Mulasarvastivada

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Tibetan Buddhist bhikṣus of the Mūlasarvāstivāda ordination lineage
Part of a series on
Early Buddhism
Scriptures
Early sangha
Pre-sectarian Buddhism
Early Buddhist schools

The Mūlasarvāstivāda (

Sarvāstivāda
remain largely unknown, although various theories exist.

The continuity of the Mūlasarvāstivāda monastic order remains in

bhikṣuṇī (nuns) officially commenced in Bhutan on 23 June 2022, when 144 women were ordained.[1] Previously, bhiksuni ordinations were only administered in Taiwan, and later in Bodh Gaya, India.[2]

History

In India

The relationship of the Mūlasarvāstivāda to the

Bhikkhu Sujato
summaries as follows:

The uncertainty around this school has led to a number of hypotheses. Frauwallner’s theory holds that the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya is the disciplinary code of an early Buddhist community based in

Gandhāra and Bactria around 200 CE. Although they were the earlier group, they temporarily lost ground to the Kaśmīr Vaibhāśika school due to the political influence of Kaṇiṣka. In later years the Sautrantikas became known as Mūlasarvāstivādins and regained the ascendancy. I have elsewhere given my reasons for disagreeing with the theories of Enomoto and Willemen et al. Neither Warder nor Lamotte give sufficient evidence to back up their theories. We are left with Frauwallner's theory, which in this respect has stood the test of time.[5]

According to Gregory Schopen, the Mūlasarvāstivāda developed during the 2nd century AD and went into decline in India by the 7th century.[6]

In Central Asia

The Mūlasarvāstivāda were prevalent at times throughout Central Asia due to missionary activities performed in the region. A number of scholars identify three distinct major phases of missionary activities seen in the history of Buddhism in Central Asia, which are associated with the following sects chronologically:[7]

  1. Dharmaguptaka
  2. Sarvāstivāda
  3. Mūlasarvāstivāda

In Śrīvijaya

In the 7th century,

Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra
.

Vinaya lineage

The Mūlasarvāstivāda vinaya is one of three surviving vinaya lineages, along with the Dharmaguptaka and

Theravāda. The Tibetan Emperor Ralpacan
restricted Buddhist ordination to the Mūlasarvāstivādin vinaya. As Buddhism was introduced to Mongolia from Tibet, Mongolian ordination follows this rule as well.

The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya is extant in Tibetan (9th century translation) and Chinese (8th century translation), and to some extent in the original Sanskrit.

References

  1. ^ DAMCHÖ DIANA FINNEGAN and CAROLA ROLOFF (BHIKṢUṆĪ JAMPA TSEDROEN). "Women Receive Full Ordination in Bhutan For First Time in Modern History", Lion's Roar, JUNE 27, 2022.
  2. ^ Venerable Thubten Choedron, "International full ordination ceremony in Bodh Gaya". 23 February 1998
  3. ^ Charles Willemen, Bart Dessein, Collett Cox. Sarvāstivāda Buddhist scholasticism. Brill, 1988. p.88.
  4. ^ Elizabeth Cook. Light of Liberation: A History of Buddhism in India. Dharma Publishing, 1992. p. 237
  5. ISBN 9781921842061
    .
  6. ^ Gregory Schopen. Figments and fragments of Māhāyana Buddhism in India. University of Hawaii Press, 2005. pp.76-77.
  7. ^ Willemen, Charles. Dessein, Bart. Cox, Collett. Sarvastivada Buddhist Scholasticism. 1997. p. 126
  8. ^ Coedes, George. The Indianized States of South-East Asia. 1968. p. 84
  9. ISBN 81-206-1622-7.[page needed
    ]

Further reading
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mulasarvastivada&oldid=1213374330"