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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2013}}
], a ], is one of the four holy sites related to the life of the Lord Buddha, and particularly to the attainment of Enlightenment. The first temple was built by The Indian Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC, and the present temple dates from the 5th century or 6th century AD. It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely in brick, still standing in India, from the late ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1056|title=Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya|author=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|publisher=|accessdate=27 February 2015}}</ref>]]
], 1780s' ]]
] Statue at Bojjanakonda near ] of ] district in Andhra Pradesh.]]
] Monument Site, Sarnath]]
] at one of the Buddhist caves in ].]]

] is a world religion, which arose in and around the ancient Kingdom of ] (now in ], ]), and is based on the teachings of ]{{refn|group=note|born as a prince of the ancient ] kingdom now in ] of ]),<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Vincent A.|title=The Early History of India from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest Including the Invasion of Alexander the Great|year=1914|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=London|pages=168–169|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b9a1AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA168-IA1&dq=birth+place+buddha&hl=en&ei=cyqWT9juLsnZiQL0m8yFCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=9&ved=0CGQQ6wEwCA#v=onepage&q=birth%20place%20buddha&f=false|edition=3rd}}</ref>}} who was deemed a "]" ("Awakened One"<ref name="Monier-Williams' dictionary">{{cite book|last=Monier-Williams|first=Monier|title=Dictionary of Sanskrit|publisher=OUP|url=http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/monier/indexcaller.php?input=Harvard-Kyoto&output=RomanUnicode&citation=buddha}}</ref>). Buddhism spread outside of Magadha starting in the Buddha's lifetime.

With the reign of the Buddhist ] Emperor ], the Buddhist community split into two branches: the ] and the ], each of which spread throughout India and split into numerous sub-sects.<ref>Akira Hirakawa, Paul Groner, ''A history of Indian Buddhism: from Śākyamuni to early Mahāyāna''. Reprint published by Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1993, page 2.</ref> In modern times, two major branches of Buddhism exist: the ] in ] and ], and the ] throughout the ] and ].

After peaking after Ashoka in ancient India, the practice of ] and Buddhist monasteries received laity and royal support through the 12th century, but generally declined in the 1st millennium CE, with many of its practices and ideas absorbed into Hinduism. Except for Himalayan region and south India, Buddhism almost became extinct in India after the arrival of Islam in late 12th century.<ref name="Merriam155"/><ref name="Randall Collins 2000, pages 184-185">Randall Collins, ''The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change.'' Harvard University Press, 2000, pages 184-185</ref><ref name="Peter Harvey 2013 194–195">{{cite book|author=Peter Harvey|title=An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u0sg9LV_rEgC&pg=PA194 |year=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-85942-4 |pages=194–195 }}</ref>

Buddhism remains the primary or a major religion in the ]n areas such as ], ], ], the ] hills in ], and the ] and ] areas of upper ]. Remains have also been found in ], the origin of ] Buddhism.<ref>Guang Xing. The Concept of the Buddha: Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikaya Theory. 2004. pp. 65–66 "Several scholars have suggested that the Prajñāpāramitā probably developed among the Mahasamghikas in Southern India, in the Andhra country, on the Krsna River."</ref> Buddhism has been reemerging in India since the past century, due to its adoption by many Indian intellectuals, the migration of Buddhist Tibetan exiles, and the mass conversion of hundreds of thousands of Hindu ]s.<ref>''The New York times guide to essential knowledge: a desk reference for the curious mind''. Macmillan 2004, page 513.</ref> According to the ], Buddhists make up 0.8% of India's population, or 7.95 million individuals.<ref>Peter Harvey, ''An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices'', p. 400. Cambridge University Press, 2012, ISBN 978-052185-942-4</ref>

==Siddhārtha Gautama==
{{main article|Gautama Buddha}}
Buddha was born in ], in Nepal, to a ] King of the ] Kingdom named ].
After asceticism and ] which was a Samana practice, the Buddha discovered the Buddhist ]—a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and ].

Siddhārtha Gautama attained enlightenment sitting under a ] tree, now known as the ] in ], India. Gautama, from then on, was known as ''"The Perfectly Self-Awakened One,"'' the ].
Buddha found patronage in the ruler of ], emperor ]. The emperor accepted Buddhism as personal faith and allowed the establishment of many Buddhist "]s." This eventually led to the renaming of the entire region as ].<ref name=Wolpert>India by ] (Page 32)</ref>

At the Deer Park Water Reservation near ] in ], Buddha set in motion the ] by delivering his first sermon to the group of five companions with whom he had previously sought enlightenment. They, together with the Buddha, formed the first ], the company of Buddhist monks, and hence, the first formation of ] (Buddha, ] and Sangha) was completed.

For the remaining years of his life, the Buddha is said to have traveled in the ] of Northern India and other regions.

