A Buddhist Timeline

Pre-historic	Indus River Valley	Original Indus Valley Civilization (Haripan peoples), meditation and asceticism is evident in their art and iconography.
1800 - 1500 BCE	India	Invasion by Aryans (Iranians) & introduction of the Sanskrit langauge, Vedic literature, Brahma, Brahman priesthood, the caste system and ritual offering.
1500 - BCE	India	development of (pre-) Hindu schools like Mimamsa, Samkhya, Vedanta.
590-470 BCE	East India	Mahavira - Founder of Jainism, contemporary of the Buddha.
560-480 BCE	East India	Siddhartha Gautama - Life of the Buddha.
479 BCE or 544 BCE ?	India	the 1st Buddhist Council (Paµhama-Dhamma Sangiti) was held at Rajagaha under the patronage of King Ajatasattu after the Mahaparinibbana of the Buddha. Mahakassapa Thera presided over the council, Upali was the reciter for the Vinaya, and Ananda was the reciter for the Dhamma. It consisted of five hundred arahants and continued for seven months.
380 BCE or 444 BCE ?	India	The Second Council (Dutiya-Dhamma Sangiti) represented the split of the "Mahasanghika" and "Sarvastivadin" schools. It was held at Vesali under the patronage of King Kalasoka one hundred years after the First Council. It consisted of seven hundred monks and was presided over by Revata Thera.
356-323 BCE	Greece	Alexander III. Known as “Alexander the Great.” 356-323 B.C.E. King of Macedonia (336-323) and conquerer of Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, Babylonia, and Persia. His reign marked the beginning of the Hellenistic Age.
297 BCE	India	King Asoka (274-236 BCE) converted to Buddhism; Buddhism developed from small local group to state religion.
247 BCE or 326 BCE ?	India	The Third Council (Tatiya-Dhamma Sangiti) was held at Paµaliputta under the patronage of King Asoka. Thera Moggaliputta Tissa presided over the council in which one thousand monks, participated for nine months. During this council an additional collection of the Buddha's words were compiled, the Kathavatthu, and added to the Tipitaka. It was after this council that Asoka sent nine Theras (missionaries) to various places for the spread of the Dhamma (to Sri Lanka, Kanara, Karnataka, Kashmir, Himalaya region, Burma, Afghanistan, Egypt, Macedonia and Cyrene. More separate schools within Buddhism develop.
236 BCE	India	After death of Asoka, period of persecution of Buddhism under Pusyamitra Sunga
3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE		Gnosticism n. 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE . The doctrines of certain pre-Christian pagan, Jewish, and early Christian sects that valued the revealed knowledge of God and of the origin and end of the human race as a means to attain redemption for the spiritual element in human beings and that distinguished the Demiurge from the unknowable Divine Being. Since they were contemplatives and they emerged at about the same time Buddhism appeared in Persia it is reasonable to say that the Gnostics may have been influenced by Buddhism.
35 BCE	Sri Lanka	King Vattagamani orders the Buddhist teachings (Pali canon) to be committed to writing. Division between Mahavira and Abhayagiri vihara in Sri Lanka
27 BCE	Rome	Pantheon, a domed temple in Rome, completed in 27 B.C.E. and dedicated to all the gods was most probably influenced by Buddhist architecture, which was characterized by the dome.
29-17 BCE	Sri Lanka	The Fourth Council (Catuttha-Dhamma Sangiti) was convened at the time of King Vaµµag±min©÷ Abhaya. Five hundred monks participated in the council presided over by Maha Thera Rakkhita. The entire Tipitaka and commentaries (Aµµhakath±s) were recited and then committed to writing for the first time.
65 CE	China	White Horse monastery, first historic proof of Buddhist community in China.
1st Century CE	Burma	monks from Sri Lanka establish Theravada.
499 (?)	India	Monks of the Sarvastivadin school decided on new canon.
2nd Century	India	Appearance of Mahayana Buddhism as a separate school.
2nd Century	China	translators like An Shih-kao began translating Indian Buddhist texts using mostly Taoist terminology, initially causing many Chinese to believe that Buddhism was another version of Taoism.
2nd Century	Vietnam	First introduction from China, followed by more missions, both Mahayana and non-Mahayana in 3rd century.
2nd-3rd Century	India	Master Nagarjuna; known for his teachings on emptiness.
216?-276?	Persia	Manes also Mani. A.D.216?-276?. A Persian prophet and founder of Manichaeism, which was a fusion of Buddhism and Christianity.
224-651	Persia	Sassanid, also Sassanian or a Persian, dynasty (A.D. 224-651) and the last line of Persian kings before the Arab conquest. The Sassanid era was marked by wars against Romans, Armenians, and Huns and by the revival of Zoroastrianism. —Sassanid adj. The Church of the Sassanian was one of the early Christian churches and had clear ties to Buddhism.
320 to 1000	India	Development of Vajrayana Buddhism, based on Mahayana.
4th Century	India	Master Vasubandhu; known for his teachings on mind-only (Cittamatrin) and worship of Amitabha, desire for rebirth in the Pure Land, leading to the development of the later Pure Land schools.
4th Century	Sri Lanka	King Mahasena introduces Mahayana monks.
320	China	Invasion of Huns, a nomadic pastoralist Turkic speaking people from central Asia, who invaded Europe and China in the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. After which many Buddhist monasteries were established until 6th Century.
334-416	China	Master Hui; Founder of the White Lotus Movement and of Pure Land Buddhism in China.
354-430	Rome	Augustine, Saint. A.D. 354-430. An early Christian church father and philosopher who served (396-430) as the bishop of Hippo (in present-day Algeria). He wrote the autobiographical Confessions (397) and the voluminous City of God (413-426). He was a Manichaeist before he was a Christian, which means he was influenced directly by Buddhism.
