Key events in Buddhism: life of the Buddha 556-486 B.C.E
Buddhist
Western
Major Events
World Figures and Events
- 120*
6th Century B.C.E. *
• Life of Siddhartha Guatama, the historical Buddha: conventional dates: 566-486 B.C.E. (According to more recent research, revised dates are: 490-410 BCE).
- 20
5th Century
• First Buddhist Council at Rajagaha (486) after the Parinirvana*, under the patronage of King Ajatasattu.
• The Buddhist Canon as it exist today was settled at this Council and preserved as an oral tradition.
4th Century
• Second Buddhist Council at Vesali (386)about 100 year after the Parinirvana.
• First schism of the Sangha occurs in which the Mahasanghika school parts ways with the Sthaviravadins and the Theravadins.
• Non-canonical Buddhist Council at Pataliputra (367)
244
3rd Century
• Reign of Indian Emperor Asoka (272-231) who converts and establishes the Buddha's Dharma on a national level for the first time.
• Third Buddhist Council at Pataliputra (250)under the patronage of Emperor Asoka about 200 years after the Parinirvana. • The modernPali Tipitaka now essentially complete.
• Asoka's son and missionary Mahindaestablished Buddhism in Sri Lanka (247)
344
2nd Century
• Beginnings of Mahayana Buddhism (20O).
• Buddhist monuments: Sanchi, Amaravati, Bodhi Gaya, India. (185-175)
444
1st Century
• Entire scriptural canon of Theravada Schoolwas committed to writing on palm leaves in Paliat the Aloka Cave, near Matale, Sri Lanka (35-32)
• Milinda-pañha or Questions of King Milinda to Venerble Nagasena.
744
3rd Century
• Expansion of Buddhism to Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
The Yogacara (meditation) school was founded by Maitreyanatha (3rd century).
• Buddhist influence in Persia spreads through trade.
844
4th Century
• Asanga (310-390) and his brother Vasubandhu(420-500) prominent teachers of the Yogacara school of Buddhism.
• Development of Vajrayana Buddhism in India.
• Translation of Buddhist texts into Chinese byKumarajiva (344-413) and Hui-yüan (334-416).
944
5th Century
• Buddhist monastic university founded at Nalanda, India.
• Buddhaghosa composes the Visuddhimagga and major commentaries in Sri Lanka.
• Buddhism established in Burma and Korea.
• Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hsien visits India (399-414).
• Amitabha (Amida) Pure Land sect emerges in China.
• Sri lankan Theravadin nuns introduce full ordination lineage into China (433).
• Mahayana Buddhism was introduced intoJava, Sumatra, Borneo, mainly by Indian immigrants.
• 5th Century Anglo-Saxon Invasion of England
1044
6th Century
• Bodhidharma founder of Ch'an (Zen) arrives in China from India. (526)
• Sui Dynasty in Chinese History (589-617)beginning of Golden Age of Chinese Buddhism.
• Development of T'ien-tai, Hua-yen, Pure Land, and Ch'an schools of Chinese Buddhism.
• Buddhism enters Japan (538) becomes state religion (594).
• Buddhism flourishing in Indonesia.
• Prophet Mohammed (570-632)
• The Age of Islamic Expansion
(630-725)
1144
7th Century
• Construction of Potala Palace, Jokang and Ramoche temples to house Buddha images (641-650)
• Harsa-vardhana ruler of a large empire in northern India from 606 to 647. He was a Buddhist convert in a Hindu era.
• Chinese pilgrim Hsuan-Tsang (602-664) visits India.
• Islam sweeps across North Africa (700-800)• Tang dynasty, China (618-906)
1244
8th Century
• Academic schools (Jöjitsu, Kusha, Sanron, Hossö, Ritsu, and Kegon) proliferate in Japan.
• Great debate between Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist schools.
• Ch'an declared heretical in Tibet.
• Nyingma School of Tibet Buddhism established.
• Borobudur Temple complex built in Java.
• Jataka Tales translated into Syrian and Arabic under title: Kalilag and Damnag.
• Nara Period in Japanese history (710-784)
• First monastery built in Tibet (Sam-ye) (749)
• Moslem invasion of Central Asia (760)
• Charlemagne (742-814)
1344
9th Century
• Khmer kings build Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious monument.
• Tendai School (founded by Saichö (767-822)and Shingon School (founded by Kukai: (774-835) appear in Japan.
• Great Buddhist persecution in China (845)
• Biography of Buddha translated into Greek by Saint John of Damascus and distributed in Christianity as "Balaam" and "Josaphat".