Buddha died in ], Uttar Pradesh.<ref>{{cite book|author=United Nations|title=Promotion of Buddhist Tourism Circuits in Selected Asian Countries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F9ZhFMWSYKsC&pg=PA23|year=2003|publisher=United Nations Publications|isbn=978-92-1-120386-8|pages=23–24}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Kevin Trainor |title=Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_PrloTKuAjwC |year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517398-7 |page=41 }}</ref>

==Buddhists==
Followers of Buddhism, called '''Buddhists''' in English, referred to themselves as ''Saugata''.<ref>P. 178 ''The Vision of Dhamma: Buddhist Writings of Nyanaponika Thera'' By Nyanaponika (Thera), Erich Fromm</ref> Other terms were ''Sakyan''s or ''Sakyabhiksu'' in ancient India.<ref>''Beyond Enlightenment: Buddhism, Religion, Modernity'' by Richard Cohen. Routledge 1999. ISBN 0-415-54444-0. pg 33. "Donors adopted Sakyamuni Buddha’s family name to assert their legitimacy as his heirs, both institutionally and ideologically. To take the name of Sakya was to define oneself by one’s affiliation with the Buddha, somewhat like calling oneself a Buddhist today.</ref><ref>''Sakya or Buddhist Origins'' by Caroline Rhys Davids (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1931) pg 1. "Put away the word “Buddhism” and think of your subject as “Sakya.” This will at once place you for your perspective at a true point . . You are now concered to learn less about 'Buddha' and 'Buddhism,' and more about him whom India has ever known as Sakya-muni, and about his men who, as their records admit, were spoken of as the Sakya-sons, or men of the Sakyas."</ref> ''Sakyaputto'' was another term used by Buddhists, as well as ''Ariyasavako''<ref>P. 56 ''A Dictionary of the Pali Language'' By Robert Cæsar Childers</ref> and ''Jinaputto''.<ref>P. 171 ''A Dictionary of the Pali Language'' By Robert Cæsar Childers</ref> Buddhist scholar ] asserts they also used the term ''Bauddha'',<ref>''Curators of the Buddha'' By Donald S. Lopez. University of Chicago Press. pg 7</ref> although scholar Richard Cohen asserts that that term was used only by outsiders to describe Buddhists.<ref>''Beyond Enlightenment: Buddhism, Religion, Modernity'' by Richard Cohen. Routledge 1999. ISBN 0-415-54444-0. pg 33.

Bauddha is "a secondary derivative of buddha, in which the vowel’s lengthening indicates connection or relation. Things that are bauddha pertain to the buddha, just as things Saiva relato to Siva and things Vaisnava belong to Visnu. . . baudda can be both adjectival and nominal; it can be used for doctrines spoken by the buddha, obejects enjoyed by him, texts attributed to him, as well as individuals, communities, and societies that offer him reverence or accept ideologies certified through his name. Strictly speaking, Sakya is preferable to bauddha since the latter is not attested at Ajanta. In fact, as a collective noun, bauddha is an outsider’s term. The bauddha did not call themselves this in India, though they did sometimes use the word adjectivally (e.g., as a possessive, the buddha’s)."</ref>

==Buddhist movements==
]
]
]giri, ]]]
] ] Remnants at ]]]

The Buddha did not appoint any successor, and asked his followers to work toward liberation. The teachings of the Buddha existed only in ]s. The Sangha held a number of ] in order to reach consensus on matters of Buddhist doctrine and practice.

# ], a disciple of the Buddha, presided over the ] held at ]. Its purpose was to recite and agree on the Buddha's actual teachings and on monastic discipline. Some scholars consider this council fictitious.<ref>Williams, ''Mahayana Buddhism'', Routledge, 1989, page 6</ref>
# ] is said to have taken place at ]. Its purpose was to deal with questionable monastic practices like the use of money, the drinking of palm wine, and other irregularities; the council declared these practices unlawful.
# What is commonly called the ] was held at ], and was allegedly called by Emperor ] in the 3rd century BCE. Organized by the monk ], it was held in order to rid the sangha of the large number of monks who had joined the order because of its royal patronage. Most scholars now believe this council was exclusively Theravada, and that the dispatch of missionaries to various countries at about this time was nothing to do with it.
# What is often called the ] is generally believed to have been held under the patronage of Emperor ] at ] in ], though the late Monseigneur Professor Lamotte considered it fictitious.<ref>''the Teaching of Vimalakīrti'', Pali Text Society, page XCIII</ref> It is generally believed to have been a council of the ] school.

===Early Buddhism Schools===
{{Main article|Early Buddhist Schools}}
The Early Buddhist Schools were the various schools in which ] split in the first few centuries after the passing away of the Buddha (in about the 5th century BCE). The earliest division was between the majority ] and the minority ]. Some existing Buddhist traditions follow the vinayas of early Buddhist schools.

* ]: practiced mainly in ], ], ], ], ] and ].
* ]: followed in ], ], ], and ].
* ]: followed in ].

The Dharmaguptakas made more efforts than any other sect to spread Buddhism outside India, to areas such as ], ], and China, and they had great success in doing so.<ref>Warder, A.K. ''Indian Buddhism''. 2000. p. 278</ref> Therefore, most countries which adopted Buddhism from China, also adopted the Dharmaguptaka vinaya and ordination lineage for ]s and ]s.

During the early period of ], the Indian Buddhist sects recognized as important, and whose texts were studied, were the Dharmaguptakas, ]s, ]s, Sarvāstivādins, and the Mahāsāṃghikas.<ref>Warder, A.K. ''Indian Buddhism.'' 2000. p. 281</ref> Complete vinayas preserved in the ] include the ''Mahīśāsaka Vinaya'' (T. 1421), ''Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya'' (T. 1425), ''Dharmaguptaka Vinaya'' (T. 1428), ''Sarvāstivāda Vinaya'' (T. 1435), and the ''Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya'' (T. 1442). Also preserved are a set of ] (]), a complete Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma Piṭaka, and many other texts of the early Buddhist schools.

