ina and was to be found in small pockets often around existing temples. Only recently has there been a reversal of this trend.From China, Buddhism spread into Korea in the fourth century AD and soon after into Japan. Tibet was one of the last countries to accept the Buddhist message. While it was introduced there around 609AD, it was not widely accepted until the 11th century AD.Buddhism came to Japan from China in the 6th Century AD. At first, Buddhism formed an alliance with many of the existing Shinto groups. Buddhism then was very different than today. Over time, several schools of the Mahayana Buddhist philosophy evolved, but the main ones today are “Pure Land” and the “Zen,” both of which originally developed in China. A third school, the Nirchiren group developed in most recent times. Pure Land is the largest group in Japan today, and of the three groups, Zen is the most well known by Westerners, although Nichiren also has considerable following in the West, where it actively works for world peace. From India, Buddhism went to Sri Lanka early in the third Century BC. Sri Lanka became strongly Buddhist. It was here that many of the early teachings were finally written down. From Sri Lanka, monks went to Burma in the 5th Century but it was not until the 12th Century AD that Buddhism became widely established. Thailand took on Buddhism in the 13th Century AD, with Laos and Cambodia also taking on the teaching soon after. At the same time, by the 15th Century, Buddhism had virtually disappeared from India, and has never been a major influence there ever since. Though, there have been some efforts to revive Buddhism in particular areas.It was in the latter half of the 1800's that Buddhism first came to be known in the west. European colonial empires brought the cultures of India and China to the attention of the intellectuals of Europe. Scholars began to learn Asian languages and translate Asian texts. Religio...