• Heian Period in Japanese history (794-1185)
• First printed book, Diamond Sutra, China (868)
1444
10th Century
• First complete printing of Chinese Buddhist Canon (983), known as the Szechuan edition.
• Buddhism in Thailand (900-1000)
• Islam replaces Buddhism in Central Asia (900-1000).
• Sung Dynasty in Chinese History (960-1279)
• 1000 C.E The population at this time was about 200 million people in the world.
1544
11th Century
• Conversion of King Anawrahta of Pagan (Burma) (1044-1077) by Shin Arahan.
• Atisha (982-1054) arrives in Tibet from India (1042).
• Marpa (1012-1097) begins Kargyu School of Tibetan Buddhism.
• Milarepa (1040-1123) becomes greatest poet and most popular saint in Tibetan Buddhism.
•The bhikkhu and bhikkhuni (monk and nun) communities at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, die out following invasions from South India.
• Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism established.
• Revival of Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Burma. • Decline of Buddhism in India.
• 1000-1100 There was a Confucian revival in China.
• Edward the Confessor, English king (1042-1066)
• Great Schism between Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches (1054)
• 1st Crusades (1096-1099)
1644
12th Century
• Theravada Buddhism established in Burma.
• Hönen (1133-1212) founded the Pure Land School of Japanese Buddhism.
• Eisai (1141-1215) founds the Rinzai Zen School of Japanese Buddhism.
• In 1193 the Moslems attacked and conquered Magadha, the heartland of Buddhism in India, and with the destruction of the Buddhist Monasteries and Universities (Valabhi and Nalanda) - in that area Buddhism was wiped out.
• Buddhism in Korea flourishes under the Koryo dynasty (1140-1390).
• Omar Khayyam, Persian poet and mathematician (1044-1123)
• 1119 Bologna University founded in Italy; Paris University, in France, is founded in 1150.
• Kamakura Period in Japanese history (1192-1338)
1744
13th Century
• Shinran (1173-1263 ) founds True Pure Land School of Japanese Buddhism.
• Dogen (1200-1253) founds Soto Zen School of Japanese Buddhism.
• Nichiren (1222-1282) founds school of Japanese Buddhism named after him.
• Mongols converted to Vajrayana Buddhism.
• Theravada Buddhism spreads to Laos.
• Some Buddhist texts still being translated into Arabic, in Persia.
• Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)
• Magna Carta (1215)
• Genghis Khan invades China(1215)
• Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
• Mongol conquest of China complete (1279)
1844
14th Century
• Bu-ston collects and edits Tibetan Buddhist Canon.
• Rulers of the north (Chieng-mai) and northeast (Sukhothai) Thailand adopt Theravada Buddhism (becomes state religion in 1360).
• Theravada Buddhism adopted in Cambodia and Laos.
• Tsong-kha-pa (1357-1419) Tibetan Buddhist reformer and founder of Dge-lugs-pa (orGelugpa, or 'Yellow Hat') order.
• John Wycliffe (1328-1384) English theologian and biblical translator.
• China regains its independence from the Mongols under the Ming dynasty (1368)
1944
15th Century
• Beginning of Dalai Lama lineage in Tibetan Buddhism. • In Cambodia, the Vishnuite temple, Angkor Wat, founded in the 12th century, becomes a Buddhist centre.
• Development of printing in Europe
• Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519)
• Columbus "finds" the new world (1492) 2044
16th Century
• Tibet's Gelugpa leader receives the title of "Dalai" from Altan Khan (1578).
• "Great Fifth" Dalai Lama meets Qing Emperor Shunzhi near Beijing.
• Martin Luther (1483-1546)
• Protestant Reformation
• Shakespeare, (1564-1616)
• Galileo (1564-1642) 2144
17th Century
• Control of Japanese Buddhism by TokugawaShögunate (the ruling feudal government) (I603-1867)
• Hakuin (1686-1769) monk, writer and artist who helped revive the Rinzai Zen Sect in Japanese Buddhism.
• Japan closes the door to foreigners (1639)
• Pilgrims reach America (1620)
• Galileo recants (1633)
• English Civil War (1642)
2244
18th Century
• Colonial occupation of Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
• King Kirti Sri Rajasinha obtains bhikkhus from the Thai court to reinstate the bhikkhu ordination line which has died out in Sri Lanka.
• 1700s Age of Enlightenment introduces revolutionary new ideas to Europe.
• American independence (1776)
• French revolution (1789-1802)
2344
19th Century
• New sects begin to emerge in Japanese Buddhism.
• Sri Lankan forest monks go to Burma for reordination (1862).
• First Western translation of the Dhammapada. (German-1862).
• 1833 Abolition of slavery in British empire.