Sthavira nikāya
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The Sthavira nikāya (Sanskrit "Sect of the Elders"; ) was one of the
early Buddhist schools The early Buddhist schools are those schools into which the Buddhist monastic saṅgha split early in the history of Buddhism. The divisions were originally due to differences in Vinaya and later also due to doctrinal differences and geograp ...
. They split from the majority
Mahāsāṃghika The Mahāsāṃghika ( Brahmi: 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀲𑀸𑀁𑀖𑀺𑀓, "of the Great Sangha", ) was one of the early Buddhist schools. Interest in the origins of the Mahāsāṃghika school lies in the fact that their Vinaya recension appears in ...
s at the time of the Second Buddhist council.


Scholarly views


Origin

The Sthavira nikāya was one of the
early Buddhist schools The early Buddhist schools are those schools into which the Buddhist monastic saṅgha split early in the history of Buddhism. The divisions were originally due to differences in Vinaya and later also due to doctrinal differences and geograp ...
. The Sthavira nikāya split away from the majority
Mahāsāṃghika The Mahāsāṃghika ( Brahmi: 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀲𑀸𑀁𑀖𑀺𑀓, "of the Great Sangha", ) was one of the early Buddhist schools. Interest in the origins of the Mahāsāṃghika school lies in the fact that their Vinaya recension appears in ...
s during the Second Buddhist council resulting in the first schism in the
Sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...
.Harvey, Peter (2013). ''An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices (2nd ed.).'' Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pg. 89-90. The Mahāsāṃghika ''Śāriputraparipṛcchā'', 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). The Mahāsāṃghikas therefore saw the Sthaviras as being a breakaway group which was attempting to modify the original Vinaya. 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. Modern scholarship therefore generally agrees that the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya is the oldest. According to Skilton, future scholars may determine that a study of the Mahāsāṃghika school will contribute to a better understanding of the early Dhamma-Vinaya than the
Theravada ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...
school.


Language

The Tibetan historian Buton Rinchen Drub (1290–1364) wrote that the Mahāsāṃghikas used
Prakrit The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...
, the Sarvāstivādins used Sanskrit, the Sthaviras used
Paiśācī Paishachi or Paisaci () is a largely unattested literary language of the middle kingdoms of India mentioned in Prakrit and Sanskrit grammars of antiquity. It is generally grouped with the Prakrits, with which it shares some linguistic similariti ...
, and the
Saṃmitīya The Pudgalavāda (Sanskrit; English: "Personalism"; Pali: Puggalavāda; ) was a Buddhist philosophical view and also refers to a group of Nikaya Buddhist schools (mainly known as Vātsīputrīyas) that arose from the Sthavira nikāya.Williams, ...
used Apabhraṃśa.


Legacy

The Sthaviras later divided into other schools such as: *
Sarvāstivāda The ''Sarvāstivāda'' (Sanskrit and Pali: 𑀲𑀩𑁆𑀩𑀢𑁆𑀣𑀺𑀯𑀸𑀤, ) was one of the early Buddhist schools established around the reign of Ashoka (3rd century BCE).Westerhoff, The Golden Age of Indian Buddhist Philosophy ...
* Vatsīputrīya *
Vibhajyavāda Vibhajyavāda (Sanskrit; Pāli: ''Vibhajjavāda''; ) is a term applied generally to groups of early Buddhists belonging to the Sthavira Nikaya. These various groups are known to have rejected Sarvāstivāda doctrines (especially the doctrine of ...
(Pali: ''Vibhajjavāda'') The Vibhajyavāda branch gave rise to a number of schools such as: * Mahīśāsaka * Dharmaguptaka *
Kāśyapīya Kāśyapīya (Sanskrit: काश्यपीय; Pali: ''Kassapiyā'' or ''Kassapikā''; ) was one of the early Buddhist schools in India. Etymology The name ''Kāśyapīya'' is believed to be derived from Kāśyapa, one of the original missionar ...
* Tāmraparnīya, later called "
Theravāda ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...
"


Relationship to Theravāda


Scholarly accounts

The Theravāda school of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia has identified itself exclusively with the Sthaviras, as the Pali word ''thera'' is equivalent to the Sanskrit ''sthavira''. This has led early Western historians to assume that the two parties are identical. However, this is not the case, and by the time of
Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...
, the Sthavira sect had split into the Sammitīya
Pudgalavada The Pudgalavāda (Sanskrit; English: "Personalism"; Pali: Puggalavāda; ) was a Buddhist philosophical view and also refers to a group of Nikaya Buddhist schools (mainly known as Vātsīputrīyas) that arose from the Sthavira nikāya.Williams, P ...
, Sarvāstivāda, and the Vibhajyavāda schools. The Vibhajyavāda school is believed to have split into other schools as well, such as the Mahīśāsaka school and the ancestor of the Theravada school. According to Damien Keown, there is no historical evidence that the Theravada school arose until around two centuries after the Great Schism which occurred at the Third Council.


Theravādin accounts

Starting with the ''
Dīpavaṃsa The ''Dīpavaṃsa'' ( sa, दीपवंस, , "Chronicle of the Island") is the oldest historical record of Sri Lanka. The chronicle is believed to be compiled from Atthakatha and other sources around the 3rd to 4th century CE. Together with ...
'' chronicle in the 4th century, the Theravādins of the Mahāvihāra in Sri Lanka attempted to identify themselves with the original Sthavira sect. The Theravādin ''Dīpavaṃsa'' clarifies that the name ''Theravāda'' refers to the "old" teachings, making no indication that it refers to the Second Council. Similarly, the name ''Mahāsāṃghika'' is in reference to those who follow the original Vinaya of the undivided Saṃgha. The ''Dīpavaṃsa'' chronicle lauds the Theravāda as a "great
banyan A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...
" and dismissively portrays the other early Buddhist schools as thorns (''kaṇṭaka''). ''Dīpavaṃsa'', 4.90–91 says: :These 17 sects are schismatic, :only one is non-schismatic. :With the non-schismatic sect, :there are eighteen in all. :Like a great banyan tree, :the Theravāda is supreme, :The Dispensation of the Conqueror, :complete, without lack or excess. :The other sects arose :like thorns on the tree. :— ''Dīpavaṃsa'', 4.90–91 According to the ''Mahāvaṃsa'', a Theravādin source, after the Second 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 of ''Sthavira'' and ''Mahāsāṃghika'' are generally considered folk etymologies.
Bhante Sujato Bhante Sujato, known as Ajahn Sujato or Bhikkhu Sujato (born Anthony Best), is an Australian Theravada Buddhist monk ordained into the Thai forest lineage of Ajahn Chah. Life Bhante Sujato identifies as an anarchist. A former musician with ...
explains the relationship between the Sthavira sect and the Theravāda:


See also

*
Early Buddhist schools The early Buddhist schools are those schools into which the Buddhist monastic saṅgha split early in the history of Buddhism. The divisions were originally due to differences in Vinaya and later also due to doctrinal differences and geograp ...
* Schools of Buddhism *
Buddhist councils Since the death of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, Buddhist monastic communities ("''sangha''") have periodically convened to settle doctrinal and disciplinary disputes and to revise and correct the contents of the sutras. These gather ...


References

; Citations ; Bibliography * * * * * * * *


External links


Sects & Sectarianism: The Origins of Buddhist Schools'', Santi Forest Monastery, 2006
by Bhikkhu Sujato {{DEFAULTSORT:Sthavira nikaya Nikaya schools Sthaviravāda Early Buddhist schools ko:상좌부