|e r. CBR BUDS SBRISS SECTS AND SZGvée ATBUE ANISH BIBHUTI BARUAHThis title is a historical analysis of origin and development of Buddhist sects and sectarianism in the history of the succession of schools, it is found that the first schism in the sangha was followed by a series of schisms leading to the formation of different sub-sects, and in the course of time eleven such sub-sects arose out of the Theravada while seven issued from the Mahasasnghikas. All these branches of Buddhist sects appeared one after another in close succession which in three or four hundred years after the Buddha’s parinirvana. Here, we focus on following.important aspects: Growth and Ramification of Buddhist Sects and Sectarian Schools; Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, Yogacara, Newar Buddhism, Bhutanese Buddhist Sects, Protestant Buddhism, Nichren Buddhism, Amida Buddhism, Tendai Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Millennial Buddhism, There are different authorities, such as the traditions of the Theravadins, Sammitiyas, Mahasanghikas, and subsequently the Tibetan and Chinese translations which give us accounts of the origin of the different sects and sectarianism. Rs. 1500BUDDHIST SECTS AND SECTARIANISM This oneBuddhist Sects and Sectarianism Bibhuti Baruah SARUP & SONS NEW DELHI - 110002Published by SARUP & SONS 4740/23, Ansari Road Darya Ganj, New Dethi-110002 Tel. : 3281029 Buddhist Sects and Sectarianism © Reserved Ist Edition - 2000 ISBN 81-7625-152-6 PRINTED IN INDIA Published by Prabhat Kumar Sharma for Sarup & Sons, Laser Typesetting at Chitra Computers and Printed at Mehra Offset Press, Delhi,PREFACE t appears that even during the lifetime of the Buddha, there were people who would not accept his authority. His cousins, Devadatta, out of jealousy for the Buddha conspired with King Ajatasatru and made attempts on his life. He also tried to create divisions in the Buddhist Sangha by demanding stricter conditions of life for Buddhist monks, such as living throughout the year under trees, foregoing meat and fish, and refusing all invitations from faithful adherents. There were also monks like Upananda, Channa Mettiya-Bhummajaka or Sadvargiya (Pali: Chabbaggiya) who would take the earliest opportunity of transgressing the rules of the Vinaya. Besides, there is a perverse tendency among some people to oppose a rule simply because a rule has been laid down, Some like to live a life of ease and comfort and consequently all restrictions on individual freedom are looked at askance. For example, Subhadra, on hearing of the death of the Buddha, gave a sigh of relief saying that he would now no longer have to abide by ‘do this do not do that’. When the Buddha died, he left no one to take his place as the supreme authority. In fact he told his personal attendant, Ananda that the Dharma and the Vinaya would be the supreme authority in the future. All statements claimed to have been made by learned monks or the Sangha or even the Buddha himself have to be tested by direct reference to the words of the Buddha recorded in the suttas and the Vinaya. When the first recital (Sangiti) of the Buddhist texts was made under the presidency of Mahakasyapa at Rajagrha by five hundred monks, there were some, like Purana, or according to Tibetan sources, Gavampati, who did not approve them as they felt that what recorded there was not in agreement with what they had heard from the Buddha himself. Common interest arising from personal attachment to certain persons or groups of persons, or created by various causes, such as associations, studies, geographical regions as well as honest differences of opinion that gathered strength in the course of time, probably led to the formation Of different sects or schools. The Buddha’s sayings and their commentaries were handed down orally from teachers to disciples. Unlike the Vedic texts, however, not enough care was taken for the preservation of the actual words of the Teacher, not to speak of their interpretations. In the Mahaparinibbana- suita, the Teacher apprehended that his sayings might suffer distortion, and so, as noted above, he cautioned his disciples about the four ways in which his instructions were to be verified, A century is along time, and about a hundred years after his passing, differences arose among the monks about the actual words of the Teacher and their interpretations. Once the monks took the liberty of bringing dissensicns to the Sangha, they went on multiplying till the numbervi Buddhist Sects and Sectarianism of sects reached the figure of eighteen in the second and third centuries after the Buddha's death. The first dissension was created by the Vajjian monks of Vaisali. It is stated in she Vinaya (Cullavagga) and in the Ceylonese Chronicles that the Second Council was held at Vaisali a century after the Buddha's parinirvana to discuss the breach of the