| Under King Kanishda, a great Council, not recognized | | | | international centre of learning until it was destroyed by |
| by the Theravada, was held in Kashmir or Jalandhar. It | | | | the Turks in about 1750 B.E. (c. 1200 C.E.). The classical |
| was regarded as the Third Council of the Mahayanists | | | | Buddhist paintings in 29 caves excavated in the rock |
| who did not accept the Third Council of | | | | at Ajanta (about 250 miles northeast of Bombay), |
| Patฺaliputra, and as the Fourth Council of | | | | which dated from about B.E.350 (about 150 B.C.), also |
| India. It was presided over by the learned monks | | | | attained their maturity during the Gupta period. |
| Vasumitra and Parsva and attended by five hundred | | | | Around this time also (in the 9th century B.E.; 4th |
| monks. At this Council, a new set of scriptures in | | | | century C.E.), Asanga and Vasubandhu, the two |
| Sanskrit was approved together with fundamental | | | | brothers, founded the Yogacara school of thought. As |
| Mahayana principles. A great scholar named | | | | the doctrine of Sunyavada of the Madhyamikas is |
| Asvaghosฺa, who was the spiritual adviser | | | | proclaimed in their chief work of the Prajiiaparamitas, |
| of the Emperor and who took a leading part in the | | | | so is the doctrine of Vijdanฺavada of the |
| Council, wrote many of the first Mahayana | | | | Yogacara taught in the Lankavatarasutra. These two |
| commentaries. He was also known as the greatest | | | | systems of the Mahayana were influential in shaping |
| poet of India before Kalidasa. About half a century | | | | the Buddhism of China, Korea, Japan and Tibet. |
| after him, Nagarjuna, a great Buddhist philosopher, | | | | Around the year 944 B.E. (401 C.E.) Kumarajiva, the |
| founded the Madhyamika school of Mahayana. | | | | greatest of the Mahayana translators, was brought |
| Nagarjuna was born in Andhra, the empire of the | | | | from Central Asia to China as a captive of war. After |
| Satavahana kings in central India to the south of the | | | | some time he was welcomed to the Chinese court at |
| Kushan Empire, which arose after the fall of the | | | | Ch'ang-an. With the aid of his Chinese disciples, |
| Mauryan Empire and prospered until the 8th century | | | | Kumarajiva translated a vast number of Sanskrit texts |
| B.E. (3rd cent. C.E.). He was a friend of King Yajnasri, | | | | including Nagarjuna's works into Chinese. His |
| who ruled the empire from B.E.709 to 739, and | | | | translations remained for centuries standard works in |
| flourished under his patronage. The Satavahana kings | | | | Chinese and he was honoured by the Buddhists of |
| were patrons of Buddhism and spent large sums on | | | | China as the most trustworthy authority on the |
| the upkeep of great monasteries such as those at | | | | Buddhist doctrine. It was he who made Buddhism |
| Sanchi, Amaravati and Nagarjunikonda and on Building | | | | popular in China and who laid the foundation for the |
| schools, rest-houses, wells, tanks, bridges and | | | | conversion of eastern Asia into a Mahayana land. |
| ferryboats. | | | | After him, other scholars, both Chinese and foreign, |
| In his capital at Purushpura, King Kanishka built a great | | | | translated the Yogacara texts and made them widely |
| Buddhist stupa, now ruined, measuring at the base 285 | | | | known in China. |
| feet from side to side and 638 feet in height, which | | | | Between 944 and 953 (401-410 C.E.), a Chinese pilgrim, |
| was regarded an one of the wonders of the world. | | | | Fa-Hsien, who was a disciple of Kumarajiva, visited |
| Under his patronage, Sanskrit literature and the | | | | India in search of Buddhist sacred books. He wrote |
| Gandhara school of art flourished. And through the | | | | about the conditions in the reign of Chandragupta II, |
| influence of the Council, the works of the scholars and | | | | showing that Indian society had advanced greatly |
| the encouragement of the royal patron, Mahayana | | | | under the influence of Buddhism. The people were |
| Buddhism spread steadily through Central Asia to | | | | happy and prosperous. In comparison with the Roman |
| China and then to Korea and Japan, and became | | | | empire and China, India was probably the most civilized |
| firmly established in these countries. | | | | region at that time. The account of Fa-Hsien's travels |
| By this time a Buddhist educational centre had been | | | | is one of the chief sources of Indian and Buddhist |
| established at Nalanda. Nagarjuna also spent many | | | | history of that period. |
| years of his life there. During the Gupta period (B.E. | | | | About a quarter of a century after Fa-Hsien's visit to |
| 863-1010; 320-467 C.E.) it grew both in size and in | | | | Java on his way back to China, an Indian monk called |
| importance till it became the great university of | | | | Gunฺavarman also visited this island. He |
| Nalanda where 3,000-10,000 monks (and laymen) lived, | | | | succeeded in converting the Queen Mother to |
| teaching and studying, at a time, and where various | | | | Buddhism. Then the king and the people also adopted |
| subjects were taught such as Buddhism, logic, | | | | the religion. After this, Gunฺavarman was |
| philosophy, law, medicine, philology, grammar, Yoga, | | | | invited by the Chinese Emperor to visit China. There |
| alchemy and astrology. Nalanda was supported by | | | | the monk spread the teachings of "The Lotus of the |
| kings of several dynasties and served as the great | | | | Wonderful Law," and founded an order of nuns. |