krishna River Valley of Andhra. SUNY Press 2008, pg. 1. Jump up ^ Padma, Sree. Barber, Anthony W. Buddhism in the Krishna River Valley of Andhra. SUNY Press 2008, pg. 2. Jump up ^ Akira, Hirakawa ( translated and edited by Paul Groner ) ( 1993. A History of Indian Buddhism. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass : p. 252, 253 Jump up ^ Personality of Xuanzang Sanzang Jump up ^ Buddhism in Andhra Pradesh, story of Buddhism : http://www.indiaprofile.com/religion-culture/buddhisminandhra.htm Jump up ^ Buddhism In Andhra Pradesh Jump up ^ Foltz Jump up ^ von Le Coq, Albert. ( 1913 ). Chotscho : Facsimile - Wiedergaben der Wichtigeren Funde der Ersten Königlich Preussischen Expedition nach Turfan in Ost - Turkistan. Berlin : Dietrich Reimer ( Ernst Vohsen ), im Auftrage der Gernalverwaltung der Königlichen Museen aus Mitteln des Baessler - Institutes, Tafel 19. ( Accessed 3 September 2016 ). Jump up ^ Gasparini, Mariachiara. `` A Mathematic Expression of Art : Sino - Iranian and Uighur Textile Interactions and the Turfan Textile Collection in Berlin, '' in Rudolf G. Wagner and Monica Juneja ( eds ), Transcultural Studies, Ruprecht - Karls Universität Heidelberg, No 1 ( 2014 ), pp 134 - 163. ISSN 2191 - 6411. See also endnote # 32. ( Accessed 3 September 2016. ) Jump up ^ Hansen, Valerie ( 2012 ), The Silk Road : A New History, Oxford University Press, p. 98, ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 993921 - 3. Jump up ^ `` Buddhism in China : A Historical Overview '' ( PDF ). Saylor.org. Retrieved 7 March 2012. Jump up ^ Crossroads of Asia, p. 209 Jump up ^ Conze, Edward ( 1993 ). A Short History of Buddhism ( 2nd ed. ). Oneworld. ISBN 1 - 85168 - 066 - 7. Jump up ^ Conze, 1993, 106 Jump up ^ Berzin, Alexander ( 2000 ). How Did Tibetan Buddhism Develop ? : http://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/buddhism-in-tibet/how-did-tibetan-buddhism-develop ; Berzin, Alexander ( 1996 ). The Spread of Buddhism in Asia : http://studybuddhism.com/en/tibetan-buddhism/about-buddhism/the-world-of-buddhism/spread-of-buddhism-in-asia Jump up ^ Berzin, Alexander, as above Jump up ^ Berzin, Alexander. Study Buddhism : http://studybuddhism.com/ Jump up ^ Jerry Bently, ' Old World Encounters : Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times ( New York : Oxford University Press, 1993 ), 72. Jump up ^ Jerry Bently, ' Old World Encounters : Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times ( New York : Oxford University Press, 1993 ), 73. Jump up ^ Sanderson, Alexis. `` The Śaiva Age : The Rise and Dominance of Śaivism during the Early Medieval Period. '' In : Genesis and Development of Tantrism, edited by Shingo Einoo. Tokyo : Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, 2009. Institute of Oriental Culture Special Series, 23, pp. 124. Jump up ^ Sanderson, Alexis. `` The Śaiva Age : The Rise and Dominance of Śaivism during the Early Medieval Period. '' In : Genesis and Development of Tantrism, edited by Shingo Einoo. Tokyo : Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, 2009. Institute of Oriental Culture Special Series, 23, pp. 129 - 131. Jump up ^ Sanderson, Alexis. `` The Śaiva Age : The Rise and Dominance of Śaivism during the Early Medieval Period. '' In : Genesis and Development of Tantrism, edited by Shingo Einoo. Tokyo : Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, 2009. Institute of Oriental Culture Special Series, 23, pp. 144 - 145. Jump up ^ Huber, Toni ( 2008 ). The holy land reborn : pilgrimage & the Tibetan reinvention of Buddhist India. Chicago : University of Chicago Press. pp. 94 -- 95. ISBN 978 - 0 - 226 - 35648 - 8. Jump up ^ The Islamic World to 1600 : The Mongol Invasions ( The Il - Khanate ) : `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2013 - 10 - 15. