Spread of Buddhism in Korea and JapanIntroBuddhism is one of the largest religions in the world with approximately 500 million people spread across all corners of the globe. Although Buddhism is practiced throughout the world, most Buddhists are concentrated in the eastern, southern, and central parts of Asia. It was founded in India around 525 BC by Siddhartha Gautama, known to his followers as Buddha. Buddhism is divided into two main schools: Theravada in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia and Mahayana in China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. Given the diversity of East Asian peoples and their political, cultural, and linguistic systems, one might wonder what led to the expansion over such a large geographic area. Buddhism began to spread rapidly across East Asia following the expansion of Silk Road trade and political and commercial relations between countries in the region. Buddhism first appeared in China and then continued to make its way through East Asia to the Korean Peninsula during the Three Kingdoms period, eventually reaching Japan. What political and cultural influences from Korea and Japan led to the spread and widespread acceptance of Buddhism, and what led it to become the dominant force in religion and politics? Formation of BuddhismBuddhism is a religion that offers a spiritual path to transcend the suffering of existence. Samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth to which all beings are subject, results from the consequences suffered by an individual's karma, the sum of good and bad actions that accumulates over many lifetimes. Liberation from this endless cycle is achieved only by achieving enlightenment, the goal for which Buddhists strive... middle of paper... n. The notion of the Buddha as a Supreme Being whose scope was not limited to the spiritual realm but all-encompassing even in politics was promising as a possible justification for privileging royal authority over that of the aristocracy. Japan In Japan, one era that saw a particularly widespread introduction and acceptance of Buddhism was the Nara period. The Nara period occurred from approximately 710 AD to 794 AD. Two particular examples of the citizens' desire to see Buddhism implemented can be seen in the "Bodhisattva Gyogi" and the "Golden Light Sutra". In conclusion, it is clear that citizens and government have had the greatest impact on Earth. Through a variety of historical and textual evidence, I have concluded that it was the actions of political power* As a side note, I want to point out that I plan to elaborate more on the spread of Buddhism in Japan.