The Sthavira NikÃÂya (Sanskrit: "Sect of the Elders"; ; ) was one of the early Buddhist schools. They split from the majority MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas at the time of the Second Buddhist Council.
The Sthavira NikÃÂya was one of the early Buddhist schools. The Sthavira NikÃÂya was separated from the majority MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas during the Second Buddhist Council resulting in the first schism in the Sangha.
The MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika à ÂÃÂriputraparipá¹ÂcchÃÂ, a text written to justify this school's departure from the disciplinary code of the elder monks, asserts that the council was convened at PÃÂá¹Âaliputra over matters of Vinaya, and it is explained that the schism resulted from the majority (MahÃÂsaá¹Âgha) refusing to accept the addition of rules to the Vinaya by the minority (Sthaviras). The MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas therefore saw the Sthaviras as being a breakaway group which was attempting to modify the original Vinaya. However, this text is not fully accepted by some Buddhist schools, such as the TheravÃÂda, which instead claim that it was the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika who altered the original rules.
Scholars have generally agreed that the matter of dispute was indeed a matter of Vinaya, and have noted that the account of the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas is bolstered by the Vinaya texts themselves, as Vinayas associated with the Sthaviras do contain more rules than those of the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika Vinaya.
Some scholars therefore agree that the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika Vinaya is the oldest, although some other scholars think that it is not the case. According to Skilton, future scholars may determine that a study of the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika school will contribute to a better understanding of the early Dharma-Vinaya than the TheravÃÂda school. According to Bhante Sujato, there is no strong evidence that the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika Vinaya is the oldest; both the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika and TheravÃÂda Vinayas developed in parallel from shared ancient sources, each containing both older and later elements. Declaring one as definitively âÂÂthe earliestâ is an oversimplification not supported by the academic evidence.
The Tibetan historian Buton Rinchen Drub (1290âÂÂ1364) wrote that the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas used Prakrit, the SarvÃÂstivÃÂdins used Sanskrit, the Sthaviras used Paià ÂÃÂcë, and the Saá¹Âmitëya used Apabhraá¹Âà Âa.
The Sthaviras later divided into other schools such as:
The VibhajyavÃÂda branch gave rise to a number of schools such as:
The TheravÃÂda school of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia has identified itself exclusively with the Sthaviras, as the Pali word thera is equivalent to the Sanskrit sthavira. This has led early Western historians to assume that the two parties are identical. However, this is not the case, and by the time of Ashoka, the Sthavira sect had split into the Sammitëya, PudgalavÃÂda, SarvÃÂstivÃÂda, and the VibhajyavÃÂda schools.
The VibhajyavÃÂda school is believed to have split into other schools as well, such as the Mahëà ÂÃÂsaka school and the ancestor of the TheravÃÂda school. According to Damien Keown, there is no historical evidence that the TheravÃÂda school arose until around two centuries after the Great Schism which occurred at the Third Council.
Starting with the Dëpavaá¹Âsa chronicle in the 4th century, the TheravÃÂdins of the MahÃÂvihÃÂra in Sri Lanka attempted to identify themselves with the original Sthavira sect. The TheravÃÂdin Dëpavaá¹Âsa clarifies that the name TheravÃÂda refers to the "old" teachings, making no indication that it refers to the Second Council. Similarly, the name MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika is in reference to those who follow the original Vinaya of the undivided Saá¹Âgha. The Dëpavaá¹Âsa chronicle lauds the TheravÃÂda as a "great banyan" and dismissively portrays the other early Buddhist schools as thorns (kaá¹Âá¹Âaka). Dëpavaá¹Âsa, 4.90âÂÂ91 says:
According to the MahÃÂvaá¹Âsa, a TheravÃÂdin source, after the Second Council was closed those taking the side of junior monks did not accept the verdict but held an assembly of their own attended by ten thousand calling it a Mahasangiti (Great Convocation) from which the school derived its name MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika. However, such popular explanations of Sthavira and MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika are generally considered folk etymologies.
Bhante Sujato explains the relationship between the Sthavira sect and the TheravÃÂda: