early schools buddhism

the synodes/councils

helped clarify the teachings after buddhas death

—> diversification of interpretations because of geographical spread, later councils split because of disagreement in interpretations

-early schools got developed: theravada, mahasamghika, sarvastivada

three synodes

1) location: rajaghra: immediately after buddhas death

2) location: vaisali: 100 years after buddhas death

3) location: synode: pataliputra: 27 37 years after previous synode

first buddhist council

-in rajagrha

-king ajatasutra is presiding

-it is led by mahakasyapa, a main disciple of the Buddha

-main concern: unity of the dharma

-collection of teaching: ananda (buddhas cousin) recited the sutras, upali specialized in Vinaya (monastic rules and codes for monks and nuns), maybe abhidharma (more philosophical and analytical text) was part of it but it is debated

differences in opinion on the first council?

ananda gets accused by kasyapa:

-mistake of asking buddha about ordination of women

-he did not ask buddha to remain forever in this world,

-he stepped on buddhas robe

-did not fetch water for buddha

-he showed buddhas body to female followers who cried on his feet

-showed buddhas retractable penis to female followers

ananda admits to the minor wrongdoings and removes his stains

he is also accused of not being enlightened, he gets enlightened after this accusation and can recite the sermons of the buddha

second council

-in vaisali

-100 years after the death of buddha

-content: interpretations of vinaya and discussions on the status of dharmas, mahadevas opinion on doctrinal aspects (concerning arhats for example => they may cum in their sleep, they don’t know everything, they sometimes have doubts, they still learn from others)

-result mahadevas opinion: the majority of monks (mahasamghika) agree with him => inluencial in Central India, the minority of monks (sthaviravada) disagree => influencial in West and South

-eventually further subdivisions, eighteen schools

what are the 18 schools

1) staviravada

2) mahasamghika

3) ekavyavaharika

4) lokottaravada

5) kukkula

6) bahusruta

7) prajnaptivada

8)vatsiputriya

9) dharmopeka

10) bhadrayanika

11) sammatiya

12) sammagarika

13) sarvastivada

14) mahisasaka

15) dharmaguptaka

16) suvarsaka

17) kasyapiya

18) sutravadin

third buddhist council

-in pataliputra

-35 years after second council

-time of the split between sthaviravadins and mahasamghikas

-king asoka does patronage

-content: corruption and heretical views

-presided by moggaliputta tissa: compiled Kathavatthu (points of controversy), a part of the Abhidharmma texts

-1000 monks were here

-after this council missionaries were sent to several countries: sri lanka, kashmir, gandhara

sthaviravada

-elders

-they moved to the south and eventually founded the therevada school (only surviving school of early buddhism)

-sthavira nikaya: sect of elders

-origin of these elders during the 2nde council

=> they had disputes on status of the arhat, added monastic rules, they sophisticated the abhidharma

council in sri lanka

-1ste century BCE

-theravada

-commit buddhas teaching to a written form => origin of Mahavibhasa (great exegesis), a vast compendium of theravada thought

=> also a fifth council in burma where the Pali canon was recited (theravada)

sthaviravada abhidarma texts

1) puggalapannati: concepts of individuals

2) dhammasangani: enumeration of phenomena

3) vibanga: book of analysis

4) dhatukatha: discourse on the elements

5) yamaka: book of pairs

6) patthana: book of conditional relations

7) kathavatthu: points of controversy

seven main works abhidharma

-puggalapannati: classifies people into different types and groups

-dhammasangani: systematization of the 82 dhammas as basis for the abhidharma

-vibanga: discussion of basic doctrines/categories (skandhas, dependent origination)

-dhatukatha: relates phenomena to certain doctrinal categories (skandhas, sense basis, physical elements)

-yamaka: analysis of doctrinal formulations

-patthana: 24 conditioned relations of entities and terms discussed in the other works, tries to explain how all phenomena are produced

-kathavatthu: refutation of heretic views

content Kathavatthu

-existence/transmigration of a person (follows the pudgalavada school)

-consequences of unintentional actions

-unconditionality of certain dharmas

-intermediate state between existences

-arhat has nocturnal ejaculations

-arhat can regress from perfection

-arhat has doubts or lacks knowledge

vibhanga

-book of analysis (analyzes main buddhist concepts in 18 chapters)

-aggregates, elements, sense faculties, dependent origination, right path, knowledge

pali canon (theravada)

-derived from early buddhist schools (2nd buddhist council)

—>about the state of arhatship (goal in theravada), teaching of analysis (theravada is analytical), the doctrines (impermanence, suffering, no self) lead to practice (eightfold path, seven purifications, samatha vipassana meditation)

buddhism in sri lanka?

came after third council because of missionaries (theravada)

-several subdivisions

-mahavamsa chronicle explains how it came to sri lanka

-today it is also spread to: cambodia, laos, myanmar, thailand, malaysia, indonesia, singapore

sarvastivada

-sarva: all, asti: exist, vada: doctrine => theory of all that exists

-dharmakaya: dharma body theories

-arhats are not perfect

-path of the bodhisattva

-six perfections

-it has affinities with mahayana

-disagreement on working of karma: does that which condition rebirth exist in all time periods?: sarvastivada says yes

sarvastivadins in Kashmir

-a school that says that all dharmas exist in past present and future

-jnanaprasthana (establishment of knowledge), this is a key text of this school

—> translated in chinese by Xuanzang in 657

-this school was promoted by King Kaniska of the Kusana empire’

-vaibhasika/orthodox: official interpreters of Sarvastivadins, they made the first complete collection of philosophical literature in buddhism, it has elements of mahayana buddhism

sarvastivadins in Gandhara

-abhidharmahrdaya (essence of schalasticism)

—> foundational work for the philosophy developed in gandhara region, more pragmatic, less dogmatic text about abhidharma

-Sautrinka school reacted against the dominance of the school in kashmir

-abidharmakosa (treasure store of the abhidharma) by vasubandhu critiques both sautrinka school and vaibashika => becomes definitive textbook for abhidharma philosophy

-historical context: decline of the kusana empire

mulasarvastivadin

-name for the gandhara sarvastivadins

-great influence on philosophical discussions

-they had their own vinaya: mulasaravastivadavinaya

-great influence on early tibetan buddhism

mahasamghika

-second buddhist council

-center: mathura

-concepts: 2 truths model: relative(deeper/absolute truth) and conventional (everyday truth), transcendental features of buddhas and bodhisattvas, buddhas of the ten directions, strong connection or even one of the origins of Mahayana

origin of abhidharma literature

-lists on mindfulness

-four capabilities/roots

-four powers

-eightfold path