Early Buddhist schools in India often divided modes of Buddhist practice into several "vehicles" ('']''). For example, the ] Sarvāstivādins are known to have employed the outlook of Buddhist practice as consisting of the Three Vehicles:<ref name="Nakamura, Hajime 1999. p. 189">Nakamura, Hajime. ''Indian Buddhism: A Survey With Bibliographical Notes.'' 1999. p. 189</ref>

# ]
# ]
# ]

===Mahāyāna===
{{Main article|Mahāyāna}}
Several scholars have suggested that the ], which are among the earliest Mahāyāna sūtras,<ref>Williams, Paul. ''Buddhist Thought.'' Routledge, 2000, pages 131.</ref><ref>Williams, Paul. ''Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations 2nd edition.'' Routledge, 2009, pg. 47.</ref> developed among the ] along the ] in the ] region of ].<ref>Guang Xing. ''The Concept of the Buddha: Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikaya Theory.'' 2004. pp. 65–66 "Several scholars have suggested that the Prajñāpāramitā probably developed among the Mahasamghikas in Southern India, in the Andhra country, on the Krsna River."</ref>

The earliest Mahāyāna sūtras to include the very first versions of the ] genre, along with texts concerning ], which were probably written down in the 1st century BCE in the south of India.<ref name="Hirakawa Akira 1993, p. 263">Akira, Hirakawa (translated and edited by Paul Groner) (1993). ''A History of Indian Buddhism''. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass: pp. 253, 263, 268</ref><ref>"The south (of India) was then vigorously creative in producing Mahayana Sutras"&nbsp;– Warder, A.K. (3rd edn. 1999). ''Indian Buddhism'': p. 335.</ref> Guang Xing states, "Several scholars have suggested that the Prajñāpāramitā probably developed among the Mahāsāṃghikas in southern India, in the Āndhra country, on the Kṛṣṇa River."<ref>Guang Xing. ''The Concept of the Buddha: Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikaya Theory.'' 2004. pp. 65–66</ref> ] believes that "the Mahāyāna originated in the south of India and almost certainly in the Āndhra country."<ref>Warder, A.K. ''Indian Buddhism''. 2000. p. 313</ref>

Anthony Barber and Sree Padma note that "historians of Buddhist thought have been aware for quite some time that such pivotally important Mahayana Buddhist thinkers as ], ], ], ], and ], among many others, formulated their theories while living in Buddhist communities in Āndhra."<ref>Padma, Sree. Barber, Anthony W. ''Buddhism in the Krishna River Valley of Andhra.'' SUNY Press 2008, pg. 1.</ref> They note that the ancient Buddhist sites in the lower Kṛṣṇa Valley, including ], ] and ] "can be traced to at least the third century BCE, if not earlier."<ref>Padma, Sree. Barber, Anthony W. ''Buddhism in the Krishna River Valley of Andhra.'' SUNY Press 2008, pg. 2.</ref> Akira Hirakawa notes the "evidence suggests that many Early Mahayana scriptures originated in South India."<ref>Akira, Hirakawa (translated and edited by Paul Groner) (1993. ''A History of Indian Buddhism''. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass: p. 252, 253</ref>

===Vajrayāna===
{{main article|Vajrayāna}}
Various classes of Vajrayana literature developed as a result of royal courts sponsoring both Buddhism and ].<ref>Sanderson, Alexis. "The Śaiva Age: The Rise and Dominance of Śaivism during the Early Medieval Period." In: Genesis and Development of Tantrism,edited by Shingo Einoo. Tokyo: Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, 2009. Institute of Oriental Culture Special Series, 23, pp. 124.</ref> The ], which later came to classified under ], states that mantras taught in the Shaiva, Garuda and Vaishnava tantras will be effective if applied by Buddhists since they were all taught originally by ].<ref>Sanderson, Alexis. "The Śaiva Age: The Rise and Dominance of Śaivism during the Early Medieval Period." In: Genesis and Development of Tantrism,edited by Shingo Einoo. Tokyo: Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, 2009. Institute of Oriental Culture Special Series, 23, pp. 129-131.</ref> The Guhyasiddhi of Padmavajra, a work associated with the ], prescribes acting as a Shaiva guru and initiating members into ] scriptures and mandalas.<ref>Sanderson, Alexis. "The Śaiva Age: The Rise and Dominance of Śaivism during the Early Medieval Period." In: Genesis and Development of Tantrism,edited by Shingo Einoo. Tokyo: Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, 2009. Institute of Oriental Culture Special Series, 23, pp. 144-145.</ref> The ] texts adopted the ] list from the Shaiva text ''Tantrasadbhava'', introducing a copying error where a deity was mistaken for a place.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Huber|first1=Toni|title=The holy land reborn : pilgrimage & the Tibetan reinvention of Buddhist India|date=2008|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|isbn=978-0-226-35648-8|pages=94–95}}</ref>

==Strengthening of Buddhism in India==

===The early spread of Buddhism===
"During the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E.(Before Common Era), commerce and cash became increasingly important in an economy previously dominated by self-sufficient production and bartered exchange. Merchants found Buddhist moral and ethical teachings an attractive alternative to the esoteric rituals of the traditional Brahmin priesthood, which seemed to cater exclusively to Brahmin interests while ignoring those of the new and emerging social classes." <ref name="test">Jerry Bentley, ''Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993), 43.</ref>

"Furthermore, Buddhism was prominent in communities of merchants, who found it well suited to their needs and who increasingly established commercial links throughout the Mauryan empire."<ref>Jerry Bentley, ''Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993), 46.</ref>

"Merchants proved to be an efficient vector of the Buddhist faith, as they established diaspora communities in the string of oasis towns-Merv, Bukhara, Samarkand, Kashgar, Khotan, Kuqa, Turpan, Dunhuang - that served as lifeline of the silk roads through central Asia."<ref>Jerry Bentley, ''Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993), 47-48.</ref>

===Aśoka and the Mauryan Empire===
{{further information|Ashoka the great|Mauryan empire}}

The ] reached its peak at the time of emperor Aśoka, who converted to Buddhism under the influence of his Buddhist wife and Empress consort Devi after the ]. This heralded a long period of stability under the Buddhist emperor. The power of the empire was vast—ambassadors were sent to other countries to propagate Buddhism. Greek envoy ] describes the wealth of the Mauryan capital. Stupas, pillars and edicts on stone remain at ], ] and ], indicating the extent of the empire.

