After its origination in India, Buddhism has spread throughout Asia over the so called southern - Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos - and northern route - Central Asia, Tibet, Bhutan, China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Later Buddhism also spread to the western world - in particular Europe and America. In the different locations Buddhism mixed with different cultures and took different shapes. The courses is this section deal with the history and speciality of Buddhism in the various regions and countries.

While western science has been fragmented into many different disciplines, Buddhist thought remained more integrated. As such it includes thoughts from many different disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, sociology, etc. IBC emphasises on the interconnection of science and Buddhist thought. As such it provides a broad range of courses that show Buddhist thought from the perspective of different contemporary sciences and courses that try to relate the scientific and Buddhist perspective.

Buddhism played a significant role in the developments of cultural and religious history of Tibet from the 7th century onwards. Although “Tibetan Buddhism” predominantly belongs to the Mahayana school whose teachings are directed toward the achievement of enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings, nonetheless it incorporates its indigenous culture. The courses connected with “Tibetan Buddhism” provide students with fundamental knowledge of the history, culture and meditative practices in the religious history of Tibet.

Chinese Buddhism refers collectively to the various schools of Buddhism that have flourished in China since ancient times. Thereby Buddhism has played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of the Chinese people, affecting their aesthetics, politics, literature, philosophy and medicine. The lectures in this section deal with the evolution of Buddhism in China and with the major schools of Chinese Buddhism such as Chan, Pure Land and Tian Tai.

Mahāyāna is one of the two major existing branches of Buddhism (the other is Theravāda). Mahāyāna also refers to the path of seeking complete enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, also called "Bodhisattvayāna", or the "Bodhisattva Vehicle". In the course of its history, Mahāyāna Buddhism spread from India to various other Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet and Mongolia.

Theravāda Buddhism first originated at the time of the Second Buddhist Council at Vesāli. That was the time when the whole body of Sangha divided into two sects: Thervāda and Māhasanghika. Theravada became the most orthodox Buddhist sect. In their view Buddha was a human being that was enlightened under the bodhi tree in Bodgaya. The whole teachings of the Buddha was recorded under three divisions: Vinaya piṭaka (Basket of rules), Sutta Piṭaka (Basket of discourses) and Abhidhamma Piṭaka (Basket of Higher Doctrine).

Indian Buddhism includes in particular the time from the first schism within the Buddhist community until the decline of Buddhism in India. As such the lectures in this section are especially concerned with the history and thought of the different Buddhist Schools (Sthaviravāda, Mahāsāṃghika, Sarvāstivāda, etc.) that evolved in India within this period. Thereby it is important to mention that the term India denotes the historical Indian cultural area. It gives a survey of the origin of Buddhism, which eventually spread all over the world.

The period of early or pre-sectarian Buddhism lasted until about 100 years after the death of Gautama Buddha, when the schism into different schools started. The various splits that followed went together with the introduction and emphasis on abhidhammic literature. This literature was specific to each school, and arguments and disputes between the schools were often based on these abhidhammic writings. Early Buddhism, however, did not have Abhidhammic scriptures, except perhaps for a basic framework.