Statue of Gautama Buddha.

Contents Life of the Buddha Early Buddhism Ashokan Proselytism Rise of the Sunga Greco-Buddhist Interaction Rise of Mahayana

Introduction

The History of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today. Throughout this period, the religion evolved as it encountered various countries and cultures, adding to its original Indian foundation Central Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian, and to a lesser extent Hellenistic cultural elements. In the process, its geographical extent became considerable so as to affect at one time or another most of the Asian continent. The history of Buddhism is also characterized by the development of numerous movements and schisms, foremost among them the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, punctuated by contrasting periods of expansion and retreat.