Structure of answer:

• Introduction (Say about India and South East Asian relation).
• Explain how The Buddhist faith, due to its emphasis on peaceful co-existence and its wide pan-Asian presence (Culturallinkages that India shares with south Asia).
• Explain the factors that make Buddhism bridge between India and South-East Asia.
• Way forward.
• Conclusion.

Key points:

• Southeast Asia was under Indian influence starting around 300 BC until around the 15th century, when Hindu-Buddhist influence was absorbed by local politics.
• Kingdoms in the south east coast of the Indian Subcontinent had established trade, cultural and political relations with Southeast Asian kingdoms in Burma,Thailand,Indonesia,Malay Peninsula,Cambodia and Vietnam.
• How it affects: Mahayana Buddhism is thought to have spread from both China and India during the first and second century into Southeast Asia.
• Mahayana took root primarily in maritime Southeast Asia, although there was also a strong influence in Vietnam, in part due to their connection with China.
• How did Buddhism spread: Ashoka promoted Buddhist expansion by sending monks to surrounding territories to share the teachings of the Buddha.
• A wave of conversion began, and Buddhism spread not only through India, but also internationally.