History of Buddhism

A report on the history and the situation of the Buddhist monasteries in 1994 in Inner Mongolia and among the Mongols of Qinghai, Gansu and Xinjiang.

Over the centuries after Buddha’s death, the Buddhist monastic communities splintered into 18 groups. Monastic universities such as Nalanda were established, the Mahayana teachings and tenet systems emerged and, eventually, tantra was taught as well.

The Theravada monastic ordinations reached Sri Lanka and Myanmar in the 3rd century BCE. Over the centuries, it was re-established in Sri Lanka from Myanmar after a short repression, was spread from Sri Lanka to Thailand, and then from Thailand to Cambodia and from Cambodia to...

The Four Buddhist Councils were convened to codify Buddha's teachings. Because of differing opinions among the participants, different Buddhist traditions and tenet systems emerged from many of them.

Message from Ling Rinpoche

The Pali literature of the Theravadins reveals the struggle the Buddha had to establish and support his ever-growing community of disciples and followers under extremely difficult circumstances, such as political intrigues and several wars.

Deriving primarily from India over several centuries through the efforts of a large number of teachers and translators, Tibetan Buddhism gradually evolved into four main traditions.

Message from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

A short introduction to how Buddhism spread from its beginnings in northern India to become the major belief system across much of Asia.

Overview of the three waves of Buddhism reaching Mongolia from Central Asia and then Tibet, the subsequent exploitation of Buddhism by the Manchus, its suppression under the communist regime and the initial efforts at its revival.