Early Buddhism

Scriptures

Pali Canon Agamas Gandharan texts Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The term Early Buddhism can refer to: Pre-sectarian Buddhism, which refers to the Teachings and monastic organization and structure, founded by Gautama Buddha. ... Standard edition of the Thai Pali Canon The Pali Canon is the standard scripture collection of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. ... Agama (Sanskrit:आगम) literally means that which has come down (i. ... The Gandhāran Buddhist Texts are the oldest Buddhist manuscripts yet discovered and also the oldest Indian manuscripts yet discovered. ...

Councils

1st Council 2nd Council 3rd Council 4th Council Ananda reciting the Sutta Pitaka King Ajatasattu sponsored the First Buddhist council. ... The Second Buddhist council took place in Vesali, about one hundred years after the Buddhas Parinibbāna, in order to settle a serious dispute on Vinaya. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Two Fourth Buddhist Councils were held. ...

Schools

First Sangha ├ Mahāsaṃghika └ Sthaviravāda     ├ Sarvāstivāda     └ Vibhajjavāda         ├ Theravāda         └ Dharma-              guptaka Divisions among the early Buddhist schools came about due to doctrinal or practical differences in the views of the Buddhist Sangha following the death of the Buddha. ... The term pre-sectarian Buddhism is used to refer to the Buddhism that existed before the various subsects of Buddhism came into being. ... The Mahāsaṃghika (Majority) sect of Buddhism was formed in the first Buddhist schism around 320 BCE. It split from the Sthaviravāda (Elders) school. ... Sarvastivada is a school of Buddhism. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Theravada (Pāli: theravāda; Sanskrit: स्थविरवाद sthaviravāda; literally, the Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and most of continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand). ... The Dharmaguptaka are one of the eighteen schools of early Buddhism. ...

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Sthaviravāda (Sanskrit; Chinese 上座部) literally means "Teaching Of The Elders". It was one of the two main movements in early Buddhism, the other being that of the Mahāsāṅghika. "The Elders" referred to the elder monks, who were naturally the leaders of the community, and whose voice and views carried more weight than more junior monks. The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... The Mahāsaṃghika (Majority) sect of Buddhism was formed in the first Buddhist schism around 320 BCE. It split from the Sthaviravāda (Elders) school. ...

The two groups separated between the second and third Buddhist council, around 350 BCE. The Sthaviravāda were the proponents of an orthodox understanding of the Buddha's teachings. They were criticised by the Mahāsāṅghika school for adding additional rules to the Patimokkha. The Second Buddhist council took place in Vesali, about one hundred years after the Buddhas Parinibbāna, in order to settle a serious dispute on Vinaya. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 400s BC 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC - 350s BC - 340s BC 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 355 BC 354 BC 353 BC 352 BC 351 BC - 350 BC - 349 BC 348 BC 347... The (Devanagari महासांघिक, also transliterated Mahasanghika, and Mahasamghika) (lit. ... In Buddhism, the Patimokkha is the basic Theravada code of monastic discipline, consisting of 227 rules for fully ordained monks (bhikkhus) and 311 for nuns (bhikkhunis). ...

The Sthaviravāda doctrine survives today in the Theravāda tradition, but "although they share the same name (Thera and Sthavira being the Pāli and Sanskrit forms of the same word meaning "elder"), there is no historical evidence that the Theravāda school arose until around two centuries after the Great Schism which occurred at the Council of Pāṭaliputra" ("Oxford Dictionary of Buddhism, Damien KEOWN, 2003). The Theravada is often recognized as being a continuation of the Sthaviravada, after the Third Buddhist Council. Theravada (Pāli: theravāda; Sanskrit: स्थविरवाद sthaviravāda; literally, the Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and most of continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand). ... Pāli is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

See also

• Early Buddhist Schools
• Schools of Buddhism
• Buddhist Councils

Divisions among the early Buddhist schools came about due to doctrinal or practical differences in the views of the Buddhist Sangha following the death of the Buddha. ... There are many divisions and subdivisions of the schools of Buddhism. ... // Main article: First Buddhist council Ananda reciting the Sutta Pitaka According to the scriptures of all Buddhist schools, the first Buddhist Council was held soon after the nirvana of the Buddha under the patronage of king Ajatasatru, and presided by the monk Mahakasyapa, at Rajagaha (todays Rajgir). ...

References

• Keown, Damien. (2003). Oxford Dictionary of Buddhism. ISBN 0-19-860560-9.