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The purpose of this timeline is to give a detailed account of Buddhism from the birth of [[Gautama Buddha]] to the present.
==Timeline
{{Buddhist traditions timeline}}
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| 326 BCE || Alexander the Great reaches North West India. The [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]] that arise in the aftermath has a large influence upon the development of Buddhism.<ref>Narain, A.K. (1957). The Indo-Greeks. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 124</ref>
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| c. 324 BCE || [[Pyrrho]], a philosopher in Alexander the Great's court,
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| c. 321 – c. 297 BCE || The reign of [[Chandragupta Maurya]], grandfather of [[Ashoka]], who subdues the [[Nanda Empire]] by c. 320 BCE, and gradually conquers much of northern India.<ref name="sen26">{{cite book|author=R.K. Sen|title=Journal of the Buddhist Text Society of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r0ZBAQAAMAAJ |year=1895|publisher=The Society|pages=26–32|chapter=Origin of the Maurya of Magadha and of Chanakya}}</ref>
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! style="width:15%" | Date || Event
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|c. 250 BCE|| [[Third Buddhist council]], convened by [[Ashoka]] and chaired by [[Moggaliputta-Tissa]], compiles the ''[[
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|c. 250 BCE|| Ashoka sends various [[Ashoka#Dharma|Buddhist missionaries]] to faraway countries, as far as China, [[mainland Southeast Asia]] and the [[
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|c. 250 BCE|| First-fully developed examples of [[Kharosthi]] script in the inscriptions at [[
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|c. 250 BCE|| Indian traders regularly visit ports in the [[Arabian Peninsula]], explaining the prevalence of place names in the region with Indian or Buddhist origin; e.g., ''bahar'' (from [[Sanskrit]] ''vihara'' (a Buddhist monastery). Ashokan emissary monks bring Buddhism to [[Suvarnabhumi]], the location of which is disputed. The ''[[
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|c. 220 BCE||[[Theravada]] is officially introduced to [[Sri Lanka]] by the [[Mahinda (Buddhist monk)|Mahinda]], son of Ashoka, during the reign of [[Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura]].
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|165–130 BCE|| Reign of the Indo-Greek king [[Menander I]], who converts to Buddhism under the sage [[Nagasena]] according to the account of the ''[[Milinda Panha]]''.
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|121 BCE||The Chinese Emperor [[Han Wudi]] (156–87 BCE) receives two golden statues of
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|c. 55 BCE||The Indo-Greek governor [[Theodorus (meridarch)|Theodorus]] enshrines relics of the Buddha, dedicating them to the deified "Lord [[Shakyamuni]]."
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|29 BCE||According to the Sinhalese chronicles, the content of the [[Pali Canon]] is written down in the reign of King {{IAST|Vaṭṭagamiṇi}} (29–17 BCE){{sfn|Geiger|
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|2 BCE|| The [[Hou Hanshu]] records the visit in 2 BCE of [[Yuezhi]] envoys to the Chinese capital, who give oral teachings on [[Buddhist
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|67||[[Liu Ying (prince)|Liu Ying]]'s sponsorship of Buddhism is the first documented case of Buddhist practices in China.
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|67||[[Buddhism in China|Buddhism]] comes to China with the two monks [[Kasyapa Matanga|Kasyapa]] and [[Dharmaraksha]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Julch |first1=Thomas |title=The Middle Kingdom and the Dharma Wheel: Aspects of the Relationship between the Buddhist Saṃgha and the State in Chinese History |date=2016 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004322585 |page=47}}</ref>
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|68||[[Buddhism]] is officially established in China with the founding of the [[White Horse Temple]].<ref name="Leffman">{{Cite book |last=Leffman |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dA_QbQiZkB4C&pg=PA307 |title=Rough Guide to China |author2=Simon Lewis |author3=Jeremy Atiya |publisher=Rough Guides |year=2003 |isbn=1-84353-019-8 |page=307}}</ref><ref name="Bao">{{Cite book |last=Bao |first=Yuheng |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LpRQAAAAMAAJ&q=white+horse+temple+china |title=Buddhist Art and Architecture of China |author2=Qing Tian |author3=Letitia Lane |publisher=Edwin Mellen Press |year=2004 |isbn=0-7734-6316-X |pages=84, 172}}</ref><ref name="Harper">{{Cite book |last=Harper |first=Damien |url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetchin00dami/page/462 |title=China |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-74059-915-3 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetchin00dami/page/462 462–463]}}</ref>
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|78||[[Ban Chao]], a Chinese General, subdues the Buddhist [[Kingdom of Khotan]].
