spread throughout the Himalayan regions and to Mongolia, Central Asia, and several regions of Russia (Buryatia, Kalmykia and Tuva).

In addition, from the 2nd century CE, Indian forms of Mahayana Buddhism spread to Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sumatra and Java along the sea trade route from India to South China. None of them are extant today.

How Buddhism Spread

The expansion of Buddhism throughout most of Asia was peaceful, and occurred in several ways. Shakyamuni Buddha, as a travelling teacher sharing his insights with those who were receptive and interested from the nearby kingdoms, set the precedent. He instructed his monks to go forth in the world and expound his teachings. He did not ask others to denounce and give up their own religion and convert to a new one, for hewas not seeking to establish his own religion. Buddha’s aim was merely to help others overcome the unhappiness and suffering that they were creating for themselves, due to their lack of understanding of reality. Later generations of followers were inspired by his example, and shared with others his methods that they found useful in their lives. This is how what is now called “Buddhism” spread far and wide.

Sometimes, the process evolved organically. For example, when Buddhist merchants visited and settled in different lands, some members of the local populations naturally developed an interest in these foreigners’ beliefs, as happened with the introduction of Islam to Indonesia and Malaysia later on. This process also occurred with Buddhism in the oasis states along the Silk Route in Central Asia, during