Introduction Birth Early life and marriage Departure and Ascetic Life Enlightenment Formation of the Sangha Travels and teaching Death / Mahaparinirvana Physical characteristics Teachings Seated Buddha, Gandhara, 2nd century CE. History of Buddhism Early Buddhism 1st Buddhist council (5th c. BCE) 2nd Buddhist council (4th c. BCE) Ashokan proselytism (c. 261 BCE) 3rd Buddhist council (c.250 BCE) Hellenistic world Expansion to Sri Lanka and Burma Rise of the Sunga (2nd–1st c. BCE) Greco-Buddhist interaction (2nd c. BCE–1st c. CE) Central Asian expansion Rise of Mahayana (1st c. BCE–2nd c. CE) The Two Fourth Councils Mahayana expansion (1st c. CE–10th c. CE) India Central Asia Parthia Tarim Basin China Korea Japan Southeast Asia Srivijayan Empire (7th–13th century) Khmer Empire (9th–13th century) Vietnam Emergence of the Vajrayana (5th century) Theravada Renaissance (11th century CE) Expansion of Buddhism to the West