Nikaya Buddhism
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Nikāya Buddhism. A term used by some modern scholars to refer to the non-Mahayana traditions of Indian Buddhism.[1] These traditions are also referred to as "Early Buddhist schools" or "Mainstream Buddhist schools".[1] These terms are used in preference of the traditional term Hinayana ("lesser vehicle"), which can be viewed as a derogatory term for the non-Mahayana traditions.[2]
The formation of "nikayas" (sectarian groups) in Early Buddhism
Early Buddhism in India became divided into various monastic fraternities, or nikāyas (meaning "group" or "assembly").
Charles Muller states:
- Nikaya Buddhism: A name for the sectarian form of Buddhism that developed in India starting from the time around 100 years after the passing of Śākyamuni, during the reign of King Aśoka. The first major division was between the conservative (Sthaviravāda/Theravāda) 上座部 and the progressive Mahāsāṃghikas 大衆部. These two main groups further split into smaller schools, distinguished from each other mainly by their variant interpretations of the Buddhist doctrine, and especially the rules of discipline. Accounts of the nature of this schismatic process, and the exact names and number of schools varies according to the source. According to the account of the so-called Northern tradition (北傳, 北傳分派說) the two main divisions branched into twenty sub-sects 小乘二十部, and according to the Southern tradition, (南傳, 南傳分派說), eighteen 小乘十八部.[3]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Buswell & Lopez 2014, s.v. mainstream Buddhist schools.
- ↑ Robert Thurman and Masatoshi Nagatomi of Harvard University: "'Nikaya Buddhism' is a coinage of Professor Masatoshi Nagatomi of Harvard University who suggested it to me as a usage for the eighteen schools of Indian Buddhism, to avoid the term 'Hinayana Buddhism,' which is found offensive by some members of the Theravada tradition." Thurman, Robert (1981). "The Emptiness that is Compassion: An Essay on Buddhist Ethics". Religious Traditions. 4: fn 10.
- ↑
Nikaya Buddhism (部派佛教), Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (to sign in, see DDB sign-in)
Sources
Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University