Emperor Aśoka the Great (304 BCE&ndash;232 BCE) was the ruler of the Maurya Empire from 273 BCE to 232 BCE.

] at the time of king Asoka (260-218 BCE), according to his ].]]

Aśoka reigned over most of India after a series of military campaigns. Emperor Aśoka's kingdom stretched from ] and beyond, from present-day parts of ] in the north and ] in the west, to ] and ] in the east, and as far south as ].

According to legend, emperor Aśoka was overwhelmed by guilt after the conquest of ], following which he accepted Buddhism as personal faith with the help of his Brahmin mentors Rādhāsvāmī and Mañjūśrī. Aśoka established monuments marking several significant sites in the life of ], and according to Buddhist tradition was closely involved in the preservation and transmission of Buddhism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/f/fa-hien/f15l/chapter27.html|title=Fa-hsien: A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: Chapter XXVII: Patalipttra or Patna, in Magadha. King Aśoka's Spirit Built Palace and Halls. The Buddhist Brahman, Radha-Sami. Dispensaries and Hospitals.|publisher=}}</ref>

===Graeco-Bactrians, Sakas and Indo-Parthians===
] was the most famous ]n king. He ruled from Taxila and later from ] (Sialkot). He rebuilt Taxila (]) and Puṣkalavatī. He became Buddhist and is remembered in Buddhists records due to his discussions with a great Buddhist philosopher in the book '']''.

], ]. Found on Kushan and Gupta coins, they may be Buddhist, Hindu or Persian deities.<ref>{{cite book|author=John M. Rosenfield|title=The Dynastic Arts of the Kushans|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=udnBkQhzHH4C |year=1967|publisher=University of California Press|pages=xxiii, 74–76, 82, 94–95}}</ref>]]

By 90 BC, ] took control of eastern Iran and around 50 BC put an end to last remnants of Greek rule in Afghanistan. By around 7 AD, an ] dynasty succeeded in taking control of ]. Parthians continued to support Greek artistic traditions in Gandhara. The start of the Gandhāran ] is dated to the period between 50 BC and 75 AD.

===Kuṣāna Empire===
] under emperor ] was known as the Kingdom of ]. The Buddhist art spread outward from Gandhāra to other parts of Asia. He greatly encouraged Buddhism. Before Kaniṣka, Buddha was not represented in human form. In Gandhāra Mahāyāna Buddhism flourished and Buddha was represented in human form.

===The Pāla and Sena era===

Under the rule of the ] and ] kings, large mahāvihāras flourished in what is now ] and ]. According to Tibetan sources, five great Mahāvihāras stood out: ], the premier university of the era; ], past its prime but still illustrious, ], ], and ].<ref>''Vajrayoginī: Her Visualization, Rituals, and Forms'' by Elizabeth English. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-329-X pg 15</ref> The five monasteries formed a network; "all of them were under state supervision" and their existed "a system of co-ordination among them . . it seems from the evidence that the different seats of Buddhist learning that functioned in eastern India under the Pāla were regarded together as forming a network, an interlinked group of institutions," and it was common for great scholars to move easily from position to position among them.<ref>''Buddhist Monks And Monasteries Of India: Their History And Contribution To Indian Culture.'' by Dutt, Sukumar. George Allen and Unwin Ltd, London 1962. pg 352-3</ref>

According to Damien Keown, the kings of the Pala dynasty (8th to 12th century, Gangetic plains region) were a major supporter of Buddhism, various Buddhist and Hindu arts, and the flow of ideas between India, Tibet and China:<ref name="Keown2004p208"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Heather Elgood|title=Hinduism and the Religious Arts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tAcF8RgbtZ0C |year=2000|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-0-8264-9865-6 |pages=150 }}</ref>

{{Quote|
During this period Mahayana Buddhism reached its zenith of sophistication, while tantric Buddhism fluorished throughout India and surrounding lands. This was also a key period for the consolidation of the epistemological-logical (''pramana'') school of Buddhist philosophy. Apart from the many foreign pilgrims who came to India at this time, especially from China and Tibet, there was a smaller but important flow of Indian ]s who made their way to Tibet...
|Damien Keown|<ref name="Keown2004p208">{{cite book|author=Damien Keown|title=A Dictionary of Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=985a1M7L1NcC&pg=PA208 |year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-157917-2 |pages=208–209 }}</ref>}}

==Dharma masters==
] print by ], 1887]]

Indian ascetics (Skt. ''śramaṇa'') propagated Buddhism in various regions, including ] and ].