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 24. Jump up ^ NUPI - Centre for Russian Studies Jump up ^ History of Kalmykia, Government of the Republic of Kalmykia Jump up ^ Adherents.com estimates twenty million for `` Lamaism ( Vajrayana / Tibetan / Tantric ). '' http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Buddhism References Beal, Samuel ( 1884 ). Si - Yu - Ki : Buddhist Records of the Western World, by Hiuen Tsiang. 2 vols. Translated by Samuel Beal. London. 1884. Reprint : Delhi. Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. 1969. Volume 1 Volume2 Boardman, John, `` The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity '', Princeton University Press, 1994, ISBN 0 - 691 - 03680 - 2 Cowell, E.B. ( transl. ) Ashvaghosa ( author ) ( 1894 ), The Buddha Carita or the Life of the Buddha, reprint, New Delhi, 1977. Eliot, Charles, `` Japanese Buddhism '', Routledge 1964. ISBN 0 - 7103 - 0967 - 8 Eliot, Charles, `` Hinduism and Buddhism : An Historical Sketch '' ( vol. 1 - 3 ), Routledge, London 1921, ISBN 81 - 215 - 1093 - 7 Internet Archive Errington, Elizabeth, `` The Crossroads of Asia. Transformation in Image and symbol in the art of ancient Afghanistan and Pakistan '', Ancient India and Iran Trust 1992, ISBN 0 - 9518399 - 1 - 8 Foltz, Richard ( 2010 ). Religions of the Silk Road : Premodern Patterns of Globalization. New York, New York, USA : Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0230621252. Keown, Damien, `` Dictionary of Buddhism '', Oxford University Press, 2003, ISBN 0 - 19 - 860560 - 9 Linssen, Robert, `` Living Zen '', Grove Press, New York, 1958. ISBN 0 - 8021 - 3136 - 0 McEvilley, Thomas, `` The Shape of Ancient Thought. Comparative studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies '', Allworth Press, New York, 2002. ISBN 1 - 58115 - 203 - 5 `` National Museum Arts asiatiques - Guimet '' ( Editions de la Reunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris, 2001 ) ISBN 2 - 7118 - 3897 - 8. `` The Times Atlas of Archeology '', Times Books Limited, London, 1991. ISBN 0 - 7230 - 0306 - 8 Takakusu, J., I - Tsing, A Record of the Buddhist Religion : As Practised in India and the Malay Archipelago ( A.D. 671 - 695 ), Clarendon press 1896. Reprint. New Delhi, AES, 2005, lxiv, 240 p., ISBN 81 - 206 - 1622 - 7. Tissot, Francine, `` Gandhara '', Librairie d'Amérique et d'Orient, Paris 1970, ISBN 2 - 7200 - 1031 - 6 Willemen, Charles, trans. ( 2009 ), Buddhacarita : In Praise of Buddha 's Acts, Berkeley, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. ISBN 978 - 1886439 - 42 - 9 Wikimedia Commons has media related to History of Buddhism. Buddhism topics Glossary Index Outline Foundations Three Jewels Buddha Dharma Sangha Four Noble Truths Noble Eightfold Path Nirvana Middle Way The Buddha Tathāgata Birthday Four sights Physical characteristics Footprint Relics Iconography in Laos and Thailand Films Miracles Family Suddhodāna ( father ) Māyā ( mother ) Mahapajapati Gotamī ( aunt, adoptive mother ) Yasodhara ( wife ) Rāhula ( son ) Ānanda ( cousin ) Devadatta ( cousin ) Places where the Buddha stayed Buddha in world religions Key concepts Avidyā ( Ignorance ) Bardo Bodhicitta Bodhisattva Buddha - nature Dhamma theory Dharma Enlightenment Five hindrances Indriya Karma Kleshas Mind Stream Parinirvana Pratītyasamutpāda Rebirth Saṃsāra Saṅkhāra Skandha Śūnyatā Taṇhā ( Craving ) Tathātā Ten Fetters Three marks of existence Impermanence Dukkha Anatta Two truths doctrine Cosmology Ten spiritual realms Six realms Deva ( Buddhism ) Human realm Asura realm Hungry Ghost realm Animal realm Hell Three planes of existence Practices Bhavana Bodhipakkhiyādhammā Brahmavihara Mettā Karuṇā Mudita Upekkha Dāna Devotion Dhyāna Faith Five Strengths Iddhipada Meditation Mantras Kammaṭṭhāna Recollection Smarana Anapanasati Samatha Vipassanā ( Vipassana movement ) Shikantaza Zazen Kōan Mandala Tonglen Tantra Tertön Terma Merit Mindfulness Satipatthana