Vibhajjavada
Encyclopedia
Vibhajyavāda was an early Buddhist school or a group of early Buddhist schools.
into vibhajya, loosely meaning "dividing", "analyzing" and vāda holding the semantic field
: "doctrine", "teachings". According to Andrew Skilton, the analysis of phenomena (Skt. dharmas) was the doctrinal emphasis and preoccupation of the Vibhajyavādins.
does not contain any reference to a Vibhajyavāda school, but the Sammatīyas and the Mahāsāṃghika
do mention the Vibhajyavādins, albeit in different ways. According to the Sammatīya sect, the Vibhajyavādins developed from the Sarvāstivāda
school. However, the Mahāsāṃghikas saw the Vibhajyavādins as being offshoots from the root schism in Buddhism, which according to them produced three sects: the Sthaviras, the Mahāsāṃghikas, and the Vibhajyavādins. The Mahāsāṃghikas then list the Mahīśāsaka
, Dharmaguptaka
, Kāśyapīya
, and Tāmraparnīya sects as having descended from the Vibhajyavādins.
The Sarvāstivādin Abhidharma Mahāvibhāṣa Śāstra
describes the Vibhajyavādins as being the type of heretics who "make objections, who uphold harmful doctrines and attack those who follow the authentic Dharma".
Some scholars believe that there was no separate "Vibhajyavāda" sect, but that the term vibhajyavāda was sometimes affixed to the name of a school to indicate that it differed from the main school on some doctrines. In this sense, they would be vibhajyavādins of that particular school. This is also found in the Mahāsāṃghika branch with the Prajñaptivāda
school, whose members preferred to be called Bahuśrutiya
-Vibhajyavādins. It has been suggested that the Theravādin
s of Sri Lanka
may have been Sthavira-Vibhajyavādins, differing somewhat from the main Sthavira school in their doctrinal interpretations.
, under the leadership of Moggaliputta Tissa emphasized this analytical approach. Some sub-divisions of Sthavira school which adopted this approach were regrouped and termed as the followers of Vibhajjavāda. Those not included in the Vibhajjavāda group were the Mahāsāṃghikas, Sarvāstivāda and Sammitīya, who were regarded as having the ‘wrong view’ by the Vibhajjavādins, according to the Theravadin Kathavatthu, a work ascribed to Moggaliputta Tissa.
The Theravada tradition holds that after the Third Council, the Vibhajjavādins evolved into four groups: the Mahīśāsaka, Kāśyapīya, Dharmaguptaka, and the Tāmraparnīya. Theravada is descended from the Tāmraparnīya, which means 'the Sri Lankan lineage'. On the other hand, some sources suggest that Mahīśāsaka, Kāśyapīya and Dharmaguptaka did not evolve directly from the Vibhajjavādins, although an original connection between these groups is posited due to the similarities of their respective Vinayas.
The Vibhajjavadins are claimed to have seen themselves as orthodox Sthaviras.
According to Sinhalese tradition, Buddhism under the name of Vibhajjavāda was brought to Sri Lanka
by Mahinda
, who is believed to be the son of Emperor Asoka, an event dated by modern scholars to 246 BCE.
Nomenclature and etymology
The word Vibhajyavāda may be parsedParsing
In computer science and linguistics, parsing, or, more formally, syntactic analysis, is the process of analyzing a text, made of a sequence of tokens , to determine its grammatical structure with respect to a given formal grammar...
into vibhajya, loosely meaning "dividing", "analyzing" and vāda holding the semantic field
Semantic field
A semantic field is a technical term in the discipline of linguistics to describe a set of words grouped by meaning in a certain way. The term is also used in other academic disciplines, such as anthropology and computational semiotics.-Definition and usage:...
: "doctrine", "teachings". According to Andrew Skilton, the analysis of phenomena (Skt. dharmas) was the doctrinal emphasis and preoccupation of the Vibhajyavādins.
History
The Vibhajyavādins are not recorded uniformly by early Buddhist traditions as being a distinct sect, nor being associated with any one period of time. The Theravādin KathāvatthuKathavatthu
Kathāvatthu , translated as "Points of Controversy", is a Buddhist scripture, one of the seven books in the Theravada Abhidhamma Pitaka...
does not contain any reference to a Vibhajyavāda school, but the Sammatīyas and the Mahāsāṃghika
Mahasamghika
The ' , literally the "Great Saṃgha", was one of the early Buddhist schools in ancient India.The origins of the sect of Buddhism are still extremely uncertain, and the subject of debate among scholars. One reason for the interest in the origins of the school is that their Vinaya recension appears...
do mention the Vibhajyavādins, albeit in different ways. According to the Sammatīya sect, the Vibhajyavādins developed from the Sarvāstivāda
Sarvastivada
The Sarvāstivāda were an early school of Buddhism that held to 'the existence of all dharmas in the past, present and future, the 'three times'. Vasubandhu's states:-Name:...
school. However, the Mahāsāṃghikas saw the Vibhajyavādins as being offshoots from the root schism in Buddhism, which according to them produced three sects: the Sthaviras, the Mahāsāṃghikas, and the Vibhajyavādins. The Mahāsāṃghikas then list the Mahīśāsaka
Mahisasaka
Mahīśāsaka is one of the early Buddhist schools according to some records. Its origins may go back to the dispute in the Second Buddhist Council...
