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The M?lasarv?stiv?da ( Sanskrit : ?????????????????????????????? ; traditional Chinese : 根本說一切有部 ; ; pinyin : G?nb?n Shu? Y?qiey?u Bu ) was one of the early Buddhist schools of India . The origins of the M?lasarv?stiv?da school and their relationship to the Sarv?stiv?da remain largely unknown, although various theories exist.

The continuity of the M?lasarv?stiv?da monastic order remains in Tibetan Buddhism , although until recently, only M?lasarv?stiv?din bhik?us (monks) existed. The Tibetan Buddhist tradition of bhik?u?? (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 [ edit ]

In India [ edit ]

The relationship of the M?lasarv?stiv?da to the Sarv?stiv?da school is a matter of dispute; modern scholars lean towards classifying them as independent. ^[3] Yijing claimed that they derived their name from being an offshoot of Sarv?stiv?da, but Buton Rinchen Drub stated that the name was a homage to Sarv?stiv?da as the "root" ( m?la ) of all Buddhist schools. ^[4] A number of theories have been posited by academics as to how the two are related, which Bhikkhu Sujato summaries as follows:

The uncertainty around this school has led to a number of hypotheses. Frauwallner’s theory holds that the M?lasarv?stiv?da Vinaya is the disciplinary code of an early Buddhist community based in Mathura , which was quite independent in its establishment as a monastic community from the Sarv?stiv?dins of Ka?mir (although of course this does not mean that they were different in terms of doctrine). Lamotte, opposing Frauwallner, asserts that the M?lasarv?stiv?da Vinaya was a late Ka?m?r compilation made to complete the Sarv?stiv?din Vinaya. Warder suggests that the M?lasarv?stiv?dins were a later development of the Sarv?stiv?da, whose main innovations were literary, the compilation of the large Vinaya and the Saddharmasm?tyupasth?na S?tra , which kept the early doctrines but brought the style up to date with contemporary literary developments. Enomoto pulls the rug out from all these theories by asserting that Sarv?stiv?din and M?lasarv?stiv?din are really the same. Meanwhile, Willemen, Dessein, and Cox have developed the theory that the Sautrantikas , a branch or tendency within the Sarv?stiv?din group of schools, emerged in Gandh?ra and Bactria around 200 CE. Although they were the earlier group, they temporarily lost ground to the Ka?m?r Vaibh??ika school due to the political influence of Ka?i?ka . In later years the Sautrantikas became known as M?lasarv?stiv?dins 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 M?lasarv?stiv?da developed during the 2nd century AD and went into decline in India by the 7th century. ^[6]

In Central Asia [ edit ]

The M?lasarv?stiv?da 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. Sarv?stiv?da
3. M?lasarv?stiv?da

In ?r?vijaya [ edit ]

In the 7th century, Yijing writes that the M?lasarv?stiv?da were prominent throughout the kingdom of ?r?vijaya (modern day Indonesia ). Yijing stayed in ?r?vijaya for six to seven years, during which time he studied Sanskrit and translated Sanskrit texts into Chinese. Yijing states that the M?lasarv?stiv?da vinaya was almost universally adopted in this area. ^[8] He writes that the subjects studied, as well as the rules and ceremonies, were essentially the same in this region as they were in India. ^[9] Yijing described these islands as generally " H?nay?na " in orientation, but writes that the Melayu Kingdom included Mah?y?na teachings such as Asa?ga 's Yog?c?rabh?mi ??stra .

Vinaya lineage [ edit ]

The M?lasarv?stiv?da vinaya is one of three surviving vinaya lineages, along with the Dharmaguptaka and Therav?da . The Tibetan Emperor Ralpacan restricted Buddhist ordination to the M?lasarv?stiv?din vinaya. As Buddhism was introduced to Mongolia from Tibet, Mongolian ordination follows this rule as well.

The M?lasarv?stiv?da Vinaya is extant in Tibetan (9th century translation) and Chinese (8th century translation), and to some extent in the original Sanskrit.

References [ edit ]

Further reading [ edit ]

• Yamagiwa Nobuyuki (2003). "Recent Studies on Vinaya Manuscripts" . Journal of Indian and Buddhist studies 52 (1), 339-333
• Satoshi Hiraoka (1998). "The Relation between the Divyavadana and the Mulasarvastivada Vinaya". Journal of Indian Philosophy 26 (5), 419-434