Buddhist
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Western
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Major
Events
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World
Figures and Events
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120*
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6th
Century B.C.E. *
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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).
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Persian Empire founded by Cyrus the Great (550 B.C.E.)
Confucius (551-479)
Zarathustra (630-553)
Birth of Mahavira (550)
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20
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5th
Century
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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.
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Socrates (469-399)
Plato (427-347)
Battle of Marathon (490)
Greek-Persian
Wars (490-479)
Partheon Built (438) |
144
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4th
Century
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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)
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Aristotle (384-322)
Alexander the Great (356-323)
invaded India (327)
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244
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3rd
Century
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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 modern Pali
Tipitaka now essentially complete.
Asoka's son and missionary Mahinda
established Buddhism in Sri Lanka (247)
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Great Wall of China (250)
Hadrian's Wall circa 3rd Century AD
Hannibal Barca (247?-183?)
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344
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2nd
Century
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Beginnings of Mahayana
Buddhism (20O).
Composition of Prajnaparamita
literature.
Historical record has it that two Buddhist missionaries from
India in 68 AD, arrived at the court of Emperor Ming (58-75)
of Han
Dynasty. They enjoyed imperial favour and stayed on to
translate various Buddhist Texts, one of which, The 'Sutra of
Forty-two Sections' continues to be popular even today.
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Buddhist monuments: Sanchi, Amaravati, Bodhi
Gaya, India. (185-175)
Han Dynasty in China
(206-220)
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444
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1st
Century
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Entire scriptural canon of Theravada
School was committed to writing on palm leaves in Pali at
the Aloka Cave, near Matale, Sri Lanka (35-32)
Milinda-paρha
or Questions of King
Milinda to Venerble Nagasena.
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01BCE Mar 1, Start of the revised Julian calendar in Rome.
Julius Caesar (100-44)
Virgil, Latin poet (70-19)
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544
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1st
Century C.E.*
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King
Kaniska (78-101) convened the Fourth Buddhist Council at
Jalandhar or in Kashmir around 100 C.E. (This
is not recognized by the Theravadins).
Buddhism established in Cambodia 100 C.E and in Vietnam
150 C.E.
Composition of Lotus Sutra and other Mahayana
Buddhist texts.
Buddhism enters Central Asia and China.
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Jesus of Nazareth (0-33 C.E.)
Destruction of Jerusalem and the second Temple: (70 C.E.)
The
Buddha first represented in art as human form.
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644
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2nd
Century
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The Age of Indian Buddhist philosopher Nargarjuna
(150) founder of the school of Madhyamika
('the Middle Way').
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Roman Empire reaches
the height of its power.
In 185 C.E, Shunga a Brahman general became the ruler and the
Shunga dynasty ruled for 112 years in India.
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744
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3rd
Century
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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.
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Three
Kingdoms dynasty (220265)
Division into three states: Wei, Shu, Wu. Many scientific
advances adopted from India.
The Emperor Constantine converts to Christianity (312)
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844
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4th
Century
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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 by Kumarajiva
(344-413) and Hui-yόan (334-416).
Buddhism enters Korea (372).
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Gupta dynasty
exemplified by Chandra Gupta II (375-415) dominated North
Central India.
Saint Augustine
(354-430)
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944
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5th
Century
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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 into Java,
Sumatra, Borneo, mainly by Indian
immigrants.
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5th
Century Anglo-Saxon Invasion of England
Earliest hospital in Sri Lanka (437)
Fall
of the Western Roman Empire (476)
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1044
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6th
Century
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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.
Jataka Tales translated into Persian by King Khusru
(531-579).
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Prophet Mohammed (570-632)
The
Age of Islamic Expansion
(630-725)
First pagoda built in China (600)
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1144
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7th
Century
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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.
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Islam sweeps across North Africa (700-800)
Tang
dynasty, China (618-906)
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1244
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8th
Century
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Academic schools (Jφjitsu,
Kusha, Sanron, Hossφ, 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.