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|c. 78–101||According to [[Mahayana]] tradition, the [[Fourth Buddhist council]] takes place under [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]]a king [[Kanishka]]'s reign, near [[Jalandar]], India.
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! style="width:15%" | Date || Event
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|116||The Kushans, under [[Kanishka]], establish a kingdom centered on [[Kashgar]], also taking control of [[Khotan]] and [[
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|148||[[An Shigao]], a [[Parthia]]n prince and Buddhist monk, arrives in China and proceeds to make the first translations of [[Theravada]] texts into Chinese.
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|c. 150–250|| Indian and [[Central Asia]]n Buddhists travel to Vietnam.
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|178||The [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]] monk [[Lokaksema (Buddhist monk)|Lokaksema]] travels to the Chinese capital of [[Loyang]] and becomes the first known translator of [[Mahayana]] texts into Chinese.
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|c. 250||Use of [[Kharosthi|Kharoṣṭhī]] script in [[Gandhara]] stops.
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|c. 250–350||[[Kharosthi|Kharoṣṭhī]] script is used in the southern [[Silk Road]] cities of [[Khotan]] and [[
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|296||The earliest surviving Chinese Buddhist manuscript dates from this year (''Zhu Fo Yao Ji Jing'', discovered in [[Dalian]], late 2005).
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|384||The [[Gandhara]]n monk [[Marananta]] arrived in [[Baekje]], in modern-day Korea, and the royal family received the strain of Buddhism he brought. [[Asin of Baekje|King Asin of Baekje]] proclaimed, "people should believe in Buddhism and seek happiness."<ref name="buswell"/>
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|399–414||[[
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! style="width:15%" | Date || Event
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|c. 5th century||The kingdom of [[
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|402||At the request of [[Yao Xing]], [[
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|403||In China, [[Lushan Huiyuan
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|405||[[Yao Xing]] honours [[
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|425||Buddhism reaches [[Sumatra]].
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|485||Five monks from [[Gandhara]] travel to the country of [[Fusang]] (Japan, or possibly the [[Americas]]), where they introduce Buddhism.
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|495||The [[Shaolin Monastery
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! style="width:15%" | Date || Event
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|527||[[Bodhidharma]] settles into the Shaolin
by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit</ref>
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|531–579||Reign of the [[Zoroastrianism in Iran|Zoroastrian]] king, [[
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|538 or 552||Buddhism is introduced to Japan via [[Baekje]] ([[Korea]]), according to [[Nihonshoki]]; some scholars place this event in 538.
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! style="width:15%" | Date || Event
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|607||A Japanese imperial envoy is dispatched to [[Sui
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|616–634||[[Jingwan]] begins carving sutras onto stone at [[Fangshan, Yuzhou, Henan|Fangshan]], [[Yuzhou (ancient China)|Yuzhou]],
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|617–649||Reign of [[Songtsen Gampo]] of [[Tibet]], who is traditionally held to be the first Tibetan King to promote the bringing of Buddhism to Tibet.<ref>Anne-Marie Blondeau, Yonten Gyatso, 'Lhasa, Legend and History,' in Françoise Pommaret(ed.) ''Lhasa in the seventeenth century: the capital of the Dalai Lamas,'' Brill Tibetan Studies Library, 3, Brill 2003, pp. 15–38.</ref>
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|627–645||[[Xuanzang]] travels to India, noting the persecution of Buddhists by [[Sasanka]] (king of [[
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|c. 650||End of sporadic Buddhist rule in the [[Sindh]].
