The history of Buddhism dates back to 580 BC. Buddhism began with the birth of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. He was born in Lumbini, Southern Nepal. Siddhartha left his home at the age of 29 years, in search of enlightenment. After going through a number of years as an ascetic, which he subsequently rejected, he began a more balanced life of discipline and meditation. At the age of 35 he attained enlightenment. For the next 45 years he devoted his life to teaching people. He showed them the path to enlightenment; liberating them from the cycle of life and death and alleviating all pain and suffering. Understanding the life of the Buddha is essential in that the very fact that he was human leads him to Enlightenment. It is only through our emotions, negative or positive, do we develop the ability to see ourselves clearly. This is where compassion comes from and not an external power. The Buddha is an Exemplar that we in our humanity can follow. He led the way and showed us the path and then it has been up to us in our humanity to follow his example.
When Buddha died he did not designate a successor nor were his teachings written down. Consequently, historically the teachings have gone through various permutations, variations and codifications according to the culture of the peoples it came into contact with. Gradually, Buddhism spread to numerous countries of the world. The original Indian foundation was expanded by the inclusion of Hellenistic as well as Central Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian cultural elements. The history of Buddhism also witnessed the development of numerous movements and divisions, such as Theravada, Mahayana, etc.
In an effort to give some universal and systematic form to Buddhism, the spiritual leaders of the various divisions of Buddhism periodically organized councils. The First Council of Buddhism Sangha was organized a few months after Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana (Buddha’s Nirvana after death) was held in Rajagaha, India, The primary aim of this council was to develop agreement on his teachings because his teachings had not been written down. About 100 years later, a Second Council was held in Vesali, India. The aim of this council, was twofold: to settle conflict over the nature of the Arahant (Buddhist saint); settle a conflict that had arisen over monastic ie discipline between the Mahasanghika majority (Great Assembly) of eastern India and Sthavira minority (the Elders) of the west.
As Buddhism spread, political leaders and rulers were exposed to its teachings. Asoka, was the ruler of the Magadhan Empire from 268 to 232 BCE. Legend has it that he participated in a brutal battle at Kalinga, witnessed the terrible carnage from it, and was so moved with remorse for his actions that he converted to Buddhism. In following the Buddhist teachings he made his empire a Buddhist State; the first of its kind. He laid the foundation of numerous stupas and spread the teachings of Lord Buddha throughout the world. Buddhism would not be what it is today if it were not for Asoka. A Third Council was held under Emperor Asoka, in Pataliputra. Its aim was to establish standards for monks. After this council many monks who were considered bogus monks were excluded from the Sangha. Emperor Asoka sent his son, Mahindra, to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism in that state. He succeeded in converting the King of Sri Lanka to Buddhism and soon, Buddhism became the state religion of Sri Lanka.
In the 1st Century BCE the Fourth Council was held in Sri Lanka, in the Aloka Cave near the village of Matale. It was in this council the teachings of Lord Buddha were written down for the first time. The entire writing was collected in three baskets and given the name of Tipitaka or Pali Canon. The Pali Canon is comprised of three Pitakas; Vinaya Pitaka (the rules for the monks and nuns). Sutta Pitaka (Buddha’s discourses) and the Abhidhamma Pitaka (philosophical and psychological systemization of the Buddha’s teachings). Another Fourth Buddhist Council (Sarvastivada tradition) was held around 100 CE at Jalandhar or in Kashmir. It is said to have been convened by the Kushana king, Kanishka.
As time passed Buddhism developed various Sects. Mahayana Buddhism emerged and grew between 150 BCE and 100 CE. With the rise of this sect, new sutras emerged. The most significant ones are the Lotus Sutra, the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra. The period between third and seventh century CE saw the establishment of a new form of Buddhism, which emerged out of the Mahayana sect. This form came to be known as Tantra, Mantrayana and Vajrayana. Tantras placed emphasis on the Bodhisattva ideal and empathy for all beings. It also laid stress on the drawing of mandalas or ‘magic’ circles, symbolic hand gestures known as mudras, the recitation of phrases known as mantras and visualizations. It was also believed that one needs an experienced teacher or guru to learn the teachings of Lord Buddha. From the seventh century, Buddhism went on a downward spiral in India, because of growth of Hinduism, decline of Buddhist universities and Muslim Turk invasions of northwest India.
As Buddhism was going through its development and decline in India, Buddhism started gaining entry into China around 1st century CE. In the Fourth century CE, Buddhism gained ground in Korea and from there spread to Japan in 538 CE. By the end of the century, Buddhism had become the state religion of the country. In 8th century CE, the religion further spread under the patronage of Emperor Shomu. Six schools of Chinese Buddhism, namely Sanron, Jojitsu, Hosso, Kusha, Kegon and Ritsu, were also introduced during this period. Later, Tendai and Shingon schools developed in Japan. Zen Buddhism, based on Chinese Ch’an Buddhism, started evolving in Japan around the 12th century. Founded by Esai Zenji, it came to be known as Rinzai School in the country. Soto School of Zen also developed there in the 13th century, with its base in Chinese Ts’ao-tung School. The arrival of an Indian tantric master, known as Padmasambhava, in the 8th century was instrumental in the spread of Buddhism in Tibet. There was a second revival of Buddhism in Tibet between the 11th-13th century.
By the 19th and early-20th century Buddhism had spread to the western countries. There are a number of notable names who helped in this process. T W Rhys Davids (1843-1927) was a British scholar of the Pali language and founded the Pali Text Society in England. Other names worth mentioning in this context are those of Edward Arnold, a poet; Christmas Humphreys, an English barrister; Alan Watts and Dennis Lockwood; founder of the Friends of Western Buddhism Order (FWBO). Buddhism started spreading amongst the native population of America in the 1950s. Presently, one can find all schools of Buddhism in the USA.
Today, Buddhism has spread to almost all the countries of the world, with the population of Buddhists estimated to be around 350 million. Out of these, almost half the number, practice the Mahayana tradition. The largest population of Buddhists are in China. Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar have a high proportion of Buddhists in their population. Buddhism has become quite widespread in America, Australia and United Kingdom. Buddhism, because of the foundations set down by the various councils and yet the ability to modify itself to the people it is serving, is one of the oldest continuous religions on earth and continues to grow and spread throughout the world.