Nekkhamma Pāramitā Paritta Puja Offerings Prostration Chanting Refuge Satya Sacca Seven Factors of Enlightenment Sati Dhamma vicaya Pīti Passaddhi Śīla Five Precepts Bodhisattva vow Prātimokṣa Threefold Training Śīla Samadhi Prajñā Vīrya Four Right Exertions Nirvana Bodhi Bodhisattva Buddhahood Pratyekabuddha Four stages of enlightenment Sotāpanna Sakadagami Anāgāmi Arhat Monasticism Bhikkhu Bhikkhuni Śrāmaṇera Śrāmaṇerī Anagarika Ajahn Sayadaw Zen master Rōshi Lama Rinpoche Geshe Tulku Householder Upāsaka and Upāsikā Śrāvaka The ten principal disciples Shaolin Monastery Major figures Gautama Buddha Kaundinya Assaji Sāriputta Mahamoggallāna Mulian Ānanda Mahākassapa Anuruddha Mahākaccana Nanda Subhuti Punna Upali Mahapajapati Gotamī Khema Uppalavanna Asita Channa Yasa Buddhaghoṣa Nagasena Angulimala Bodhidharma Nagarjuna Asanga Vasubandhu Atiśa Padmasambhava Nichiren Songtsen Gampo Emperor Wen of Sui Dalai Lama Panchen Lama Karmapa Shamarpa Naropa Xuanzang Zhiyi Texts Tripiṭaka Madhyamakālaṃkāra Mahayana sutras Pāli Canon Chinese Buddhist canon Tibetan Buddhist canon Branches Theravada Mahayana Chan Buddhism Zen Seon Thiền Pure Land Tiantai Nichiren Madhyamaka Yogachara Navayana Vajrayana Tibetan Shingon Dzogchen Early Buddhist schools Pre-sectarian Buddhism Basic points unifying Theravāda and Mahāyāna Countries Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Russia Kalmykia Buryatia Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam Middle East Iran Western countries Argentina Australia Brazil France United Kingdom United States Venezuela History Timeline Ashoka Buddhist councils History of Buddhism in India Decline of Buddhism in India Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution Greco - Buddhism Buddhism and the Roman world Buddhism in the West Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Persecution of Buddhists Banishment of Buddhist monks from Nepal Buddhist crisis Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Buddhist modernism Vipassana movement 969 Movement Women in Buddhism Philosophy Abhidharma Atomism Buddhology Creator Economics Eight Consciousnesses Engaged Buddhism Eschatology Ethics Evolution Humanism Logic Reality Secular Buddhism Socialism The unanswered questions Culture Architecture Temple Vihara Wat Stupa Pagoda Candi Dzong architecture Japanese Buddhist architecture Korean Buddhist temples Thai temple art and architecture Tibetan Buddhist architecture Art Greco - Buddhist Bodhi Tree Budai Buddharupa Calendar Cuisine Funeral Holidays Vesak Uposatha Magha Puja Asalha Puja Vassa Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Kasaya Mahabodhi Temple Mantra Om mani padme hum Mudra Music Pilgrimage Lumbini Maya Devi Temple Bodh Gaya Sarnath Kushinagar Poetry Prayer beads Prayer wheel Symbolism Dharmachakra Flag Bhavacakra Swastika Thangka Temple of the Tooth Vegetarianism Miscellaneous Abhijñā Amitābha Avalokiteśvara Guanyin Brahmā Dhammapada Dharma talk Hinayana Kalpa Koliya Lineage Maitreya Māra Ṛddhi Sacred languages Pali Sanskrit Siddhi Sutra Vinaya Comparison Bahá'í Faith Christianity Influences Comparison East Asian religions Gnosticism Hinduism Jainism Judaism Psychology Science Theosophy Violence Western philosophy Lists Bodhisattvas Books Buddhas named Buddhists Suttas Temples Portal History of religions Timeline of religion List of religions and spiritual traditions Major groups Abrahamic Baha'i Christianity Islam Judaism Rastafarianism Indian Buddhism Hinduism Jainism Sikhism Iranian Zoroastrianism Manichaeanism East Asian Confucianism Taoism Shinto American Aztec Mayan Inca Modern Neopaganism New Thought Scientology Spiritism Historical Prehistoric Paleolithic Near East Egyptian Semitic Mesopotamian Indo - 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Question: who was the founder of buddhism and when was it founded
Answer: 5th century BCE