ten rules of discipline (dasa vatthuni) by the Vajjian monks. In the Tibetan and Chinese translations of Vasumitra and others quite a different account appears. Here the Council is said to have been convened on account of the differences of opinion among the monks regarding the five dogmas propounded by Mahadeva. Mahadeva was the son of a brahmana of Mathura and was a man of great learning and wisdom. He received his ordination at Kukkutarama in Pataliputra and then became the head of the Sangha which was patronized by the king. His five dogmas were: (i) An Arhat may commit a sin by unconscious temptation. (ii) One may be an Arhat and not know it. (iii) An Athat may have doubts on matters of doctrine. (iv) One cannot attain Arhatship without a teacher. (¥) ‘The noble ways’ may begin by a shout, that is, one meditating seriously on religion may make such an exclamation as *How sad!" and by so doing attain progress towards perfection- the path is attained by an exclamation of astonishment. Traditions differ as to why the Second Council was called. All the accounts, however, record unanimously that a schism did take place about a century after the Buddha’s parinirvana because of the efforts made by some monks for the relaxation of the stringent rules observed by the orthodox monks, The monks who deviated from the rules were later called the Mahasanghikas, while the orthodox monks were distinguished as the Theravadins (Sthaviravadins). It was rather a division between the conservative and the liberal, The hierarchic and the democratic. There is no room for doubt that the Council marked the evolution of new schools of thought. The decision of the Council was in favour of the orthodox monks, The Vajjians refused. to obey the decision of the majority and were expelled from the Sangha. In consequence, the Council came to an abrupt close, and the long feared schism came into being, threatening the solidarity of the Sangha. The monks who could not subscribe to the orthodox views convened another Council, in which ten thousand monks participated. Indeed, it was a great congregation of monks (Mahasangiti), for which they were called the Mahasanghikas, as distinguished from the orthodox monks, the Thzravadins (Sthaviravadins). S. Beal writes, “and because in the assembly both common folk and Holy personages were mixed together, it was called the assembly of the great congregation”. All the Holy personages unanimously agreed to abide by the historic decision of their council, They were convinced that their decision was in conformity with the teachings of the Great Master and claimed more orthodoxy than the Theravadins. This occurred the first schism in the Sangha which accounted for the origin of the two sects -the theravada (Sthaviravada) and the Mahasanghika- in the carly Buddhist Sangha. This split went on widening and in the course of time several sects came into existence out of those two-ptimitive schools.Preface vii In the history of the succession of schools, it is found that the first schism in the sangha was followed by a series of schisms leading to the formation of different sub-seets, and in the course of time eleven such sub-sects arose out of the Theravada while seven issued from the Mahasasnghikas. Later, there appeared other sub-sects also. All these branches appeared one after another in close succession which in three or four hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvana. There are different authorities, such as the traditions of the Theravadins, Sammitiyas, ‘Mahasanghikas, and subsequently the Tibetan and Chinese translations which give us accounts of the origin of the different sects and sectarianism. Although these traditions are not unanimous about the latter, a French scholar, M. Andre Bareau, has recently arrived at a fairly correct conclusion, on the basis of the information available in different traditions. It is not possible here to give an account of all the different schools. Only a few important anes among these sects will, therefore, be considered. I am thankful to all those scholar whose works have been utilised in this compiled work. EditorPreface ¥ L.__ Conflict and Development: The Buddhist Order After Buddha's Death 1 2. Growth and Ramification of B ' . 3.