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|671||Chinese Buddhist pilgrim [[
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|671||[[Uisang]] returns to [[Korea]] after studying Chinese [[
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! style="width:15%" | Date || Event
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|c. 8th century||Buddhist [[Jataka tales]]
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|736||[[
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|743–754||The [[China|Chinese]] monk [[Jianzhen]] attempts to reach Japan eleven times, succeeding in 754 to establish the Japanese [[Risshū (Buddhism)|Ritsu]] school, which specialises in the ''[[vinaya]]'' (monastic rules).
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|760–830||Construction is begun on [[
Munoz says the Sailendra king [[Samaratungga]] completed Borobudur in 825 AD. {{ISBN|978-981-4155-67-0}}</ref>
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|838–847||[[Ennin]], a priest of the [[Tendai]] school, travels in China for nine years. He reaches both the famous Buddhist mountain of [[Wutaishan]] and the Chinese capital, [[Chang'an]], keeping a detailed diary that is a primary source for this period of Chinese history, including the Buddhist persecution.
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|841–846|| Emperor [[Emperor Wuzong of Tang|Wuzong]] of the [[Tang
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|859||The [[Caodong
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|c. 10th century||In Tibet, a strong Buddhist revival is begun.
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|971|| Chinese [[Song
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|911||A printed copy of the [[Song
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|c. 11th century||[[Marpa Lotsawa|Marpa]], [[Konchog Gyalpo]], [[Atisha]], and others introduce the [[Sarma (Tibetan Buddhism)|Sarma]] lineages into Tibet.
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|1009||[[Vietnam]]'s Lý
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|1010||[[Korea]] begins carving its own woodblock print edition of the Buddhist canon. No completion date is known; the canon is continuously expanded, with the arrival of new texts from China.
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! style="width:15%" | Date || Event
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|1100–1125||[[Emperor Huizong of Song China|Huizong]] reigns during the Chinese [[Song
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|1133–1212||[[Hōnen]] establishes [[Pure Land]] Buddhism as an independent sect in Japan.
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|1820–1841||[[Minh Mạng]] reigns in [[Vietnam]], further restricting Buddhism. He insists that all monks be assigned to [[cloister]]s and carry identification documents. He also places new restrictions on printed material and begins the persecution of [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] missionaries and converts that his successors (not without provocation) continue.
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|1844||[[Elizabeth Peabody]] became the first person to translate any Buddhist scripture into English, translating a chapter of the ''[[Lotus Sutra]]'' from its French translation.<ref name=ford>{{cite book| last =Ford| first =James Ishmael| title =Zen Master Who?| publisher =[[Wisdom Publications]]| year =2006| page =[https://archive.org/details/zenmasterwhoguid00jame/page/60 60]| url =https://archive.org/details/zenmasterwhoguid00jame/page/60| isbn =0-86171-509-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lopez Jr.|first1=Donald S.|title=The Life of the Lotus Sutra|journal=Tricycle Maqgazine|date=2016|issue=Winter}}</ref>
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|1851–1868||In Thailand, King [[Mongkut]]—himself a former monk—conducts a campaign to reform and modernise the monkhood, a movement that has continued in the present century under the inspiration of several great ascetic monks from the northeast part of the country.
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! style="width:15%" | Date || Event
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|1902||[[Charles Henry Allan Bennett]] a British national ordains as a Theravada monk in Ceylon as Bhikkhu [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett#Out of
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|1903||Formation of the [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett#Brotherly
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|1903||First publication of
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|1904||First continental European, Anton Walther Florus Gueth, was accepted into the Sangha as [[Nyanatiloka|Ñāṇatiloka Bhikkhu]]. Ñāṇatiloka went on to become the father of western monks in Ceylon.
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|1907||''[[Charles Henry Allan Bennett#
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|1908||[[Charles Henry Allan Bennett]] a British national previously ordained as a Theravada monk as Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya in Burma leads the [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett#First Buddhist mission to England|First Buddhist Mission]] to the West.
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|1909||Release of the periodical ''[[Charles Henry Allan Bennett#
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|1911||[[U Dhammaloka]] tried for sedition for opposition to Christian missionaries in [[Burma]].
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|1922||[[Zenshuji|Zenshuji Soto Mission]] is founded as the first Soto Zen temple in North America.
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|1926||Officially ''[[Charles Henry Allan Bennett#
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|1930||[[Soka Gakkai]] is founded in Japan.
