A Brief History of Buddhism

Siddhatha Gotama (Wesak April/May) 565 BC - 486 BC

	The Buddha was born in a time of prolific philosophical and religious ideas occuring in India along the Ganges River. He was a contemporary of Nigantha Nataputta, founder of the Jain faith.
	Born into the Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors) caste, the Buddha "was considered a heretic of the worst kind" by the orthodox religious teachers of his days.
	The Buddha spoke of no self, no soul, no creator God. ¡°Early Buddhism did not accept any metaphysical principle or any empirically unverifiable entity". He taught the Middle Path: conditioned origination (causality) - neither eternalism nor annihilation. He rejected extreme ascetic and hedonistic lifestyles as detrimental to spiritual life. A gradual training and practice leads to the final stages of freedom.
	The spiritual progress was described as: starting as an average "normal" human being - 'one who follows the stream' (anusotagami)

to 'stream entrant' (sotapanna)
to 'once-returner' (sakadagami)
to 'never (non) -returner' (anagami)
to 'crossed-over' (parangata = Arahant)

	The Buddha's teachings:
	Are devoid of authority, rituals, speculation, tradition, the supernatural. The Buddha rejected divination, soothsaying, forecasting and magical incantations as roadblocks to liberation.
	Emphaisized intense Self-Effort to understand the Law of Nature ( the Dhamma or Dharma).
	Are Empirical, Scientific, Pragmatic, Therapeutic, Psychological, Democratic
	The Buddha's teaching focused on solving human misery, not on the other living forms.

Early Buddhism 530 BC- 370 BC

First Council - 486 BC

	Three months after the Buddha's passing away, the elders noticed unrest over discipline in the sangha.
	Triggered by a need to preserve the Buddha's sayings as faithfully as possible, and to maintain the unity of the sangha, the more conservative and ascetic monks called an assembly of 500 arahants.
	A collection of Dharma Discourses (Nikaya) & Disciplinary Rules (Vinaya) was passed by the council. It was by verbal transmission only. Integrity is maintained by frequent recitation in an assembly.
	There was reported dissention from monks not invited to the council, mainly about the rigidity of monastic rules and the incompleteness of the collected sayings: what the Buddha had taught for 45 years.

Pilgrimage

	The path to true happiness cannot be limited to a few highly developed followers who have overcome their attachments. Out of compassion and using ¡°skillful means¡±, the teachers must look after the less spiritually cultivated members of the sangha and lay-followers.
	Anticipating a need to fill the emotional vacuum in his followers after his death, the Buddha allowed pilgrimage to: (1) his birthplace, (2) his enlightenment spot, (3) his first discourse to the five ascetics, (4) death place. Buddha statues were explicitly forbidden.
	The seeds of Mahayana practices were always present. Religious relics and rituals followed. Devotional speculations about the Buddha began. Even in the earliest texts that exist today, there are traces of attempts to elevate the Buddha beyond a great teacher and a completely enlightened being.

The Second Council (approx. 376 BC)

	Everyone continued to followed the same Sutra teachings. Disciplinary Rules (vinaya) for the monks and nuns created conflicting views. The issue is on the practice (what & how), not the theory (why).
	Although the Theravada won the day, a clear split into Theravada (West) and Mahasanghika (Eest) sects resulted. The West faction is more "traditional", the Eastern faction more "liberal".
	Still, no one claims to be the only rightful successor to the Buddha - because the Buddha in his lifetime explicitly refused to appoint a leader after he dies. He asked everyone to take refuge in the Dhamma teachings, observe ethical living (sila) and be self-reliant

The Third Council (approx. 240 BC) - Emperor Asoka's reign (268 BC - 230 BC)

	Emperor Asoka converted to Buddhism, and personally made pilgrimage to Buddhist holy sites. Buddhist stupas and memorials were erected. Some of these relics still exist in India today.
	Under the king's patronage, many people joined the Buddhist Sangha, some with impure motives.
	The third council was called as a result of disputes and quarrels between the monks, led by the King's appointed senior monk. The collection of tripitaka (sayings, rules, analyses) grew.
	Buddhist missionaries were sent overseas following the third council by the king to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, north to Turkestan, etc.
	There were more Buddhist sects formed after the council, each supporting their own view of the Buddha's teachings, each used local languages and dialects. Eighteen schools reported.
	Sri Lanka imported complete a set of the tripitaka after the third council, but from only one of the schools. It is preserved in the Pali language.

First Persecution of Buddhist Followers (approx. 186 BC)

	The son of Emperor Asoka was a Brahman follower. He greatly disliked the Buddhists, since some of the Macedonian rulers in Northwest India were Buddhists, whom he regarded as his enemies.
	When Asoka died and he became king, he personally ordered destruction of Buddhist temples and books, many Buddhist records are lost.

