Attachment is the root of suffering

1st century 
ce
 Buddhism 
arrives in China and Japan.
7th century Buddhist 
missionaries are invited to 
establish a monastery in Tibet.
After the collapse
of the Mauryan Empire, 
Buddhism declines
in India. 
Siddartha rejects
material life and preaches 
Buddhist philosophy.
Ashoka makes Buddhism the state religion
and spreads it across South and East Asia.
Buddhism flourishes
in Sri Lanka, Southeast 
Asia, China, Japan, Tibet,
and Central Asia.
Ashoka the 
Great conquers 
India and unifies 
the empire.
US_040-041_Siddartha_Rejects_Material_life.indd 40
15/02/2016 16:40
41
Stone reliefs depicting the life of 
Buddha decorate gateways of The Great 
Stupa at Sanchi, commissioned by the 
emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century 
bce
. 
See also: The conquests of Alexander the Great 52–53
■
The Indus Valley Civilization collapses
■
The construction of Angkor Wat 108–09
■
The conquests of Akbar the Great 170–71
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
For the next two to three centuries, 
Buddhism remained one among 
several minor sects but, under the 
Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great 
(304–232 
bce
), it became India’s 
state religion. Ashoka’s reign had 
proceeded initially through bloody 
conquest, but in around 261 
bce
he 
had a change of heart. From then he 
embraced a new model of kingship 
and religious philosophy based on a 
creed of tolerance and non-violence. 
He extended Mauryan control and, 
his Buddhism proving a powerful 
unifying force, succeeded in joining 
all of India, except the southern tip, 
into an empire of 30 million people.