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|1966||The [[World Buddhist Sangha Council]] is convened by [[Theravada|Theravadins]] in [[Sri Lanka]] with the hope of bridging differences and working together. The first convention is attended by leading monks from many countries and sects, [[Mahayana]] as well as [[Theravada]]. Nine ''[[Basic Points Unifying the Theravada and Mahayana]]'' are written by Ven. [[Walpola Rahula]] are approved unanimously.
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|1966||[[Freda Bedi]], a British woman, becomes the first Western woman to take ordination in [[Tibetan Buddhism]].<ref>{{cite
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|1967||Friends of the Western Sangha (later [[Friends of the Western Buddhist Order]]) founded by Urgyen [[Sangharakshita]]
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|1998||January 25 – Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ([[LTTE]]) terrorists commit a deadly suicide attack on Sri Lanka's most sacred Buddhist site and a [[UNESCO]] World Heritage centre: the [[Temple of the Tooth]], where Buddha's tooth relic is enshrined. Eight civilians are killed and 25 others are injured and significant damage is done to the temple structure, which was first constructed in 1592.
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|1998||[[Sherry Chayat]], born in Brooklyn, became the first American woman to receive transmission in the Rinzai school of Buddhism.<ref name="books.google.com">
|}
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! style="width:15%" | Date || Event
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|2001||May – Two of the world's tallest ancient Buddha statues, the [[Buddhas of
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|2002||[[Khenmo Drolma]], an American woman, became the first bhikkhuni in the [[Drikung Kagyu]] lineage of Buddhism, getting ordained in Taiwan in 2002.<ref name="vajradakininunnery.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.vajradakininunnery.org/firstsforwomen.html |title=Women Making History |publisher=Vajradakininunnery.org |access-date=2010-11-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601092702/http://www.vajradakininunnery.org/firstsforwomen.html |archive-date=2010-06-01 }}</ref><ref name="drolma">{{cite web |url=http://www.vajradakininunnery.org/nyima.html |title=Khenmo Drolma |publisher=Vajradakininunnery.org |access-date=2010-11-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601092727/http://www.vajradakininunnery.org/nyima.html |archive-date=2010-06-01 }}</ref>
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|2003||[[Ayya Sudhamma Bhikkhuni]] became the first American-born woman to gain bhikkhuni ordination in the [[Theravada]] school in Sri Lanka.<ref name="OWBAW2006">
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|2004||[[Khenmo Drolma]] became the first westerner, male or female, to be installed as an abbot in the [[Drikung Kagyu]] lineage of Buddhism. She was installed as the abbot of the Vajra Dakini Nunnery in 2004.<ref name="vajradakininunnery.org"/> The Vajra Dakini Nunnery does not follow the [[
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|2004||April – In [[Sri Lanka]], Buddhist monks acting as candidates for the [[
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|2006||March – [[Merle Kodo Boyd]], born in Texas, became the first African–American woman ever to receive Dharma transmission in Zen Buddhism.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ford |first=James Ishmael |title=Zen master who? a guide to the people and stories of Zen |date=2006 |publisher=Wisdom Publications |isbn=978-0-86171-509-1 |location=Boston}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lincroft Zen Sangha {{!}} Bio |url=https://lincroftzen.org/bio/ |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=lincroftzen.org}}</ref>
|2006||April – The Government of the People's Republic of China sponsors the First World Buddhist Forum in Mount Putuo, Zhejiang Province. Notably absent was the Dalai Lama.▼
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▲|2006||April – The Government of the People's Republic of China sponsors the First World Buddhist Forum in Mount Putuo, Zhejiang Province. Notably absent was the Dalai Lama.