In the Edicts of Ashoka, Ashoka mentions the Hellenistic kings of the period as a recipient of his Buddhist proselytism.<ref>"The conquest by Dharma has been won here, on the borders, and even six hundred ]s (5,400-9,600 km) away, where the Greek king ] rules, beyond there where the four kings named ], ], ] and ] rule, likewise in the south among the ], the ]s, and as far as ]." (Edicts of Ashoka, 13th Rock Edict, S. Dhammika)</ref>The ] describes emissaries of Ashoka, such as ], as leading Greek ("]") Buddhist monks, active in Buddhist proselytism.<ref>Geiger, Wilhelm; Bode, Mabel Haynes, trans.; Frowde, H. (ed.) (1912). , London: Pali Text Society, Oxford University Press; chapter XII</ref>).

] Historical accounts describe an embassy sent by the "Indian king Pandion (]?), also named Porus," to ] around the 1st century. The embassy was travelling with a diplomatic letter in ], and one of its members was a ] who burned himself alive in ], to demonstrate his faith. The event made a sensation and was described by ], who met the embassy at ], and related by ] (XV,1,73)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239&layout=&loc=15.1.73|title=Strabo, Geography, NOTICE.|publisher=|accessdate=27 February 2015}}</ref> and ] (liv, 9). A tomb was made to the sramana, still visible in the time of ], which bore the mention:
:("The ] master from ] in India")

] is the earliest known Buddhist monk to have translated Mahayana Buddhist scriptures into the Chinese language. Gandharan monks ] and ] contributed through several important translations of Sanskrit sutras into Chinese language.

The Indian ] master ] was the founding abbot and patriarch<ref>Faure, Bernard. ] critique of the Chan tradition''], Princeton University Press, 1993. ISBN 0-691-02902-4</ref> of the ]. ] ] and ] master from South India (6th century), ] is regarded as the ] of the Ti-Lun school. ] (c. 6th century) was the Buddhist Bhikkhu traditionally credited as the founder of Zen Buddhism in China.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070905192850/http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9080361 |date=5 September 2007 }}</ref>

In 580, Indian monk Vinītaruci travelled to Vietnam. This, then, would be the first appearance of Vietnamese Zen, or Thien Buddhism.
] of Sikkim. The 118 foot statue in ], South Sikkim, is the tallest statue of the saint in the world.]]
], in Sanskrit meaning ''"lotus-born"'', is said to have brought ] to Tibet in the 8th century. In ] and Tibet he is better known as "Guru&nbsp;Rinpoche" (''"Precious Master"'') where followers of the ] school regard him as the second ].
], abbot of ] and founder of the ]-] is said to have helped Padmasambhava establish ].

Indian monk ], holder of the ''mind training'' (Tib. ]) teachings, is considered an indirect founder of the ] school of ]. Indian monks, such as ], also travelled to ] to propagate Buddhism.

== Decline of Buddhism in India ==

{{further information|Decline of Buddhism in India}}

] sacked the great Buddhist shrines at ].<ref>The Maha-Bodhi By Maha Bodhi Society, Calcutta (page 8)</ref>]]

The decline of Buddhism has been attributed to various factors. Regardless of the religious beliefs of their kings, states usually treated all the important sects relatively even-handedly.<ref name="Randall Collins 2000, page 182">Randall Collins, ''The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change.'' Harvard University Press, 2000, page 182.</ref> This consisted of building monasteries and religious monuments, donating property such as the income of villages for the support of monks, and exempting donated property from taxation. Donations were most often made by private persons such as wealthy merchants and female relatives of the royal family, but there were periods when the state also gave its support and protection. In the case of Buddhism, this support was particularly important because of its high level of organization and the reliance of monks on donations from the laity. State patronage of Buddhism took the form of land grant foundations.<ref>Randall Collins, ''The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change.'' Harvard University Press, 2000, pages 180, 182.</ref>

Numerous copper plate inscriptions from India as well as Tibetan and Chinese texts suggest that the patronage of Buddhism and Buddhist monasteries in medieval India was interrupted in periods of war and political change, but broadly continued in Hindu kingdoms from the start of the common era through early 2nd millennium CE.<ref name="Nakamura1980p146">{{cite book|author=Hajime Nakamura|title=Indian Buddhism: A Survey with Bibliographical Notes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w0A7y4TCeVQC |year=1980|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-0272-8 |pages=145–148 with footnotes }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Akira Shimada|title=Early Buddhist Architecture in Context: The Great Stūpa at Amarāvatī (ca. 300 BCE-300 CE)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfUyAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA200 |year=2012|publisher=BRILL Academic |isbn=978-90-04-23326-3 |pages=200–204 }}</ref><ref name="Schopen1997p259">{{cite book|author=Gregory Schopen|title=Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks: Collected Papers on the Archaeology, Epigraphy, and Texts of Monastic Buddhism in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rxdZ-BVNm_IC&pg=PA259|year=1997|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-1870-8|pages=259–278}}</ref> Modern scholarship and recent translations of Tibetan and Sanskrit Buddhist text archives, preserved in Tibetan monasteries, suggest that through much of 1st millennium CE in medieval India (and Tibet as well as other parts of China), Buddhist monks owned property and were actively involved in trade and other economic activity, after joining a Buddhist monastery.<ref>{{cite book|author=Gregory Schopen|title=Buddhist Monks and Business Matters: Still More Papers on Monastic Buddhism in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qW9Sn-cJd-0C&pg=PA1|year=2004|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-2774-8|pages=1–16}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Huaiyu Chen|title=The Revival of Buddhist Monasticism in Medieval China|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qCNXQSG7mUC&pg=PA132|year=2007|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=978-0-8204-8624-6|pages=132–149}}</ref>

