Early Buddhism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Buddhism[08/28/2013 12:18:29 PM]

Early Buddhism
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term Early Buddhism can refer to:
Pre-sectarian Buddhism, which refers to the Teachings and monastic
organization and structure, founded by Gautama Buddha.
The Early Buddhist schools, into which pre-sectarian Buddhism split (without
formal schisms, in the sense of Vinaya).
The period of Pre-sectarian Buddhism lasted until about 150 years after the
death of Gautama Buddha. The various splits within the monastic organization
went together with the introduction and emphasis on Abhidhammic literature by
some schools. This literature was specific to each school, and arguments and
disputes between the schools were often based on these Abhidhammic
writings. However, actual splits were originally based on disagreements on
vinaya (monastic discipline), though later on, by about 100 CE or earlier, they
could be based on doctrinal disagreement.
[1]
Pre-sectarian Buddhism,
however, did not have Abhidhammic scriptures, except perhaps for a basic
framework, and not all of the early schools developed an Abhidhamma
literature.
Several hundreds of years after the advent of Mahayana Buddhism (in the fifth
century CE), the early Buddhist schools entered a period of decline in India,
while Mahayana Buddhism became stronger. The seventh-century Chinese
pilgirm Xuanzang reports, however, that non-Mahayana Buddhists continued to
comprise a substantial majority of Buddhists in India at that time, and it is likely
that this was the case right up to the end of Buddhism in India altogether.
Contents [hide]
1 Timeline
2 Common biases of research according to Bikkhu Sujato
3 Notes
4 Sources
Timeline: Development and propagation of Buddhist traditions (ca. 450
BCE ca. 1300 CE)

450
BCE
[2]
250 BCE 100 CE 500 CE
700
CE
800 CE
1200
CE
[3]

India
Early
Sangha


Early Buddhist
schools
Mahayana Vajrayana




Sri Lanka &
Theravada

Timeline [ edit source ]
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Buddhism
Early Buddhism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Buddhism[08/28/2013 12:18:29 PM]
Southeast Asia

Buddhism



Central Asia
Greco-Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Silk Road Buddhism

East Asia
Chn, Tiantai, Pure Land,
Zen, Nichiren
Shingon


450 BCE 250 BCE 100 CE 500 CE
700
CE
800 CE 1200 CE
Legend:
= Theravada
tradition

= Mahayana
traditions

= Vajrayana
traditions
According to Bhikkhu Sujato, biases beset most commonly scholarly research on early buddhism: "I
find myself unable to accept many of the findings of the modern [researcher]s, any more than I could
accept the traditions of the schools. It seems to me that much of the modern work, while it has
accomplished a great deal, is hampered by the problems that bedevil Buddhist studies in general:
uncritical acceptance of textual evidence over archeological findings; bias in favour of either the
southern or the northern traditions; reliance on inaccurate or mistaken readings from secondary works
and translations; simplistic and unrealistic notions of religious life in general and monastic life in
particular; lack of understanding of the Vinaya; backreading of later situations into earlier times; and
perhaps most importantly, a lack of appreciation of myth, so that 'historical' information is divorced
from the mythic context that gave it meaning."
[4]
1. ^ Harvey,Introduction to Buddhism, Cambridge University Press, 1990, page 74
2. ^ Cousins, L.S. (1996); Buswell (2003), Vol. I, p. 82; and, Keown & Prebish (2004), p. 107. See also,
Gombrich (1988/2002), p. 32: [T]he best we can say is that [the Buddha] was probably Enlightened
between 550 and 450, more likely later rather than earlier."
3. ^ Williams (2000, pp. 6-7) writes: "As a matter of fact Buddhism in mainland India itself had all but
ceased to exist by the thirteenth century CE, although by that time it had spread to Tibet, China, J apan,
and Southeast Asia." Embree et al. (1958/1988), "Chronology," p. xxix: "c. 1000-1200: Buddhism
disappears as [an] organized religious force in India." See also, Robinson & J ohnson (1970/1982), pp.
100-1, 108 Fig. 1; and, Harvey (1990/2007), pp. 139-40.
4. ^ Bhikku Sujato, Sects & Sectarianism: The Origins of Buddhist Schools, 2006. p. 4
Buswell, J r., Robert E. (ed.) (2003). Encyclopedia of Buddhism (MacMillan). ISBN 0-02-865718-
7.
Cousins, L.S. (1996). "The Dating of the Historical Buddha: A Review Article" in Journal of the
Royal Asiatic Society, Series 3, 6.1 (1996): 57-63. Retrieved 29 Nov 2008 from "Indology" at
http://indology.info/papers/cousins/ .
Embree, Ainslie T. (ed.), Stephen N. Hay (ed.), Wm. Theodore de Bary (ed.), A.L. Bashram, R.N.
Dandekar, Peter Hardy, J .B. Harrison, V. Raghavan, Royal Weiler, and Andrew Yarrow (1958;
2nd ed. 1988). Sources of Indian Tradition: From the Beginning to 1800 (vol. 1). NY: Columbia U.
Press. ISBN 0-231-06651-1.
Gombrich, Richard F. (1988; 6th reprint, 2002). Theravda Buddhism: A Social History from
Common biases of research according to Bikkhu Sujato [ edit source ]
Notes [ edit source ]
Sources [ edit source ]
Early Buddhism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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[show] V T E
Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo (London: Routledge). ISBN 0-415-07585-8.
Harvey, Peter (1990; 15th printing, 2007). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and
Practices (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). ISBN 0-521-31333-3.
Keown, Damien and Charles S Prebish (eds.) (2004). Encyclopedia of Buddhism (London:
Routledge). ISBN 978-0-415-31414-5.
Robinson, Richard H. and Willard L. J ohnson (1970; 3rd ed., 1982). The Buddhist Religion: A
Historical Introduction (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing). ISBN 0-534-01027-X.
Williams, Paul with Anthony Tribe (2000). Buddhist Thought (London: Routledge). ISBN 0-415-
20701-0. Retrieved 29 Nov 2008 from "Google Books" at http://books.google.com/books?
id=v0Rpvycf1t0C .
Buddhism topics
Categories: Early Buddhism