WORLD RELIGIONS

Detailed explanation-1: -Buddhist monks travelled with merchant caravans on the Silk Road to preach their new religion. The lucrative Chinese silk trade along this trade route began during the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), with voyages by people like Zhang Qian establishing ties between China and the west.

Detailed explanation-2: -Buddhism indeed first arrived in China via the Silk Road and was based on the Sarvastivada school, which provided a foundation for Mahayana Buddhism in turn adopted by Japan and Korea. Buddhist monks accompanied merchant caravans along the Silk Road, preaching their religion along the way.

Detailed explanation-3: -Buddhism spread across Asia through networks of overland and maritime routes between India, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and China. The transmission of Buddhism to Central Asia and China corresponded with the development of the silk routes as channels for intercultural exchanges.

Detailed explanation-4: -Buddhism along the Silk Road: 5th–8th Century By the fifth century, Buddhism had been thriving in Gandhara and the Swat Valley (northern Pakistan) for six hundred years, financed by the extensive trade that flowed through the Khyber and Karakorum passes.

Detailed explanation-5: -Buddhism was imported to Japan via China and Korea in the form of a present from the friendly Korean kingdom of Kudara (Paikche) in the 6th century. While Buddhism was welcomed by the ruling nobles as Japan’s new state religion, it did not initially spread among the common people due to its complex theories.