Question

How did Theravada start?

Answer 1

Theravada Buddhism is strongest in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Burma (Myanmar). It is sometimes called 'Southern Buddhism'. The name means 'the doctrine of the elders' - the elders being the senior Buddhist monks. One of the earliest accounts of Buddhism in Southeast Asia was of a Theravada Buddhist mission sent by the Indian emperor Ashoka to modern-day Burma in 250 BCE. Mahayana Buddhism is thought to have spread from both China and India during the first and second century into Southeast Asia.