Although Buddhism emerged as a philosophical tradition, over the centuries it began to shift into a universal, salvation oriented religion. Since it no longer only addressed issues familiar to those in South Asia, it began to expand.
![Buddhist Expansion (By Gunawan Kartapranata [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Buddhist_Expansion.svg/512px-Buddhist_Expansion.svg.png)
Click to Enlarge
Buddhist Expansion (By Gunawan Kartapranata [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
Examine the movement of Mahayana Buddhism. What might have facilitated this movement?