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Nara
Period in Japanese history (710-784)
First monastery built in Tibet (Sam-ye) (749)
Moslem invasion of Central Asia (760)
Charlemagne (742-814)
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1344
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9th
Century
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Khmer kings build Angkor
Wat, the world's largest religious monument.
Tendai
School (founded by Saichφ
(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".
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Heian Period in Japanese history (794-1185)
First printed book, Diamond Sutra, China (868)
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1444
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10th
Century
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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).
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Sung
Dynasty in Chinese History (960-1279)
1000
C.E The population at this time was about 200 million people
in the world.
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1544
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11th
Century
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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.
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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)
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1644
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12th
Century
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Theravada Buddhism established in Burma.
Hφnen
(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).
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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)
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1744
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13th
Century
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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.
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Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)
Magna Carta (1215)
Genghis Khan invades China (1215)
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Mongol conquest of China complete (1279)
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1844
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14th
Century
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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 (or Gelugpa,
or 'Yellow Hat') order.
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John
Wycliffe (1328-1384) English theologian and biblical
translator.
China regains its independence from the Mongols under the Ming
dynasty (1368)
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1944
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15th
Century
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Beginning of Dalai
Lama lineage in Tibetan Buddhism.
In
Cambodia, the Vishnuite temple, Angkor
Wat, founded in the 12th century, becomes a Buddhist
centre.
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Development of printing in Europe
Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519)
Columbus "finds" the new world (1492) |
2044
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16th
Century
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Tibet's Gelugpa leader receives the title
of "Dalai" from Altan Khan (1578).
"Great Fifth" Dalai Lama meets Qing Emperor Shunzhi
near Beijing.
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Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Protestant Reformation
Shakespeare, (1564-1616)
Galileo (1564-1642) |
2144
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17th
Century
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Control of Japanese Buddhism by Tokugawa Shφgunate
(the ruling feudal government) (I603-1867)
Hakuin
(1686-1769) monk, writer and artist who
helped revive the Rinzai
Zen Sect in Japanese Buddhism.
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Japan closes the door
to foreigners (1639)
Pilgrims reach America (1620)
Galileo recants (1633)
English Civil War (1642)
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2244
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18th
Century
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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.
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1700s Age of Enlightenment introduces revolutionary new ideas
to Europe.
American independence (1776)
French revolution (1789-1802)
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2344
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19th
Century
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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).
German translation of Lotus Sutra, 1852 and pioneer
Buddhist scholars: - Neumann and Odlenburg, first German monk,
Nyanatiloka.
First
Chinese Temple in USA (San Francisco) (1853)
5th
Buddhist Council in Mandalay, Burma (1868-1871)
where the text of the Pali Canon was revised and
inscribed on 729 marble slabs.
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Meiji
Restoration in Japanese history 1868, marking end of military
rule.
1833
Abolition of slavery in British empire.
American Civil War (1861-1865)
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2444-2544
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20th
Century
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Buddhist Society of Great Britain, founded (1907).
Buddhist Mission Society in Germany,
founded (1903).
Taishφ Shinshό Daizokyφ edition
of Chinese Buddhist Canon printed in Tokyo (1924-1929).
Chinese control of
Tibetan Buddhism (1950).
Founding of World
Fellowship of Buddhists (1952).
Buddha Jayanti Year,
commemorating 2,500 years of Buddhism (1956).
6th
Buddhist Council held at Rangoon, Myanmar (Burma) (1954-1956).
Dalai Lama fleesTibet to India (1959).
Tibetan Buddhism spreads to western countries.
First Theravada Monastery established in USA (1966).
First Tibetan (Sakya) Centre founded in USA (1971).
Tibetan texts collected, translated and disseminated by
Buddhist publishers 1960's.
H.H. Dalai Lama receives Nobel Peace Prize (1989).
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Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
WW I
(1914-1918)
Russian revolution (1917-1922)
1919
Ernest Rutherford splits atom for first time.
WW
II (1939-1945)
Cultural Revolution (China) (1966)
Pope
John Paul II pardons Galileo (1995)
The
Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Cold War ends. (1989)
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