Buddhism ( 佛教 ) is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhism gradually spread from India throughout Asia to Central Asia, Sri Lanka , Tibet , Southeast Asia, as well as to East Asian countries such as China , Korea , and Japan.With approximately 360 million followers, Buddhism is considered a major world religion.

Buddhism arrived in China at the start of the 1st century from Central Asia by way of the Silk Road ( 丝绸之路 ) . The year 67 saw Buddhism's official introduction to China with the coming of the two monks Moton and Chufarlan.

Nevertheless most of the Chinese gentry were indifferent to these Central Asian travelers and their religion. Not only was their religion unknown but much of it seemed alien and amoral to Chinese sensibilities. Concepts such as monasticism and individual spiritual enlightenment directly contradicted the core Confucian principles of family and emperor. Confucianism ( 儒家思想 ) promoted social stability, order, strong families, and practical living. Chinese officials questioned how a monk's personal attainment of nirvana benefited the empire. Buddhism was less antithetical to Daoism ( 道家思想 ) , the other major religion of China, but at its core Daoism sought harmony with the natural world while Buddhism sought to master the inner world.

To thrive in China , Buddhism had to transform itself into a system that could exist within the Chinese way of life. Thus obscure Indian sutras that advocated filial piety became core texts in China . Buddhism was made compatible with ancestor worship and participation in China 's hierarchical system. Works were written arguing that the salvation of an individual was a benefit to that individual's society and family and monks thus contributed to the greater good.

It is conjectured that the shocking collapse of the Han Dynasty in 220 and the resulting period of social upheaval and political unrest known as the Three Kingdoms period may have helped the spread of Buddhism.

It is instructive that Buddhism propagated faster in northern China than in the south. Social upheaval in northern China worked to break down cultural barriers between the elite ruling families and the general populace, in contrast to the south where elite clans and royal families firmly monopolized politics. Daoist and Confucian political ideology had long consolidated the political status of elite clans in the south. Support of another religion would have unknown and possibly adverse effects, for which these clans would not risk their privileges. Furthermore pro-Buddhist policy would not be backed by the bureaucracy, which had been staffed by members of the clans. Southern rulers were in weaker positions to strive for their legitimacy - some were even installed by the clans. It was not until the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty that saw the official support of Buddhism. But Buddhism spread pretty well in the peasant populace, both in the north and the south.

The popularization of Buddhism in Tang Dynasty is evident in the many scripture-filled caves and structures surviving today. The Mogao Caves ( 莫高窟 ) near Dunhuang ( 敦煌 ) in Gansu province, the Longmen Grottoes ( 龙门石窟 ) near Luoyang in Henan and the Yungang Grottoes ( 云冈石窟 ) near Datong in Shanxi are the most renowned of the Northern, Sui and Tang Dynasties. The Diamond Sutra of AD 868, a Buddhist scripture discovered in AD 1907 inside the Mogao Caves , was the first dated example of block printing.