372	Korea	First arrival of Buddhism on the peninsula from China.
4th Century	Nepal	from this time onward, coexistence of Buddhism and Hinduism, followed Indian traditions.
5th century	China	Founding of Ching-t'u school of Pure Land Buddhism by T'an Luan (476-542)
5th Century	Indonesia	Mahayana was introduced, mainly by Indian immigrants.
480	China	Indian Master Bodhidharma travels by sea as a Buddhist missionary to China, as follower of the Lanka School he is considered the forefather of Ch'an and Zen.
5th Century	Cambodia	A mixture of Hindu Shivaism and Mahayana, lasting until the 11th century. Non-Mahayana schools were also present, but less prominent.
552	Japan	Buddhism enters from China (possibly via Korea).
550-664	Korea	Buddhism becomes state religion.
570?-632	Asia Minor	Mohammed also Muhammad. 570?-632. Arab prophet of Islam. At the age of 40 he began to preach as God's prophet of the true religion. Mohammed established a theocratic state at Medina after 622 and began to convert Arabia to Islam. Shortly after his death Islam expands into Persia and displaced Buddhism and Zoroastrianism.
6th Century	China	Founding of T'ien T'ai by Chih-I (538-597), also known as Fa-hua, or lotus school; syncretism of all Mahayana schools.
6th Century	Kashmir	Invasion by Huns with persecution of monks. After their departure, slow restoration.
6th and 7th Century	Korea	introduction of many Chinese schools.
7th Century	Tibet	Buddhism introduced from India, helped by King Song Tsen Gampo
7th century	China	Founding of Hua-yen school by Fa-tsang (643-712) - Tantric Buddhism lasted only until about 1000 CE. Founding of Ch'an school by 6th patriarch Hui-neng (638-713)
651	Persia	Persian Buddhism collapses along with the Sassanian or a Persian, dynasty (A.D. 224-651) due to the Islamic invasion from Arabia
700	Persia	By 700 Sufism emerges in Persia in the wake of the Islamic conquest (651), which suppressed Buddhism there. The early Sufis had many Buddhist aspects, such as monasticism, the practice of meditation, and the wearing of patched rag cloaks, they also emerged from Persian cities that had been predominantly Buddhist prior to the Islamic invasion, which indicates strong crypto-Buddhist possibilities in their origins. The Persian classic the "Conference of the Birds" is recognized as a rewriting of the Jataka tales.
7th Century	Cambodia	repression of Buddhism, followed by later strong support.
7th and 8th Century	Kashmir	revival of Buddhism, strong influence of Tantric schools.
710	Japan	capital moved to Nara; development of the 6 Nara-schools, which were highly politicized, leaving them open to corruption.
730	Japan	introduction of Chinese Hua-yen School known as Kegon in Japanese.
713-741	China	the three Mahasattvas Subhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra introduced The T'ang Dynasty Esoteric School.
713 onward	China	sub-division in Ch'an schools; most important Lin-Ch'i with sudden awakening and use of koans, and Tsao-t'ung school of "just sitting" and gradual enlightenment. Notably, Ch'an only became an independent school with own monastic rules at the time of Pochang Huai-hai (720-814).
8th Century	Tibet, Sikkhim, Bhutan	Master Padmasambhava established Tantric Buddhism.
805	Japan	The Tendai School (from the Chinese T'ien T'ai) officially founded by Master Saicho (Dengyo Daishi).
845	China	Persecution of Buddhism started by Taoist emperor Wu-Tsung. T'ien T'ai and Huy Neng do not survive. Ch'an and Ching t'u survived and slowly recuperated.
9th Century	Japan	Shingon ("True Word") Buddhism (Tantric) established by Master Kukai (Kobo Daishi) derived from Chinese Chen-yen. A fusion of Tantric Buddhism and indigenous Shinto became known as Ryobu-Shinto, which was remarkably separated again some 1000 years later into Buddhism and Shinto.
9th Century	Tibet	Decline of Buddhism, persecution by King Langdharma
10th Century	Tibet	Strong Buddhist revival.
10th and 11th Century	Sri Lanka	disruption of Sri Lankan sangha by Tamil Nadu invaders. Lineage of nuns ordination dies out.
11th and 12th Century	Thailand	introduction of Mahayana due to Cambodian rule.
11-13th Centuries	India	Encounter with Islam, iconoclasm, decline of (mainly Mahayana) Buddhism in Northern India Sacking of Nalanda University in 1197, and Vikramasila University in 1203 by Muslims.
12th Century	Sri Lanka	King Parrakama Bahu abolishes Buddhist schools other than Mahavira.
1871	Burma	The Fifth Council (Pa–cama-Dhamma Sangiti) was held at Mandalay under the patronage of King Min-Don-Min, with 2,400 monks participating. The council was presided over in turns by the Maha Thera Venerable Jagarabhiva1Ú2sa, Venerable Narindabhidhaja and Venerable Suma»gala S±m©÷. The recitation and inscription of the Tipitaka onto marble slabs continued for more than five months.
1954	Burma	The Sixth Council (Chaµµha-Dhamma Sangiti) was convened by Prime Minister U Nu of Burma in May, in Rangoon, with the collaboration and participation of learned monks from various countries of the world. Venerable Abhidhaja Maharaµµha Guru Bhadanta Revata presided over the council and 2,500 learned monks from Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, and other countries, re-examined the text of the Tipitaka. The council completed its task on the full moon day of Vesakha in 1956, the 2,500th anniversary of the Buddha's Mahaparinibbana.