__Mahayana Buddhism 66 4, Theravada Buddhism \404\40.4.. lg 5 Tantric Buddhi 6._Yogacara 177 2._Newar Buddhism 189 8._Bhutanese Buddhist Sects 9__ Protestant Ruddhism 268 13, Shingon Buddhism 364 14, Zen Buddhism Appendices 428 Bibliography 4721 CONFLICT AND DEVELOPMENT: THE BUDDHIST ORDER AFTER BUDDHA’S DEATH the Buddhist order had spread only within central India at the time of the Buddha's death. The Buddha's birthplace, Lumbini, and the place where he died, Kusinagara, Were both ‘on the northern fringes of central India. Buddhagaya, where he attained enlightenment, was in the southern part of central India, The Deer Park at Sarnath, where he preached his first sermon, was in the western part of central India, These four sacred sites of reliquaries or memorials (caitya) soon flourished as pilgrimage centers. For early Buddhists, the term “central country” (madhya-desa), found in many Buddhist texts, referred to central India. After the Buddha's death, missionaries spread Buddhism to the west and southwest. (The Vindhya Mountains blocked the spread of Buddhism to the south, and the east was tropical and undeveloped.) They were particularly successful in the southwest. Buddhism advanced more slowly in the west because this area was a stronghold of Brahmanism. During the Buddha’s lifetime, missionary activity is reported in the western part of India. ‘One of the Buddha's ten chief disciples, Maakatyayana (P. Mahakaccayana) was a native of Avanti (where Ujjayini was the capital). Mahakatyayana is said to have been especially adept at giving detailed explanations of the terse summaries of teachings that the Buddha’s disciples had memorized. According to the Agamas, Mahakatyayana later returned to Avanti to preach. While he was in Avanti, Makakatyayana ordained Sronakotikarna (P, Sonakutikanna), a native of Aparantaka (P. Aparanta), wi was on the west coast of India When Sronakotikarna, ‘was about to go to visit the Buddha in Sravasti (P. Savathi), Mahakatyayana requested that he ask the Buddha for permission to make five exceptions to the observance of the precepts. One of these permitied monks living in remote areas, where it was difficult to assemble the required number of monks, to ordain new monks with an order of five monks instead of the usual ten. According to Vinayas of the Sthavira lineage, Sronakotikarna was a disciple of Mahakatyayana, However, vinayas of the Mahasanghika lineage state that Sranakotikarna was a disciple of Purna (P. Puna), a native of Surparaka in Sunaparantaka. Surparaka, also known as Sopara, was a seaport on the west coast of India to the north of the modern city of Bombay. ‘One of Asoka’s edicts was discovered in this area. After Purna realized enlightenment, he returned to preach in his own country, where he made many disciples. The Sutra in which he tells the Buddha about his determination to spread Buddhism is widely known (Mn, no. 145).2 Buddhist Sects and Sectarianism Through his efforts, Buddhism was established in this area in western India. Stories about the many merchants who became Buddhists are found in the dgamas. Many of these converts had come to central India for business purposes professed their faith in Buddhism, and then returned to their homes to preach their new religion. Such figures as Purna and Mahakatyayana are examples of this type of believer. A number of sutras describe how Mahakaryayana preached in Mathura (near Delhi) and Avanti. The verses in the prologue to the Parayana-vagga (Chapter on the Road to the beyond) of the Suttanipata (Group of Discourses relate the story of a Brahman named Bavari, who lived near the upper reaches of the Godavari River in the Deccan. When he heard about the Buddha, he sent sixteen disciples to listen to the Buddha’s teaching. The disciples went from Pratisthana (P. Patitthana) on the Godavari River along the Southern Route (Daksinapatha), passing through Ujjayini, Vidisa, Kausambi, and Saketa on theit way to Sravasti. The sixteen disciples of the Brahman questioned the Buddha, whose reply is said to be preserved as the Parayana-vagga of the Suttanipata. Both this chapter and the Arthaka-vagga of the Suttanipata are written in a very old style of Pali and are thus thought to belong to the oldest strata of the Agaras. However, when these chapters are compared with the language used in Asoka’s edicts, it is impossible to determine which is earlier. Thus, although the Parayana-vagea is written in an early style of Pali. It cannot be proven that it was composed during the Buddha’s life time, Moreover, the verses that comprise the prologue of the Parayanavagga were composed ater than the verses that the Buddha is said to have spoken in the Parayana-vagga itself. ‘Consequently, the prologue does not provide evidence that the Buddha's fame extended to the Deccan during his lifetime. Passages such as these prove that Buddhism spread along the Southern Route after the Buddha's death, The birthplace of King Asoka’s son Mahinda, who is credited with being the ‘transmitter of Buddhism to Sri Lanka, is said to have been Ujjayini. The texts of Sri Lankan Buddhism are written in Pali, a language closely resembling that in one of Asoka’s edicts found at Girnar on the Kathiawar Peninsula near Aparantak. Buddhism was obviously firmly established in this region by the time of King Asoka. The Dates of the Buddha Death The above discussion clearly demonstrates the difficulties of accepting the traditional Sri Lankan account of the early Buddhist order Sri Lankan statements