AH Challenge: Buddhism in the West?

Just kind of wondering, does anyone have any idea how Buddhism can be more widespread in the West at the time of the Roman Empire? What would the effects of a large Buddhist presence in the area of the Near East and further west have been?
 
Maybe something like that:
Alexander the Great does not die in 323 BC, but ten years later. During these ten years, he surrounds Arabian peninsula and conquers Northern India. Buddhist monks follow to Hellas. In 313 BC, Alex dies, his generals carve up the Empire as in OTL.
Around 300 BC, Zenon of Kition and Epicurus write on Buddhism, thereby becoming translators of Buddhism into Western thinking. So we start having Stocism and Epicurism as more Western-adequate derivations of Eastern Buddhism. They attract more and also lower class people, because of their slightly religious tendancy.

Jesuism is seen as very familiar to Stocism and Epicurism, as future historians would explain.
Mohammedamism would also look different, because Christian and Jewish dogmas would probably develop into other ways.
 
Damnit! What is the problem of all you guys on this board?! :mad: You're the second one who reminds me of that. So I let me answer like I did last time: Just because some slight difference happened, it is no blank check for changing everything completely!!!
 
Damnit! What is the problem of all you guys on this board?! :mad: You're the second one who reminds me of that. So I let me answer like I did last time: Just because some slight difference happened, it is no blank check for changing everything completely!!!

Well I mean there is. Look a POD that far back will produce massive changes in who is born and ultimately historical movements. In the TL you are presenting, definitely Mohamed and probably Jesus would never have been born. This is where the fun part comes in, invent new caraters to start these religions. Don't think of the butterfly effect as a curse but an opportunity to invent new and original ideas into your TL.
 
Well I mean there is. Look a POD that far back will produce massive changes in who is born and ultimately historical movements. In the TL you are presenting, definitely Mohamed and probably Jesus would never have been born. This is where the fun part comes in, invent new caraters to start these religions. Don't think of the butterfly effect as a curse but an opportunity to invent new and original ideas into your TL.

On the other hand, since every alternate is about as unlikely, then having the same person appear is, statistically speaking, as likely.
 
Around 300 BC, Zenon of Kition and Epicurus write on Buddhism, thereby becoming translators of Buddhism into Western thinking. So we start having Stocism and Epicurism as more Western-adequate derivations of Eastern Buddhism. They attract more and also lower class people, because of their slightly religious tendancy.

Actually, I'm not sure this works. The explosion of Buddhism is often associated with Ashoka, who was post-Alexander. So you might have to do something with him.

IMO the best areas to work with are the 1st-century BC to 2nd century CE, when you see the explosion of the Gandharan school. A faith centered on a miraculous flying Buddha, faith in whom gains you entrance into paradise, who is protected by gods still identifiable with Classical religion...
 
You people do understand how the butterfly works right? Anyone conceived after a timeline's POD should not exist in that timeline. The same people might choose to have children, might pick the same baby names, but genetically they should be different people. Jesus, who is likely born centuries after the POD here, definitely won't exist.
 
Actually, I'm not sure this works. The explosion of Buddhism is often associated with Ashoka, who was post-Alexander. So you might have to do something with him.

IMO the best areas to work with are the 1st-century BC to 2nd century CE, when you see the explosion of the Gandharan school. A faith centered on a miraculous flying Buddha, faith in whom gains you entrance into paradise, who is protected by gods still identifiable with Classical religion...

I was thinking this would likely happen around the time of Ashoka as well. Perhaps he sends more missionaries to the Hellenistic kingdoms?
 
You people do understand how the butterfly works right? Anyone conceived after a timeline's POD should not exist in that timeline. The same people might choose to have children, might pick the same baby names, but genetically they should be different people. Jesus, who is likely born centuries after the POD here, definitely won't exist.
If Jesus is the Son of God, he may very well exist. Of course, it could be argued that God could if the political situation was different send Jesus at a different time... (WIs based on God's decision are rather difficult, though)

I did have Jesus show up in my Seleucid Triumph TL, which had a POD far earlier and otherwise used the butterfly effect very liberally... but that's personal bias.
 
You people do understand how the butterfly works right? Anyone conceived after a timeline's POD should not exist in that timeline. The same people might choose to have children, might pick the same baby names, but genetically they should be different people. Jesus, who is likely born centuries after the POD here, definitely won't exist.
That's just a matter of personal belief though. If you believe that Jesus was the son of God, and his coming was part of a divine plan, then no matter the POD he will still be born. If you believe he was just another messiah claimant who got lucky, then he is butterflied away. But as Faeelin said, in an infinite amount of universes all outcomes are similarly likely. So Jesus could easily come about ITTL too, but again it's up to the individual doing the writing.
 
I was thinking this would likely happen around the time of Ashoka as well. Perhaps he sends more missionaries to the Hellenistic kingdoms?

I'm not sure that suffices; first, it's not clear that he sent missionaries (as opposed to notable Buddhists) OTL. This is why I'm more comfortable doing something w/ the Indo-Greek states in the aftermath of Ashoka's reign...
 
I'm not sure that suffices; first, it's not clear that he sent missionaries (as opposed to notable Buddhists) OTL. This is why I'm more comfortable doing something w/ the Indo-Greek states in the aftermath of Ashoka's reign...

Interesting. What was the extent of the Buddhist presence in the Near East at the time of Ashoka?
 
Interesting. What was the extent of the Buddhist presence in the Near East at the time of Ashoka?

Nonexistent?

That's a bit brief, but really accurate. But bear in mind that we don't see Buddhism in Pakistan/Afghanistan (!) until the first century CE...
 
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