Of the three religions that are commonly called world religions, Buddhism is the oldest (its age is more than twenty-five centuries) and, perhaps, the most “liberal”: neither Christianity nor Islam allow their adherents such freedom in the profession of faith. Ideological opponents of Buddhism often interpret this freedom as an amorphous doctrine and even deny Buddhism the right to be called a religion. However, for millions of people in Asia and the rest of the world, Buddhism is a religion that directly influences their way of life. Our book is dedicated to the history of the emergence and spread of Buddhism, how it developed, established itself, suffered persecution, changed and won an increasing number of followers.