With the Gupta dynasty (~4th to 6th century), the growth in ritualistic Mahayana Buddhism, and the adoption of Buddhist ideas into Hindu schools, the differences between Buddhism and Hinduism blurred, and Vaishnavism, Shaivism and other Hindu traditions became increasingly popular, and Brahmins developed a new relationship with the state.<ref name="Randall Collins 2000, page 209" >Randall Collins, ''The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change.'' Harvard University Press, 2000, page 207-211.</ref> As the system grew, Buddhist monasteries gradually lost control of land revenue. In parallel, the Gupta kings built Buddhist temples such as the one at Kushinagara,<ref>{{cite journal|author=Gina Barns|title=An Introduction to Buddhist Archaeology|journal=World Archaeology|volume = 27| number = 2|year=1995|pages=166–168}}</ref><ref name=stoddardp3>{{cite journal|author=Robert Stoddard|year=2010 |journal= Pilgrimage and Buddhist Art |title= The Geography of Buddhist Pilgrimage in Asia |publisher= Yale University Press |url= http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geographyfacpub/27| volume = 178|pages=3–4}}</ref> and monastic universities such as those at Nalanda, as evidenced by records left by three Chinese visitors to India.<ref name=scharfe2002p144>{{cite book|author=Hartmut Scharfe|title=Handbook of Oriental Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7s19sZFRxCUC |year=2002|publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=90-04-12556-6|pages=144–153}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Craig Lockard|title=Societies, Networks, and Transitions: Volume I: A Global History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yJPlCpzOY_QC |year=2007|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0618386123 |page=188}}</ref><ref name=higham2014p121>{{cite book|author=Charles Higham |title=Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H1c1UIEVH9gC |year=2014|publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-1-4381-0996-1 |pages=121, 236}}</ref>

According to Hazra, Buddhism declined in part because of the rise of the Brahmins and their influence in socio-political process.<ref>{{cite book|author=Kanai Lal Hazra|title=The Rise And Decline Of Buddhism In India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3wEAAAAYAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal|isbn=978-81-215-0651-9|pages=371–385}}</ref> According to Randall Collins, ] and other scholars, Buddhism's rise or decline is not linked to Brahmins or the caste system, since Buddhism was "not a reaction to the caste system", but aimed at the salvation of those who joined its monastic order.<ref>Randall Collins, ''The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change.'' Harvard University Press, 2000, page 205-206</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Christopher S. Queen|author2=Sallie B. King|title=Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZsTgY1lNNsC&pg=PA17|year=1996|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-2844-3 |pages=17–18 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Richard Gombrich|title=Buddhist Precept & Practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lqp4LuZQnHsC |year=2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-15623-6 |pages=344–345 }}</ref>

The 11th century Persian traveller ] writes that there was 'cordial hatred' between the Brahmins and ] Buddhists.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Muhammad ibn Ahmad Biruni|author2=Edward C. Sachau (Translator)|title=Alberuni's India: An Account of the Religion, Philosophy, Literature, Geography, Chronology, Astronomy, Customs, Laws and Astrology of India about AD 1030|url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_5949073_001|year=1910|publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd., London |pages=21}}</ref> Buddhism was also weakened by rival Hindu philosophies such as ], growth in temples and an innovation of the ] movement. Advaita Vedanta proponent ] is believed to have "defeated Buddhism" and established Hindu supremacy. This rivalry undercut Buddhist patronage and popular support.<ref>Randall Collins, ''The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change.'' Harvard University Press, 2000, pages=189, 190.</ref> The period between 400 CE and 1000 CE thus saw gains by the ] school of Hinduism over Buddhism<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/history/history_2.shtml|title=BBC - Religions - Hinduism: History of Hinduism|publisher=|accessdate=27 February 2015}}</ref> and Buddhism had vanished from ] and north India by early 11th century. India was now Brahmanic, not Buddhistic; Al-Biruni could never find a Buddhistic book or a Buddhist person in India from whom he could learn.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Muhammad ibn Ahmad Biruni|author2=Edward C. Sachau (Translator)|title=Alberuni's India: An Account of the Religion, Philosophy, Literature, Geography, Chronology, Astronomy, Customs, Laws and Astrology of India about AD 1030|url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_5949073_001|year=1910|publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd., London |pages=xlv, xlvii, 249}}</ref>

According to some scholars such as Lars Fogelin, the decline of Buddhism may be related to economic reasons, wherein the Buddhist monasteries with large land grants focussed on non-material pursuits, self-isolation of the monasteries, loss in internal discipline in the ''sangha'', and a failure to efficiently operate the land they owned.<ref name="Schopen1997p259"/><ref name=larsfogelin>{{cite book|author=Lars Fogelin|title=An Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yPZzBgAAQBAJ |year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-994823-9 |pages=229–230 }}</ref>

=== The Hun invasions ===

Chinese scholars traveling through the region between the 5th and 8th centuries, such as ], ], ], Hui-sheng, and Sung-Yun, began to speak of a decline of the Buddhist '']'', especially in the wake of the ] invasion from central Asia.<ref name="Merriam155">{{cite book|author=Wendy Doniger|title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZP_f9icf2roC |year=1999|publisher=Merriam-Webster|isbn=978-0-87779-044-0 |pages=155–157 }}</ref> Xuanzang, the most famous of Chinese travellers, found “millions of monasteries” in north-western India reduced to ruins by the Huns.<ref name="Merriam155"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/topic/Buddhism/Historical-Development#toc68658|title=Historical Development of Buddhism in India - Buddhism under the Guptas and Palas|author=Encyclopaedia Britannica|publisher=|accessdate=12 September 2015}}</ref>

