Key Dates and Timeline for Buddhism

The following provides a brief timeline of the key dates for Buddhism:

4000-600 BCE

800-500 BCE

Composition of Upanishads

600 BCE to 100 CE

552-479 BCE	Life of Confucius
500 BCE	Life of Lao-tzu
480 BCE	Birth of the Buddha in Kapilavastu.
450 BCE	The Buddha's enlightenment and first sermon.
405 BCE	Death of the Buddha.
405 BCE	First Buddhist Council, at Rajagrha.
350 BCE	Second Buddhist Council, at Vaisali.
327-325 BCE	Alexander the Great in India.
300 BCE	Buddhism arrives in SE Asia.
272 BCE	Emperor Asoka takes throne.
250 BCE	Third Buddhist Council, resulting in Great Schism and Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism
200-0 BCE	Mahinda introduces Buddhism to Sri Lanka.
250 BCE	Stupa construction at Sanci.
1st cent. BCE	Theravada Buddhist Canon (Tripitaka) completed in Sri Lanka.

100 CE to 1200 CE

1st cent. CE	Indian Buddhists settle in Southeast Asia.
150-250 CE	Life of Nagarjuna.
4th cent.	Rise of Vajrayana Buddhism.
350-650	Gupta dynasty in India; Buddhist philosophy and art flourish.
372 CE	Chinese monks bring Buddhism to Korea.
399-414	Fa-hsien travels to India.
420	Schools of Tiantai, Huayan, Chan, and Jingtu appear in China.
520	Bodhidharma arrives in China
526	Viniaya school founded in Korea.
527	Korea accepts Buddhism.
6th cent.	Burma adopts Theravada Buddhism.
552	Buddhism enters Japan from Korea.
572-621	Prince Shotoku sponsors Buddhism in Japan.
589	Chinese Buddhist commentaries written.
600	First diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet.
618-50	Life of Songtsen Gampo; establishment of Buddhism in Tibet.
618-907	Chinese T'ang Dynasty; golden age of Buddhism in China.
7th cent.	Mahayana Buddhism adopted in Indonesia.
8th cent.	Buddhism becomes state religion of Japan.
741	Japanese emperor orders a temple be built in every province.
792-94	The Great Samye Debate decides on Indian Mahayana Buddhism as the form for Tibet.
836-842	King Langdharma persecutes Tibetan Buddhists.
845	Chinese emperor suppresses Buddhism.
10th cent.	Korea institutes a Buddhist constitution
11th cent.	King of Burma restores Theravadin monasticism. Mahayana Buddhism declines.

1200 to 1800 CE

mid-12th cent.	Buddhism is virtually extinct in India.
1185-1333	During the Kamakura period in Japan, schools of Rinzai, Soto Zen, Jodo Shu (Pure Land), Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land),
1231-59	Mongols invade Korea, destroy Buddhist scriptures.
1253	Mongolian leader Kublai Khan accepts Tibetan Buddhism.
1360	Theravada Buddhism becomes state religion of Thailand.
14th cent.	Theravada Buddhism introduced in Laos.
15th cent.	Theravada Buddhism dominant in Cambodia.
1578	Sonam Gyatso is titled the Dalai Lama by the Mongolian leader Altan Khan.
1592-98	Japanese invade Korea.
1617-82	Life of the fifth Dalai Lama and beginning of rule of Tibet by Dalai Lamas.
1617-82	Life of Basho; Buddhist influence on haiku and the arts in Japan
17-18th cent.	Korean Buddhism revives after regaining independence.
1749	Mongolian Buddhist canon translated from Tibetan.

1800 to 2100 CE

1868	Shinto reinstated as national religion of Japan.
1910-45	Reformations of Korean and Chinese Buddhism.
1945	Religious freedom introduced in Japan, with no official national religion.
1949	Buddhism suppressed by Chinese communist government.
1950	Tenzin Gyatso becomes the fourteenth Dalai Lama. China invades Tibet and suppresses Buddhism.
1959	The Dalai Lama goes into exile.
1976	Upon the death of Mao, Buddhism begins to revive in China.
1989	International Network of Engaged Buddhists founded.
1995	UK Association of Buddhist Studies founded.
2001	Destruction of standing Buddha statues at Bamiyan by Taliban regime.
2005	Constitution of One-Spirit-Tribe founded.
2006	One-Spirit-Tribe.Org launched
2008	First elected cohesive international leadership of One-Spirit-Tribe for every nation
2010	International democratic election of the Maitreya and the fulfilment of Buddhist philosophy
2012	Great conclave of One-Heaven between One-Spirit-Tribe, One-Islam and One-Faith-Of-God and the release of perpetual human suffering in fulfilment of prophecy.