that the Buddha died 218 years before Ashoka’s succession to the throne and that most of the schism in the orders-had ‘occurred by Ashoka’s time are difficult to reconcile with other aspects of Buddhist institutional history. Since both the Northern and Southern traditions agree that only four or five generations passed between the Buddha’s death and the time of Ashoka, a figure of approximately one century for this period seems reasonable, Moreover a survey of other primary source materials reveals that only the Sri Lankan tradition has maintained the longer period—the 218 years figures does not appear in materials from India proper. Moreover, the absence of the figure of 218 years in India is not due to lack of communication between Sri Lanka and India. A Sri Lankan King had the Mahabodhi-sangharama built at Buddhagaya as a residence for Sri Lankan Monks and Sri Lankan temple existed at Nagarjunakonda. Despite such ties, no mention of figure of 218 years is made in Indian sources.Conflict and Development: The Buddhist Order after Buddha's Death 3 Sources from India state that Ashoka became king around one hundred years after the Buddha’s nirvana. Furthermore, the figure of 218 years is not the only one found in Sri Lanka. Fashien was Chinese Buddhist pilgrim who travelled to India and Sri Lanka and then returned to China in 416. He spent two years at the Abhayagiri monastery in Sri Lanka. In his travel diary, Fa-hsien noted that at the time of his arrival in Sri Lanka, monks there claimed that 1, 497 years had clapsed since the Buddha's nirvana (T 51: 65a). Calculations based on this figure indicate that the Buddha’s nirvana would have occurred sometime before 1000 B.C., a date not close to one based on a period of 218 years between the Buddha’s death and Ashoka succession. The figure of 218 years was, thus, not even accepted by all Sri Lankan monks. A Survey of other primary source materials from India reveals that in most cases Ashoka’s reign is dated one hundred years or slightly more after the Buddha's nirvana. Among the texts with a figure of one hundred years are the Ta chuan-yen lun ching (T 4: 309¢, Kalpanmanditika) Seng-chieh-lo-ch'a so-chi ching (1-4:145a), Hsien yu ching (T 4: 3680, Damamukanidanasutra), Tsa pi-yu ching (T 4: 5038), Chung - ching chuan tsa-p i-yu (T 4: 541c), Tsa a-han ching (T 2: 162a, Samyuktagama), Divyavadana (p. 368; Vaidya ed. 232), A-yu wang chuan (T 50: 99c, Ashokarajavadana), A-yu wang ching (T $0: 132a, Ashokarajasutra). Ta - chih = tu lin (T 25: 700, Mahaprajnaparamitopadesa), and the Fen - pieh kung te jun (T 25: 39a). in Heuan-Tsang travel diary, the period is one hundred years Jong and ini Jeching’s travel diary, it is only somewhat longer, thus indicating that the figure of approximately one hundred years was accepted in India at the time of their travels. In the Tibetan translation of the Samayabhedoparacanacakra, Ashoka succession is said to have occurred one hundred years after the Buddha’s nirvana, while in Huen-tsang’s Chinese translation, the period is said to be more than one hundred years Paramartha’s Chinese translation, the Pu chih-i lam and another Chinese translation, the Shit-pa-pw fun, both have a figure of 11 years; however, in the Yuan and Ming dynastry editions of Paramarth’s translation, the figure is changed to 160 years. According to the Ta-fang-teng wu-hsing ching (T 12:1097¢; Mahameghasutra), 120 years elapsed between the Buddha's nirvana and Ashoka’s succession. In the Mo-ho-mo-yeh ching (T 12:1013¢, Mahamayasutra), the period is stated to be less than 200 years. According to Bhavya's Sde-pa tha-dad-par byed-pa dan rnam-par bsad-pa (Nikayabhedvibhanga- Vyakhyana, Peking, no, 5640, 2 Theravada tradition dated the first major schism between the Sthaviras and Mahasanghikas as occurring 160 years after the Buddha’s nirvana during Ashoka’s reign. Some scholars have relied heavily on Bhavya’s figure of 160 years after the Buddha’s death for the first schism. On the basis of the figure of 160 years, which occurs in the Yuan and Ming dynasty editions of the Pu chit-i lun, they have argued that the figures of 116 years or slightly more than one hundred found in other translation should be amended to 160 years. However, the Sung dynasty and the Korean edition of the Pu chik-i lun, both older than either the Yuan or the Ming dynasty editions of the text, have figures of 116 years. Since the evidence for the figure of 160 years is comparatively late and since no other materials with a figure of 160 years have been found the figure of 116 years or slightly more than one hundred years, must be accepted as more trustworthy. Moreover, Bhavya presents the figure of 160 years as only one of a number of theories. Finally, the 160-years must still be reconciled with the Theravada figure of 218 years. Thus, the evidence for the figure of 160 years is highly questionable.