7th - 8th CENTURY BUDDHA

Buddhism is the oldest religion in the world which has become the official religion in Indonesia according to. President Soeharto regarded Buddhism as a classical religion in the archipelago. According to historical records, the spread of Buddhism in Indonesia is estimated since the 5th century. This can be seen from the remains of the existing inscriptions. Meanwhile, the first Buddhist kingdom in Indonesia was the Sriwijaya Kingdom, which existed between the 7th and 12th centuries. The spread of Buddhism in Indonesia uses a special mission called Dharmadhuta. Since then, Buddhism has continued to grow. So, how did the spread of Buddhism in Indonesia. Here's the history. Also read: 4 Buddhist Holidays Period of the Sriwijaya Kingdom Buddhism first developed in India, before eventually spreading to other countries, including Indonesia. The entry of Buddhism in Indonesia began in the early AD, through trade routes. This is influenced by Indonesia's relatively strategic position, especially in the field of shipping and trade. Allegedly, Buddhism was first brought by a traveler from China, namely Fa Hien. Meanwhile, the first Buddhist kingdom that developed in Indonesia was the Sriwijaya Kingdom, which existed in Sumatra since the 7th century. At that time, the Sriwijaya Kingdom had become one of the centers for the development of Buddhism in Southeast Asia. Also read: Fa Hien, The First Chinese Explorer to Have Been to Java This news can be proven by the notes of a scholar from China named I-Tsing, who traveled to India and the Archipelago, to record the development of Buddhism. Based on I-Tsing's records, Sriwijaya was used as a home for Buddhist scholars and became a center for learning Buddhism. As a result, as long as the Sriwijaya Kingdom existed, Buddhism also developed very rapidly in the archipelago. Apart from that, still from the same records, it is known that there were two schools of Buddhism in the Sriwijaya Kingdom, namely Theravada and Mahayana. The rapid development of Buddhism in Indonesia cannot be separated from the support of a Buddhist professor in Sriwijaya, namely Sakyakirti. According to historical records, there were approximately 1,000 priests who studied Buddhism in the Sriwijaya Kingdom.

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