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2. Buddhism in the West? Buddhist Indian Sailors on Socotra (Yemen) and the Role of Trade Contacts in the Spread of Buddhism

The spread of Buddhism is usually associated with two main factors: first, the patronage by political elites who fostered missionary activities within the Indian subcontinent and beyond; second, the economic support by merchants and traders, who since the days of the Buddha had formed one of the most influential social groups in the Buddhist lay community. The specific manifestation of these two factors is reflected by the different stages in the spread of Buddhism as an institutional religion. The Mauryan empire united for the first time in history large parts of the Indian subcontinent under a coherent political and administrative structure. In the case of Buddhism, this development was accompanied by a huge missionary endeavor, promoted by the ruling elite, that embraced almost all of the Indian subcontinent but hardly involved the mercantile groups nor touched territories outside India. A completely new quality was reached in the period, when the Indian subcontinent became part of larger political and economic units that embraced the regions further north and east of India. Under the rule of the Kuṣāṇa dynasty, the Indian north was part of a huge empire that united territories of Eastern Iran and North-West and North India and had important political and economic influence even in Central Asia (Xinjiang). The heart of India was dominated by two other mighty empires: the Western Kṣatrapas and the Sātavāhanas. These three Indian powers were “global players”: via an extensive network of land and sea-routes they profited from the international trade activities along the socalled Silk Road. It is not surprising that this political and economic internationalization did also have its impact on the fate of Buddhism. It is well-known that along the Silk Road, Buddhism spread eastwards. Buddhist merchants and pilgrims used the trade routes to propagate Buddhist ideas and to establish Buddhist institutions. Rulers along the “Silk Road”