, Dharmaguptaka
Dharmaguptaka
The Dharmaguptaka are one of the eighteen or twenty early Buddhist schools, depending on one's source. They are said to have originated from another sect, the Mahīśāsakas...
, Kāśyapīya
Kasyapiya
Kāśyapīya was one of the early Buddhist schools in India.-Etymology:The name Kāśyapīya is believed to be derived from Kāśyapa, one of the original missionaries sent by King Ashoka to the Himavant country...
, and Tāmraparnīya sects as having descended from the Vibhajyavādins.
The Sarvāstivādin Abhidharma Mahāvibhāṣa Śāstra
Mahavibhasa
The Abhidharma ' Śāstra is an ancient Buddhist text. It is thought to have been authored around 150 CE.-The Compendia: is a term meaning 'compendium', 'treatise' or simply 'explanation', derived from vi + , 'to speak' or 'to explain'...
describes the Vibhajyavādins as being the type of heretics who "make objections, who uphold harmful doctrines and attack those who follow the authentic Dharma".
Some scholars believe that there was no separate "Vibhajyavāda" sect, but that the term vibhajyavāda was sometimes affixed to the name of a school to indicate that it differed from the main school on some doctrines. In this sense, they would be vibhajyavādins of that particular school. This is also found in the Mahāsāṃghika branch with the Prajñaptivāda
Prajnaptivada
The Prajñaptivāda was one of the early Buddhist schools in India, and part of the Mahāsāṃghika branch of Buddhism. They were also known as the Bahuśrutiya-Vibhajyavādins.- History :...
school, whose members preferred to be called Bahuśrutiya
Bahusrutiya
Bahuśrutīya was one of the early Buddhist schools, according to early sources such as Vasumitra, the , and other sources, and was a sub-group which emerged from the Mahāsaṃghika sect.-Etymology:...
-Vibhajyavādins. It has been suggested that the Theravādin
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
s of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
may have been Sthavira-Vibhajyavādins, differing somewhat from the main Sthavira school in their doctrinal interpretations.
In Theravāda traditions
The Third Buddhist CouncilThird Buddhist council
The Third Buddhist council was convened in about 250 BCE at Asokarama in Pataliputra, supposedly under the patronage of Emperor Asoka. The reason for convening the Third Buddhist Council is reported to have been to rid the Sangha of corruption and bogus monks who held heretical views...
, under the leadership of Moggaliputta Tissa emphasized this analytical approach. Some sub-divisions of Sthavira school which adopted this approach were regrouped and termed as the followers of Vibhajjavāda. Those not included in the Vibhajjavāda group were the Mahāsāṃghikas, Sarvāstivāda and Sammitīya, who were regarded as having the ‘wrong view’ by the Vibhajjavādins, according to the Theravadin Kathavatthu, a work ascribed to Moggaliputta Tissa.
The Theravada tradition holds that after the Third Council, the Vibhajjavādins evolved into four groups: the Mahīśāsaka, Kāśyapīya, Dharmaguptaka, and the Tāmraparnīya. Theravada is descended from the Tāmraparnīya, which means 'the Sri Lankan lineage'. On the other hand, some sources suggest that Mahīśāsaka, Kāśyapīya and Dharmaguptaka did not evolve directly from the Vibhajjavādins, although an original connection between these groups is posited due to the similarities of their respective Vinayas.
The Vibhajjavadins are claimed to have seen themselves as orthodox Sthaviras.
According to Sinhalese tradition, Buddhism under the name of Vibhajjavāda was brought to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
by Mahinda
Mahinda
Mahinda was a Buddhist monk depicted in Buddhist sources as bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka. He was the son of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka.- Historical Sources :...
, who is believed to be the son of Emperor Asoka, an event dated by modern scholars to 246 BCE.
Further reading
- Lance Cousins, "On the Vibhajjavādins: The Mahimsasaka, Dhammaguttaka, Kassapiya and Tambapanniya brances of the ancient Theriyas", Buddhist Studies Review 18, 2 (2001)
- Prasad, Chandra Shekhar, "Theravada and Vibhajjavada: A Critical Study of the Two Appellations"' East & West Vol 22 (1972)