Emperor Ashoka’s embrace of the Buddha’s teachings around 260 BCE served as the catalyst that lit Buddhism’s fuse beyond the Indian subcontinent. Dispatching missionaries—among them his own children—to places like Sri Lanka and the Hellenistic kingdoms of Central Asia, Ashoka planted seeds that would take root far and wide. Merchants and monks then hitched rides along the Silk Road, turning dusty trade routes into spiritual highways. Caravans laden with silk and spices also carried palm-leaf manuscripts, spreading both Mahayana ideas in China and Theravada traditions in Southeast Asia.

By the first century CE, Buddhist monastics had built vibrant centers in Gandhara, where Greco-Roman artistic styles fused with Indian iconography. From there, the faith caught on like wildfire in the Tarim Basin and Tibet. Pilgrims such as Faxian and Xuanzang braved harsh deserts to collect sacred texts and translate them into Chinese, bridging the gap between cultures and fuelling a flourishing of Chinese Buddhism during the Tang dynasty. Meanwhile, maritime routes carried the Dhamma across the Bay of Bengal to Myanmar, Thailand and beyond, where local rulers welcomed monks and the construction of elaborate stupas.

Over centuries, each region tailored Buddhist practice to its own soil. In Japan, Zen Buddhism distilled meditative silence into everyday chores, inspiring tea ceremonies and rock gardens—an echo of the saying “still waters run deep.” Tibetan Buddhism wove in shamanistic elements, creating a kaleidoscope of ritual and art. Even in modern times, Buddhist principles have found fresh audiences: mindfulness programs in Silicon Valley, eco-friendly monastic communities reclaiming rivers in Nepal, and international conferences addressing climate change through a Buddhist lens.

This ever-evolving tradition shows how a single teacher’s insights into suffering and awakening transformed not only hearts and minds but landscape and culture across continents. It’s a testament to the power of ideas, carried on the backs of traders, pilgrims and evolving translations, to resonate with seekers from Sri Lanka to San Francisco.