Transmission of Buddhism into China began (approx. 2 BC)

	Transmission was indirect, mainly around the trade routes to the Northwest passes in India, not over the Himalayas. The silk route is a major corridor for cultural exchange.
	The transmission of Buddhist teachings was not systematic or chronological. The translation of the texts was often from a language other than the original Indian dialect.
	Buddha's teaching initially found an audience in the intelligentsia and government officials. The need for Chinese texts ensured preservation of early Buddhist sayings; most are later lost in the Indian subcontinent and in surrounding countries.

Buddhist Art and Buddha Statues (approx. 100 AD)

	Early Buddhism allows symbolic icons only: the Dharma wheel, bodhi tree, footprints, etc., as the Buddha would not allow statues to be made,
	Following the invasion of Alexander the Great into northwestern India and the conversion of some Macedonian generals into Buddhism, their love of sculpture led to Buddha Statues.
	Other forms of Buddhist art developed: cave paintings, literature, songs and poems.

The Sthaviravada schools and The Scholastic Period (approx. 150 AD - 500 AD)

	A response to the need to perpetuate the teachings systematically.
	Instead of the free-form discursive style of the original discourses, a more non-discursive, precise and impersonal presentation was developed. More logical and analytical, the scholarly monks investigated mind-matter in relation to "Ultimate Reality".
	Collection and classification of teachings continued. Abhidharma literature (scholastic efforts and discourses) grew.
	Divergent interpretations of the Buddha's discourses developed. The beginning of the "absolutist" tendency and dualistic dichotomy. Speculate on the "nature of primary elements" and about time/space. Theorization of "subatomic particles¡± and "static moments"
	The ghost (soul/self) of the machine (body) is rejected, theorizing of 'machine' (material) remains.
	Further split along two trends:

Accepting the Abhidharma as the primary source of teachings are the Thervada & Sarvastivadas
Accepting the original discourse (Sutra / Nikaya) as the primary source are the Sautrantika

	The various sects still retain the Arahant-ideal as the goal of religious practice.
	The scholars tend to keep to themselves instead of mingling with the masses. Bound to their retreats and temples supported by householders and rulers.

Emergence of the Mahayana Schools (50 AD - 400 AD)

	Mainly influenced by the "Mahasanghika" sect - the greater congregation of followers ¨C Mahayana teachings developed for almost 400 hundred years after the second council.
	Compared to the elders (Theravadin), the Mahasanghikas took up the cause of the ordinary people and their religious aspirations. Mahasanghika was more popular in Central and Southern India.
	A distinction between Buddha-hood and Arahant-ideal was developed. The Bodhisattva ideal emerges with the downplaying of the Arahant status.
	Conception of multiple Buddhas of past, present and future.
	Elevation of the status of the Buddha from a teacher to a father figure, to a protector.
	Conception of transcendence (beyond this world) of Buddha - this is rejected by the Theravadins.
	Split of Buddhism into "Mahayana" versus "Hinayana" reflected in later sutra such as the Lotus-Sutra.
	Ultimate Reality (Paramartha) and Perfect enlightenment (Samyaksambodhi) appeared in Prajnaparamita sutras.
	Separated by the sea, Mahayana Buddhism never took hold in Sri Lanka and other Southeast Asian countries, but traveled by land to China, Mongolia, and Tibet.

Madhymika School

- Nagarjuna (approx. 200 AD - 300 AD)

	A great interpreter of the Buddha' early teachings from a cognitive perspective. Cognition is a key aspect of his philosophy - i.e. how do human beings perceive themselves and the world?
	He is a critic of the scholastic schools and their wrong interpretations of Dharma
	His unique view is that 'Samsara is Nirvana', and stresses the dedication to the bodhisattva path.
	He emphasized the understanding of the Two-Truths, Conditioned Origination, and the Emptiness of reality. His philosophy greatly influenced all the Chinese schools, and later Tibetan Buddhism.
	Much of Nagarjuna's writings are preserved in Tibetan text, and a portion in Chinese
	Kumarajiva (350-409 AD) arrived in China and started his translation projects around 385-401 AD. He was a key figure in the introduction of Nagarjuna's teachings into China.

Yogacara Idealism -

Asanga (approx. 400-470 AD) - Vasubandhu (approx. 420 - 500AD))

	Influenced by Sautrantika traditions and also by Nagarjuna.
	Expounds on the mind-consciousness, taking a cosmological interpretation of the Buddha's teaching. Epistemology is a key aspect of their study - what is the true nature of knowing.
	Later, one extreme extension of their ideas is that the mind is real but there is no external reality.
	Yogic concentration is key to their practice, but formal logic is an important investigative tool.

