The Development of Buddhism Over Time

Introduction

600 BCE

Buddhism has a long history, starting in the 6th century BCE. Buddhism is a religious faith that was founded by a man named Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, he was a philosopher, spiritual teacher and religious leader. Buddhism started in India and later started to evolve and develop new teachings and eventually spread throughout Asia, then across the globe, changing millions of its followers' views on the world. It is now considered one of the world's major religions.

Key Buddhist beliefs

600 BCE

-Buddha is not a God.
-Considered a “way of life”.
-Core Focus is on achieving enlightenment, learned through meditation and wisdom.
-Avoid self-indulgence.
-The Four Noble Truths are essential to understanding the religion.
-Embrace the concepts of karma and reincarnation.
-Worship in temples or in their own homes.
-Bhikkhus monks follow a strict code of conduct, which includes celibacy.
-Religious symbols: the lotus flower, the eight-spoked dharma wheel, the Bodhi tree and the swastika.

The Development of Buddhism Over Time

600 BCE

• By: Taylor Atwood 600 BCE-1500

Buddhas Life

563 BCE

Siddhartha Gautama was born on April 8th, 563 BCE. This time period is when Siddhartha Gautama was alive. Siddhartha lived as a prince in Lumbini, Nepal but decided to give up his lavish life to live in "the middle" so he could practice no self indulgence. Buddha is said to have found enlightenment from meditating under the bodhi tree, and spent his last years teaching the ways of enlightenment to others. Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha died in 483 BCE. His teachings set the base of Buddhism today.

Reign of King Ashoka

269 BCE

269-231 B.C.E was the reign of King Ashoka the great, Mauryan Indian emperor. He was Buddhist and made Buddhism the set religion of India for the first time. He sent his son Mahinda, the first Buddhist missionary, to Sri Lanka, which lead to the spread of Buddhism along with encouragement of missionary work to continue the spread of the belief and build religious temples. The 3rd buddhist council took place in the 3rd century, the council recommended that Ashoka send out 60k brahmanic spies.

The Rise of Mahayana Buddhism

100 BCE

100 BCE to 100 CE was the rise of Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism was a major movement in the historical development of Buddhism. It is made up of schools and reinterpretations of core buddhist beliefs and values, Mahayana Buddhists believe in heaven, hell and nirvana. Like Buddha, they could teach their method to others in schools.

Reign of King Kanishka

100

During the 2nd century CE, was the reign of King Kanishka. He was a firm believer in the form of Mahayana Buddhism, during this time Kanishka promoted monks to spread Mahayana Buddhism to central Asia during the Fourth Buddhist Council at Jalandhar.

Buddhism first entered China.

101

Buddhism spread to China in the 1st century CE from India and Central Asia via the Silk Road trade route. It was spread to China by Buddhist monks from India during the Han dynasty, the preached their religious beliefs while trading. Buddhism took around a century to become embedded into Chinese culture, in fact one of the key points of Buddhism in China was Daoism.

First Zen patriarch Bodhidharma arrives in China.

520

The Bodhidharma is a deeply educated Buddhist monk from south India who arrived in China, he is the father of Zen Buddhism. After his iconic interview with the Emperor Wu, he went off to meditate for nine years in silence.

Buddhism entered Japan from Korea.

538

Buddhism arrived in Korea in the 4th century CE. it was practiced by a Korean immigrant population in Japan at that time. Later Buddhism enters Japan in 538 passed from Korea, it then becomes the state religion.

Vajrayana Buddhism established in Tibet.

600

Vajrayana Buddhism was established in 7th to 8th century In Tibet. The Vajrayana Buddhism practice was seen as a quicker, more effective path to enlightenment, this faith grew and became the dominant form of Buddhism. It developed in medieval India and spread to Tibet.

Theravada Buddhism established in Southeast Asia.

1001

Theravada Buddhism was established in the 11th to 14th century. Theravada Buddhism is the more "conservative" of the two versions of Buddhism. The school of Theravada Buddhism is the oldest school for practicing Buddhism. It is practiced mostly in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.

Nalanda University destroyed

1199

The Ancient University of Nalanda was founded by the Gupta Dynasty who ruled parts of India. The university was destroyed by the Muslim army led by the Turkish leader Bakhtiyar Khilji. After this horrendous attack, Buddhism as a whole in India had a difficult setback for hundreds of years due to fear of freedom and the loss of the religious texts during the fire.

Nichiren Buddhism established in Japan.

1201

Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism. Nichiren Buddhism began in medieval Japan. It was developed and taught by Nichiren Daishonin, a Japanese monk who tried to reform Buddhism and Japanese society.He believed that other forms of buddhism were wrong entirely.