He is thus also known as the Shakyamuni (literally: "The sage of the Shakya clan"). Thus began the voyage of yoga. In the third century BCE, some Buddhists began introducing new systematized teachings called Abhidharma, based on previous lists or tables (Matrka) of main doctrinal topics. During the reign of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (268-232 BCE), Buddhism gained royal support and began to spread more widely, yoga originated from which country reaching most of the Indian subcontinent. Lamotte and Hirakawa both maintain that the first schism in the Buddhist sangha occurred during the reign of Ashoka. Theravadin sources state that Ashoka convened the third Buddhist council around 250 BCE at Pataliputra (today's Patna) with the elder Moggaliputtatissa. The canonical sources record various councils, where the monastic Sangha recited and organized the orally transmitted collections of the Buddha's teachings and settled certain disciplinary problems within the community. After an initial period of unity, divisions in the sangha or monastic community led to the first schism of the sangha into two groups: the Sthavira (Elders) and Mahasamghika (Great Sangha).

After the death of the Buddha, the Buddhist sangha (monastic community) remained centered on the Ganges valley, spreading gradually from its ancient heartland. Buddhism arose in Ancient India, in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha, and is based on the teachings of the renunciate Siddhārtha Gautama. Siddhārtha Gautama (5th cent. Shakyamuni Buddha (5th cent. The Buddha sent his disciples to spread the teaching across India. He urged his disciples to teach in the local language or dialects. The Uyghurs conquered the area in the 8th century and blended with the local Iranian peoples, absorbing the Buddhist culture of the region. The religion evolved as it spread from the northeastern region of the Indian subcontinent throughout Central, East, and Southeast Asia. The Malay Srivijaya (650-1377), a maritime empire centered on the island of Sumatra, adopted Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism and spread Buddhism to Java, Malaya and other regions they conquered. The history of Buddhism is also characterized by the development of numerous movements, schisms, and philosophical schools, among them the Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna traditions, with contrasting periods of expansion and retreat. These texts further contributed to the development of sectarian identities.

The Early Buddhist Texts contain no continuous life of the buddha, only later after 200 BCE were various "biographies" with much mythological embellishment written. India, but I didn't give it much thought. It’s one of the most beautiful spiritual and mindfulness practices, and I love how it grounds me in my body, connects me with my cultural roots - my parents are immigrants from India, which for those of you who don’t know, is the country where yoga originated - and helps me live a healthier, more balanced life. It’s cultural appropriation, and I’m calling it out. Yoga has been part of my spiritual practice for years, and I’m even a trained yoga teacher, so seeing yoga be watered down by fitness "gurus" in the US, Canada, and the UK makes my blood boil. To practice under the guidance of reputed and renowned yog gurus, who are mostly available in Indian yoga schools, is one of the best advantages for aspiring yogis. It is fast gaining popularity as one of the most preferred destinations for medical tourists all over the world.

The Chinese Buddhist Yijing described their capital at Palembang as a great center of Buddhist learning where the emperor supported over a thousand monks at his court. For the remaining 45 years of his life, he traveled the Gangetic Plains of eastern-central India (the region of the Ganges River and its tributaries), teaching his doctrine to a diverse range of people from different castes and initiating monks into his order. Unlike the Nikayas, which were prose sutras or discourses, the Abhidharma literature consisted of systematic doctrinal exposition and often differed across the Buddhist schools who disagreed on points of doctrine. Most scholars agree that the schism was caused by disagreements over points of vinaya (monastic discipline). Over time, these two monastic fraternities would further divide into various Early Buddhist Schools. These two figures are seen as the mythical founders of the Sri Lankan Theravada. The late 19th century also saw the first-known modern western conversions to Buddhism, including leading Theosophists Henry Steel Olcott and Helena Blavatsky in 1880 in Sri Lanka. Stanley Weinstein, "The Schools of Chinese Buddhism," in Kitagawa & Cummings (eds.), Buddhism and Asian History (New York: Macmillan 1987) pp.