563 BCE - 483 BCE: Generally accepted dates of the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, by scholars.

400 BCE: First Buddhist Council at Rajgir, Bihar, India; teachings and monastic discipline agreed to and codified.

383 BCE: Second Buddhist Council at which the Sthaviravada and Mahasanghika schools separate over differences in monastic discipline; the first schism in Buddhism.

200 BCE - 600 CE: Construction of the 30 Buddhist cave-shrines at Ajanta, many of which display features of Gupta architecture.

100 BCE: Buddhist sutras began to be written down in Pali.

75 CE - 450 CE: Kushan rule in the Gandhara region, arguably the golden era of the Gandhara civilization in which art, architecture and the propagation of the Buddhist religion excelled.

148 CE: An Shigao is the first Buddhist translator mentioned in Chinese sources who established a translation centre in the Chinese imperial capital, Luoyang.

200 CE: The Buddhist Lotus Sutra is written down in Pali language.

200 CE - 400 CE: The Buddhist Nirvana Sutra is written down in Pali language.

200 CE: Dhammapada is translated to Chinese and other Asian languages.

372 CE: A Confucian Academy is established in the Goguryeo kingdom of northern Korea and Buddism is adopted as the state religion.

384 CE: Buddhism is adopted as the state religion by the Baekje kingdom of western Korea.

450 CE: Buddhist scholar Buddhaghosa writes his commentary on Dhammapada.

538 CE: Alternative date to 552 CE for the introduction of Buddhism to Japan from Korea.

552 CE: Traditional date for the introduction of Buddhism to Japan from Korea.

573 CE - 622 CE: Prince Shotoku was the founder of Japanese Buddhism and of the Japanese nation. He is famous for his 17-article constitution, the first Buddhist constitution ever to be created.

593 CE: The Shitennoji Buddhist temple is built in Japan.

596 CE: The Hokoji Buddhist temple is built in Japan.

607 CE: The Horyuji Buddhist temple is built in Nara, Japan during the reign of Regent Prince Shotoku.

617 CE - 686 CE: Life of the Korean Buddhist philosopher Wonhyo.

710 CE: The Buddhist Kofukuji temple is established at Nara, main temple of the Japanese Fujiwara clan.

751 CE - 790 CE: The Buddhist Bulguksa temple complex is built east of Gyeongju, Korea.

751 CE - 774 CE: The Buddhist cave temple at Seokguram (Sokkuram) east of Gyeongju, Korea is built.

752 CE: The Buddhist Todaiji temple is founded at Nara, Japan.

767 CE - 822 CE: Life of Saicho, founder of Tendai Buddhism in Japan.

771 CE: The large bronze bell at the Buddhist shrine at Bongdeoksa, Korea, also known as the Emille Bell, is cast.

774 CE - 835 CE: Life of the monk Kukai (aka Kobo Daishi), founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan.

793 CE - 864 CE: Life of Ennin, the Buddhist scholar-monk and abbot of Enryakuji, who brought many esoteric teachings from China to Japan.

796 CE: The Buddhist To-ji temple near Heiankyo (Kyoto), Japan is founded.

819 CE: Kukai (Kobo Daishi) establishes a monastery and headquarters for Shingon Buddhism on Mount Koya in Japan.

838 CE - 847 CE: Japanese Tendai Buddhist monk Ennin studies esoteric Buddhism in China.

842 CE - 845 CE: The Chinese state persecutes Buddhist monks and their monasteries.

849 CE: Ennin leads the first imperial-sponsored esoteric ritual at Enryakuji, Japan.

874 CE: The Buddhist Daigoji temple is founded by Shobo at Heiankyo (Kyoto).

1164 CE: The Buddhist Sanjusangendo temple is founded at Heiankyo (Kyoto), Japan.

1855 CE: First Latin translation of the Dhammapada.