| Part ofa serieson |
| EarlyBuddhism |
|---|
 |
| Buddhism |
*This list is a simplification. It is likely that the development of Buddhist schools was not linear. |
TheSthavira Nikāya (Sanskrit: "Sect of the Elders";Chinese:上座部;pinyin:Shàngzuò Bù;Vietnamese:Trưởng lão bộ) was one of theearly Buddhist schools. They split from the majorityMahāsāṃghikas at the time of theSecond Buddhist Council.[1]
The Sthavira Nikāya was one of theearly Buddhist schools. The Sthavira Nikāya was separated from the majorityMahāsāṃghikas during theSecond Buddhist Council resulting in the first schism in theSangha.[2]
The MahāsāṃghikaŚāriputraparipṛcchā, a text written to justify this school's departure from the disciplinary code of the elder monks, asserts that the council was convened at Pāṭaliputra over matters of Vinaya, and it is explained that the schism resulted from the majority (Mahāsaṃgha) refusing to accept the addition of rules to the Vinaya by the minority (Sthaviras).[3] The Mahāsāṃghikas therefore saw the Sthaviras as being a breakaway group which was attempting to modify the original Vinaya.[4] However, this text is not fully accepted by some Buddhist schools, such as theTheravāda, which instead claim that it was the Mahāsāṃghika who altered the original rules.
Scholars have generally agreed that the matter of dispute was indeed a matter of Vinaya, and have noted that the account of the Mahāsāṃghikas is bolstered by the Vinaya texts themselves, as Vinayas associated with the Sthaviras do contain more rules than those of the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya.[3]
Some scholars therefore agree that the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya is the oldest,[3] although some other scholars think that it is not the case.[5] According to Skilton, future scholars may determine that a study of the Mahāsāṃghika school will contribute to a better understanding of the early Dharma-Vinaya than the Theravāda school.[4] According toBhante Sujato, there is no strong evidence that the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya is the oldest; both the Mahāsāṃghika and Theravāda Vinayas developed in parallel from shared ancient sources, each containing both older and later elements. Declaring one as definitively “the earliest” is an oversimplification not supported by the academic evidence.[5]
The Tibetan historianButon Rinchen Drub (1290–1364) wrote that the Mahāsāṃghikas usedPrakrit, theSarvāstivādins used Sanskrit, the Sthaviras usedPaiśācī, and theSaṃmitīya usedApabhraṃśa.[6]
The Sthaviras later divided into other schools such as:
The Vibhajyavāda branch gave rise to a number of schools such as:[7]
The Theravāda school ofSri Lanka andSoutheast Asia has identified itself exclusively with the Sthaviras, as the Pali wordthera is equivalent to the Sanskritsthavira.[8] This has led early Western historians to assume that the two parties are identical.[8] However, this is not the case, and by the time ofAshoka, the Sthavira sect had split into the Sammitīya,Pudgalavāda, Sarvāstivāda, and the Vibhajyavāda schools.[8]
The Vibhajyavāda school is believed to have split into other schools as well, such as the Mahīśāsaka school and the ancestor of the Theravāda school.[8] According toDamien Keown, there is no historical evidence that the Theravāda school arose until around two centuries after the Great Schism which occurred at the Third Council.[9]
Starting with theDīpavaṃsa chronicle in the 4th century, the Theravādins of theMahāvihāra in Sri Lanka attempted to identify themselves with the original Sthavira sect.[10] The TheravādinDīpavaṃsa clarifies that the nameTheravāda refers to the "old" teachings, making no indication that it refers to the Second Council.[11] Similarly, the nameMahāsāṃghika is in reference to those who follow the originalVinaya of the undivided Saṃgha.[11] TheDīpavaṃsa chronicle lauds the Theravāda as a "greatbanyan" and dismissively portrays the other early Buddhist schools as thorns (kaṇṭaka).[10]Dīpavaṃsa, 4.90–91 says:
According to theMahāvaṃsa, a Theravādin source, after theSecond Council was closed those taking the side of junior monks did not accept the verdict but held an assembly of their own attended by ten thousand calling it a Mahasangiti (Great Convocation) from which the school derived its name Mahāsāṃghika. However, such popular explanations ofSthavira andMahāsāṃghika are generally considered folk etymologies.[11]
Bhante Sujato explains the relationship between the Sthavira sect and the Theravāda:
The termsthavira (meaning "elder") is the Sanskrit version of the term better known today in its Pali versionthera, as inTheravāda, the "Teaching of the Elders." The original Sthaviras, however, are by no means identical with the modern school called Theravāda. Rather, the Sthaviras are the ancestor of a group of related schools, one of which is the Theravāda.[13]
Authority control databases: National |
|---|
.svg)