Schools of Buddhism

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There are many divisions and subdivisions of the schools of Buddhism. An extensive list of historical schools is given below according to lineage. Surviving schools can be roughly grouped under the categories of Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna. Other than Theravāda, no Shravakayana schools have survived.

Table of contents

1 Early Buddhist schools
2 Mahāyāna schools
3 See also
4 Further reading

Early Buddhist schools

Main article: early Buddhist schools. See also: Nikaya Buddhism

These schools are grouped under the term Shravakayana. The initial split between Sthaviravāda and Mahāsaṃghika occurred about 100 years after Buddha's death, due to differing views concerning the rigidity of monastic rules.

Sthaviravāda (Vaibhā ṣ ikas)
- [[Mahasamghaka|Mahāsaṃ ghika]] ('Majority', c. 380 BCE)
  - Ekavyahārikas (under [[Asoka|Aś oka]])
    - Lokottaravāda
  - Golulika (during [[Asoka|Aś oka]])
    - [[Bahushritiya|Bahuś ritī ya]] (late third century BCE)
    - [[Prajnaptivada|PrajÃÂÃÂ± aptivā da]] (late third century BCE)
  - Caitika (mid-first century BCE)
    - Apara Śaila
    - Uttara Śaila
- Pudgalavāda ('Personalist') (c. 280 BCE)
- Vibhajyavāda (c. 237 BCE)
  - Theravāda (c. 240 BCE, moved to Sri Lanka)
    - [[Mahishasaka|Mahī ś āsaka]] (after 232 BCE)
    - [[Kashyapiya|Kā ś yapī ya]] (after 232 BCE)
    - Dharmaguptaka (after 232 BCE)
      - Chinese Vinaya School
        Ritsu
  - [[Vatsiputriya|Vatsī putrī ya]] (under [[Asoka|Aś oka]])
    - [[Dharmottariya|Dharmottarī ya]]
    - [[Bhadrayaniya|Bhadrayā nī ya]]
    - [[Sannagaraka|Sannā garika]]
    - [[Sammitiya|Saṃ mitī ya]]
- Sarvāstivāda (c. 237 BCE)
  - [[Sautrantaka|Sautrā ntika]] (between 50 BCE and c. 100 CE)
    - Jojitsu
  - Kusha
  - [[Mulasarvastivada|Mū lasarvā stivā da]] (third and fourth centuries)

Mahāyāna schools

Daśabhūmikā (absorbed in to Huayan)
Huayan (Avataṃsaka)
- Hwaeom
- Kegon
Chan / Zen / Seon
- Caodong
  - Soto
- Linji
  - Ōbaku
  - Rinzai
Madhyamaka
- Yogācāra
  - Faxiang (Dharma-character school) or Wei-Shi (Consciousness-only school)
    - Beopsang
    - Hossō
- Prasangika
- Sanlun (Three Treatise school)
  - Sanron
Pure Land (Amidism)
- Jodo
- Jodo Shin
Tiantai (Lotus Sutra School)
- Cheontae
- Tendai
Nichiren
[[Vijnanavada|VijÃÂÃÂ± ānavāda]]

==[[Vajrayana|Vajrayā na]] schools==

Tibetan Buddhism
- Nyingmapa
- Kadampa
  - Drukpa
- Sakyapa
- New BÃÂÃÂ¶n (14th century synthesis of Yungdrung BÃÂÃÂ¶n and Nyingmapa)
- Jonangpa
- Gelukpa
- Rime movement
Shingon
Tendai (derived from Tian Tai but added tantric practices)