Middle-Period Mahayana Buddhism (approx. 500 - 700 AD)

	Many "new" Mahayana Sutras continue to be recorded (discovered).
	The further development of Mahayana teachings concentrated mainly in Central and Western India.
	The Nalanda Temple became the major Buddhist Center in India, a university environment supported by the king.
	Scholarly but vigorous debates between the Yogacara school and Madhymika School are recorded, stimulating further philosophical growth.
	The famous Chinese monk Tsuan-Jonk arrived in India around 634 AD, and later studied at Nalanda. He lived in India 17 years. Another Chinese monk, Yi-Jing, studied there at a later time.
	Tantric Buddhism starts to evolve, combining many popular Indian religious rituals and practices. Hindu and Jain rituals had a strong influence.

Late Mahayana Buddhism (approx. 700 - 1000 AD)

Vajrayana (Esoteric/Secretive Buddhism)

	Around 800 AD, the Hindu Brahman scholar Sankara adopted Buddhist ideas into the interpretation of the Vedanta. The philosophy of the Unity of Brahma and Atman in turn influenced late-period Mahayana philosophy, such as the Tathagata-Garhba concept.
	One of the Hindu traditions is to keep the religious teachings and rituals exclusive and secretive to the priests (Brahman caste). By contrast, the Buddha always taught with open palms, no secret.
	Hindus worship many Gods, many of which are warriors. They considered Buddha one of the manifestations of a Creator God. Sex is a part of their worship. Magical chants, mantras, and offerings to the gods are used extensively in their religious practice. The Buddha rejected these practices, considering them barriers to liberation.
	Vajrayana added taking refuge in the master-teacher (Guru) on top of taking refuge in the Triple-Gem (Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha), thus increasing the reliance on one's teacher, and less on oneself. Lineage became an important issue based on master-student relationship and secretive transmission of the teachings. They adopted many rituals and practices from Hindu and other Indian religions.
	A massive Buddhist temple was build across the river from the Nalanda Temple around 770-810 AD. The temple is mainly a Vajrayana temple and attracted the general public with colorful rituals.
	The temple is completely destroyed in 1203 by the invading Muslims from the North, marking the end of Buddhism in India.

Tibetan Buddhism (650 AD - )

	Shortly before AD 650, monks from India introduced Buddhism into Tibet, strongly colored by Vajrayana practices. Through the years, Buddhism was combined with traditional Tibetan religious beliefs to form Lamaism. Colorful rituals, oracles, dances, incantations, multiple deities abound.
	Between 900 and 1400, several Lamaist sects developed in Tibet. Politics mixed with religion.
	From the mid-1600 until 1950, the Dalai Lama was the supreme political and spiritual ruler of Tibet. Some sects refuse to accept him as the supreme religious leader.

Pure Land Buddhism (Jodo in Japan)

	Nagarjuna described it as the "easy way of practice". It is considered a skillful means for people who find understanding the Buddha's teachings difficult.
	Chanting and visualization are the key practices, basically a form of concentration meditation.
	In some ways, the religious practices of Pure Land are similar to tantric meditation.
	Very attractive to people with devotional inclination, and yearning for a better after-life.
	Flourish in China, then spread to Japan and Korea.
	Except for retaining the Buddhist idea of Non-Self and No-Soul, Pure Land is very similar to the Christian idea of going to heaven after living a moral life, and places strong faith in the grace and power of the deities to guide one to heaven (pure land). Total self-reliance is abandoned.
	There are several Pure Lands described in Buddhist literature, depending on degrees of self-reliance.

Ch'an Buddhism (Zen) (approx. 430 AD - )

	Zen Buddhism was developed in China, no such school can be found in Indian Buddhism.
	The meditation yogi Bodhidharma from Southern India arrived in Southern China between 420-478 AD. Unlike previous or later Buddhist monks coming to China, he came from a totally different tradition and did not engage in teachings of the Sutra, Vinaya or Sastra. Bodhidharma did not translate any Indian text but use an abridged Chinese translation of Lankavatara-sutra as his source of teaching.
	His students are keen meditators. The practice is deep meditation. Very little Dhamma teaching.
	Later Zen masters were well versed in the traditional Buddhist writings and selectively adopted other Buddhist Sutras as the basis for their practice. Key ones are Lankavatara-sutra and the Diamond Sutra, but they interpret the sutras according to their meditative experiences. Taoists metaphysics and terminology colored much of their interpretations.
	In terms of philosophy, Zen Buddhism is idealistic and metaphysical, postulating the "original mind"(Buddha-Mind, Buddha-Nature). The practice involves re-discovering the True Nature and one's True Mind.
	The key characteristics of Zen are rejection of written teachings and all forms of intellect. Many books are then written about Zen. A paradox.
	Some Zen Masters chose secretive one-on-one teaching. "Transmission" is from master to selected students. A different claim of "lineage" developed in China, tracing Bodhidharma back to Nargajuna, Ananda, Mahakasypa and the Buddha. This provided their sect with religious legitimacy.
	Some Zen schools even de-emphasize monastic rules (sila-ethics) and mindfulness training (samadhi). This has disastrous influence even to this day across Zen Centers in North America.