=== Turkish Muslim conquerors ===

The ] was the first great ] invasion into ].<ref>Levy, Robert I. Mesocosm: Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1990 1990.</ref> By the end of twelfth century, Buddhism had mostly disappeared,<ref name="Merriam155"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/topic/Buddhism/Historical-Development#toc68658|title=Historical Development of Buddhism in India - Buddhism under the Guptas and Palas|author=Encyclopaedia Britannica|publisher=|accessdate=13 September 2015}}</ref> with the destruction of monasteries and ] in medieval northwest and western India (now Pakistan and north India).<ref name="Mcleod"/>

In the northwestern parts of medieval India, the Himalayan regions, as well regions bordering central Asia, Buddhism once facilitated trade relations, states Lars Fogelin. With the Islamic invasion and expansion, and central Asians adopting Islam, the trade route-derived financial support sources and the economic foundations of Buddhist monasteries declined, on which the survival and growth of Buddhism was based.<ref name=larsfogelin/><ref name="Wink1997">{{cite book|author=André Wink|title=Al-Hind the Making of the Indo-Islamic World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=75FlxDhZWpwC&pg=PA348 |year=1997|publisher=BRILL Academic |isbn=90-04-10236-1 |pages=348–349 }}</ref> The arrival of Islam removed the royal patronage to the monastic tradition of Buddhism, and the replacement of Buddhists in long-distance trade by the Muslims eroded the related sources of patronage.<ref name="Mcleod"/><ref name="Wink1997"/>

In the Gangetic plains, Orissa, northeast and the southern regions of India, Buddhism survived through the early centuries of the 2nd millennium CE.<ref name=larsfogelin/> The Islamic invasion plundered wealth and destroyed Buddhist images,<ref>{{cite book|author=Peter Harvey|title=An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u0sg9LV_rEgC&pg=PA194 |year=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-85942-4 |pages=194 }}, Quote: "From 986 CE, the Muslim Turks started raiding northwest India from Afghanistan, plundering western India early in the eleventh century. Force conversions to Islam were made, and Buddhist images smashed, due to the Islamic dislike of idolarty. Indeed in India, the Islamic term for an 'idol' became 'budd'."</ref> and consequent take over of land holdings of Buddhist monasteries removed one source of necessary support for the Buddhists, while the economic upheaval and new taxes on laity sapped the laity support of Buddhist monks.<ref name=larsfogelin/>

Monasteries and institutions such as Nalanda were abandoned by Buddhist monks around 1200 CE, who flee to escape the invading Muslim army, after which the site decayed over the Islamic rule in India that followed.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Richard H. Robinson|author2=Sandra Ann Wawrytko |author3=Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu |title=The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=LhUSAQAAIAAJ | year=1996| publisher=Thomson |isbn=978-0-534-20718-2 |pages=50 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Mark Juergensmeyer|author2=Wade Clark Roof|title=Encyclopedia of Global Religion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WwJzAwAAQBAJ|year=2011|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-1-4522-6656-5|page=148}}</ref>

The last empire to support Buddhism, the ] dynasty, fell in the 12th century, and Muslim invaders destroyed monasteries and monuments.<ref name="Merriam155"/> According to Randall Collins, Buddhism was already declining in India before the 12th century, but with the pillage by Muslim invaders it nearly became extinct in India in the 1200s.<ref name="Randall Collins 2000, pages 184-185"/> In the 13th century, states Craig Lockard, Buddhist monks in India escaped to Tibet to escape Islamic persecution;<ref>{{cite book|author=Craig Lockard|title=Societies, Networks, and Transitions: Volume I: A Global History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yJPlCpzOY_QC |year=2007|publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |isbn=0-618-38612-2 |pages=364 }}</ref> while the monks in western India, states Peter Harvey, escaped persecution by moving to south Indian Hindu kingdoms that were able to resist the Muslim power.<ref name="Peter Harvey 2013 194–195"/>

===Last surviving Buddhists===
Many Indian Buddhists fled south. It is known that Buddhists continued to exist in India even after the 14th century from texts such as the ]. This text outlines an episode in the life of ] (1486–1533), a Vaisnava saint, who was said to have entered into a debate with Buddhists in ].<ref>Amore, Roy C; Developments in Buddhist Thought: Canadian Contributions to Buddhist Studies, page 72</ref>

The Tibetan ] (1575–1634) wrote a history of Indian Buddhism, which mentions Buddhism as having survived in some pockets of India during his time.<ref>Tharanatha; Chattopadhyaya, Chimpa, Alaka, trans. (2000). History of Buddhism in India, Motilal Books UK, ISBN 8120806964.</ref>

Buddhism also survived to the modern era in the Himalayan countries such as ], with close ties to ].<ref>Warder, AK; Indian Buddhism, page 486</ref> A unique tradition survives in ]'s ].

=== Causes within the Buddhist tradition of the time ===

Some scholars suggest that a part of the decline of Buddhist monasteries was because it was detached from everyday life in India and did not participate in the ritual social aspects such as the rites of passage (marriage, funeral, birth of child) like other religions.<ref name="Mcleod">''McLeod, John, "The History of India", Greenwood Press (2002), ISBN 0-313-31459-4, pg. 41-42.</ref>

== Revival of Buddhism in India ==
{{refimprove section|date=July 2016}}

=== Anagarika Dharmapala and the Maha Bodhi Society ===
{{See also|Maha Bodhi Society|Anagarika Dharmapala}}

A revival of Buddhism began in India in 1891, when the ]n Buddhist leader ] founded the ].<ref>{{cite book
|last=Ahir
|first=D.C.
|title=Buddhism in Modern India
|year=1991
|publisher=Satguru
|isbn=81-7030-254-4
}}</ref> Its activities expanded to involve the promotion of Buddhism in India. In June 1892, a meeting of Buddhists took place at ]. Dharmapala spoke to ]an Buddhists and presented a relic of the Buddha to be sent to the ].

