Nikaya Buddhism

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Nikaya Buddhism is a general term for those schools of Buddhism that accept only the class of sutras collected in the Pāli Canon as authentic. Historically, there were many Nikaya schools, but only one still exists today: the Theravada.

Nikaya Buddhism is distinguished from the Buddhism of the various Mahayana and Vajrayana schools, which accept the authenticity of a range of other scriptures. However, the sutras of Pāli Canon are accepted by every school, and outside Nikaya Buddhism they are known as the agamas or Nikayas.

The Nikaya schools have traditionally been identified by Western scholars as Hinayana schools. However, this terminology is now often seen as flawed on two levels. First, Hinayana, literally "the lesser vehicle", is often regarded as a offensive or derisive term. Second, many would say that it is inappropriate to think of Hinayana as a school or doctrine, but that it must be seen as a type of practice, which may be followed by people in any school. The term Shravakayana (literally, "the vehicle of hearers [i.e. disciples]") is sometimes substituted, but this meets only first objection, and not the second. Thus, "Nikaya Buddhism" is an attempt to find the most neutral and accurate way of referring to these schools. Nikaya is also a term used by Theravadins to refer to a school or sect.