Eighteen Sects of Hinayana

Eighteen Sects of Hinayana

I Mahasanghikah is divided into eight schools:

1 Ekavyavaharikah

2 Lokottaravadinah

3 Kaukkutikah (Gokulika)

4 Bahusrutiyah

5 Prajnativadinah

6 Jetavaniyah (Caityasailah)

7 Avarasailah

8 Uttarasailah

II Sthavirah or Aryasthavirah is divided into ten schools:

1 Haimavatah

2 Vatsiputriyah (developed from Sarvastivadah)

3 Dharmottariyah (developed from Vatsiputriyah)

4 Bhadrayaniyah (developed from Vatsiputriyah)

5 Sammatiyah (developed from Vatsiputriyah)

6 Sannagarikah (developed from Vatsiputriyah)

7 Mahisasakah

8 Dharmaguptah (developed from Mahisasakah)

9 Kasyapiyah (developed from Sarvastivadah)

10 Sautrantika (developed from Sarvastivadah)

Under (I), the first five are stated as arising two centuries after the Nirvana of Shakyamuni, and the remaining three a century later, dates which are unreliable.

Under (II), the Haimavatah and the Sarvastivadah are dated some 200 years after Nirvana; from the Sarvastivadah soon arose the Vatsiputriyah, from whom soon arose the third, fourth, fifth and sixth; then from the Sarvastivadah there arose the seventh which gave rise to the eighth, and again, near the 400th year, the Sarvastivadah gave rise to the ninth and soon after the tenth.

In the list of eighteen, the Sarvastivadah was not taken into account, as it split into all the rest.

See Also

• Mahasamghika