Dharmapāla built many vihāras and temples in India, including the one at ], the place of Buddha's first sermon. He died in 1933, the same year he was ordained a ].<ref>{{cite book
|last=Ahir
|first=D.C.
|title=Buddhism in Modern India
|year=1991
|publisher=Satguru
|isbn=81-7030-254-4
}}</ref>

]]]

=== Bengal Buddhist Association ===

In 1892, Kripasaran Mahasthavir founded the Bengal Buddhist Association (Bauddha Dharmankur Sabha) in ]. Kripasaran (1865–1926) was instrumental in uniting the Buddhist community of ] and ]. He built other branches of the Bengal Buddhist Association at ] (1907), ] (1907), ] (1908), ] (1915), ] (1918), ] (1919), Tatanagar Jamshedpur (1922), as well as in Sakpura, Satbaria, Noapara, Uninepura, ] Region in present-day ].

=== Tibetan Buddhism ===

The ] departed Tibet in 1959, when Indian ] ] offered to permit him and his followers to establish a "]" in ]. Tibetan exiles have settled in the town, numbering several thousand. Many of these exiles live in Upper Dharamsala, or McLeod Ganj, where they established monasteries, temples and schools. The town is sometimes known as "Little ]", after the Tibetan capital city, and has become one of the centers of Buddhism in the world. Many settlements for Tibetan refugee communities came up across many parts of India on the lands offered by the Government of India. Some of the biggest Tibetan settlements in exile are in the state of Karnataka. The Dalai Lama's brother, Gyalo Thondup, himself lives in ] and his wife established the Tibetan Refugee Centre in ] . His Holiness the ] also arrived in India in 2000 and continues education and has taken traditional role to head Karma Kagyu sect of ] and every year leads the Kagyu Monlam in Bodh Gaya attended by thousands of monks and followers . ] Sherabling monastery seat of His Holiness the ] located in Kangra, ] is the largest ] monastery in India and has become an important centre of ]. His Holiness ], the head of Nyingma, the ancient school of Tibetan Buddhism re-established a Nyingma monastery in Bylakuppe, Mysore. This is the largest Nyingma monastery today. Monks from Himalayan regions of India, Nepal, Bhutan and from Tibet join this monastery for their higher education. HH Penor Rinpoche also founded Thubten Lekshey Ling, a dharma center for lay practitioners in Bangalore. Vajrayana Buddhism and Dzogchen (maha-sandhi) meditation again became accessible to aspirants in India after that.

=== Neo Buddhist movement (Conversion of downtrodden) ===

{{main article|Dalit Buddhist movement}}

].]]

A Buddhist revivalist movement among ] Indians was initiated in 1890s by socialist leaders such as ], ], and ]. In the 1950s, Dr. ] turned his attention to Buddhism and travelled to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) to attend a convention of Buddhist scholars and monks. While dedicating a new Buddhist vihara near Pune, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar announced that he was writing a book on Buddhism, and that as soon as it was finished, he planned to make a formal conversion to Buddhism. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar twice visited Burma in 1954; the second time in order to attend the third conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in Rangoon. In 1955, he founded the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha, or the Buddhist Society of India. He completed his final work, ''The Buddha and His Dhamma'', in 1956. It was published posthumously.

After meetings with the Sri Lankan Buddhist monk Hammalawa Saddhatissa, Ambedkar organised a formal public ceremony for himself and his supporters in Nagpur on 14 October 1956. Accepting the ] and ] from a Buddhist monk in the traditional manner, Ambedkar completed his own conversion. He then proceeded to convert an estimated 500,000 of his supporters who were gathered around him. Taking the ], Ambedkar and his supporters explicitly condemned and rejected Hinduism and Hindu philosophy. This was the world's biggest mass religious conversion; it is celebrated by Buddhists every year at Nagpur; 1-1.5&nbsp;million Buddhists gather there every year for the ceremony. He then traveled to ] in ] to attend the Fourth World Buddhist Conference. His final manuscript, '']'', remains unfinished; he died on 6 December 1956.

=== Vipassana movement ===

The ] tradition of ] is growing in popularity in India. Many institutions—both government and private sector—now offer courses for their employees.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6322237.stm|title=BBC NEWS - South Asia - India's youth hit the web to worship|publisher=|accessdate=27 February 2015}}</ref> This form is mainly practiced by the elite and ] Indians. This movement has spread to many other countries in ], ] and ].

==See also==
{{Portal|Buddhism|Indian religions|India}}
]
*]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book
| last =Doniger
| first =Wendy
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title =Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of World Religions
| publisher =Encyclopædia Britannica
|year=2000
| location =
| url =
| doi =
| isbn =0-87779-044-2
| page =1378}}
{{refend}}
Living Religions, seventh edition, by Mary Pat Fisher
*Dutt, N. (1998). Buddhist Sects in India. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
*Lamotte, E. (1976). History of Indian Buddhism. Paris: Peeters Press.

==External links==
* ISBN 81-212-0585-9
*

{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Asia topic|Buddhism in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Buddhism In India}}
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Revision as of 15:56, 22 January 2017

india is hindu country buudhism is not presnt in india