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|2006||For the first time in American history, a Buddhist ordination was held where an American woman (Sister Khanti-Khema) took the [[Samaneri]] (novice) vows with an American monk ([[Bhante Vimalaramsi]]) presiding. This was done for the Buddhist American Forest Tradition at the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in Missouri.<ref name="dhammasukha">[http://www.dhammasukha.org/About/khema.htm Background story for Sister Khema] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112022038/http://www.dhammasukha.org/About/khema.htm |date=2013-11-12 }}</ref>
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|2011||The [[Institute for Buddhist Dialectical Studies]] (IBD) in Dharamsala, India, conferred the degree of ''geshe'' on [[Venerable Kelsang Wangmo]], a German nun, thus making her the world's first female [[geshe]].<ref name="huffingtonpost.com">{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michaela-haas/buddhism-women_b_862798.html | work=Huffington Post | title=2,500 Years After The Buddha, Tibetan Buddhists Acknowledge Women | date=18 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Geshe Kelsang Wangmo, An Interview with the World's First Female Geshe|url=http://fpmt.org/mandala-today/geshe-kelsang-wangmo-an-interview-with-the-worlds-first-female-geshe/|publisher=[[Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition]]|date=September 11, 2012|access-date=October 4, 2016}}</ref>
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|2013||Tibetan women were able to take the geshe exams for the first time.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.onfaith.co/onfaith/2013/06/07/buddhist-nun-professors-or-none| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005122345/https://www.onfaith.co/onfaith/2013/06/07/buddhist-nun-professors-or-none| url-status=usurped| archive-date=October 5, 2016|title=Buddhist nun professors or none?|publisher=onfaith|date=June 7, 2013|access-date=October 4, 2016}}</ref>
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|2014||[[Nalanda University]] (also known as Nalanda International University) is a newly established university located in [[Rajgir]], near [[Nalanda]], [[Bihar]], India. It has been established in a bid to revive the ancient seat of learning. The university has acquired 455 acres of land for its campus and has been allotted ₹2727 crores (around $454M) by the Indian government.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/sushma-swaraj-inaugurates-nalanda-university/articleshow/42921545.cms | title=Sushma Swaraj inaugurates Nalanda University | date=19 September 2014 | agency=Economic Times | access-date=19 September 2014}}</ref> It is also being funded by the governments of [[China]], [[Singapore]], [[Australia]], [[Thailand]], and others.<ref name=toireopen>{{cite news|title=Nalanda University reopens|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nalanda-University-reopens/articleshow/41410855.cms|access-date=10 September 2014|publisher=Times of India|date=1 September 2014}}</ref>
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|2016||Twenty Tibetan Buddhist nuns became the first Tibetan women to earn geshe degrees.<ref>{{cite web|last=Nuns |first=Tibetan |url=https://tnp.org/geshema/ |title=Tibetan Buddhist Nuns Make History: Congratulations Geshema Nuns! |publisher = The Tibetan Nuns Project – Tnp.org |date=2016-07-14 |access-date=2016-10-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lionsroar.com/twenty-tibetan-buddhist-nuns-are-first-to-earn-geshema-degrees/ |title=Twenty Tibetan Buddhist nuns are first ever to earn Geshema degrees |publisher=Lionsroar.com |date=2016-07-15 |access-date=2016-10-04}}</ref>
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|2018||Sumedhārāma Buddhist Monastery<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sumedharama.pt/ |title=Mosteiro Budista Sumedhārāma |date=2018-07-28 |access-date=2023-12-13}}</ref> is established in Portugal, a branch monastery of the [[Thai Forest Tradition]] in the lineage of Venerable [[Ajahn Chah]], being the first Theravāda monastery on the [[Iberian Peninsula]].
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===Printed sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{Citation | last =Cousins | first =L. S. | year =1996 | title =The dating of the historical Buddha: a review article | journal =Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society |series=Third Series |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=57–63 | doi =10.1017/S1356186300014760 | s2cid =162929573 | url =http://indology.info/papers/cousins}}
* {{Citation | last = Geiger | first = Wilhelm | year = 1912 | title = The Mahawamsa or Great Chronicle of Ceylon | publisher = Oxford University Press (for the Pali Text Society) | url = https://archive.org/details/mahavamsagreatch00geigrich}}
* {{Citation|last=Prebish |first=Charles S. |year=2008 |title=Cooking the Buddhist Books: The Implications of the New Dating of the Buddha for the History of Early Indian Buddhism |journal=Journal of Buddhist Ethics |volume=15 |pages=1–21 |url=http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/files/2010/05/prebish-article.pdf |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128200109/http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/files/2010/05/prebish-article.pdf |archive-date=January 28, 2012 }}
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