Sthavira and Mahasamghika

The two broad lineages named in later school lists, and the evidence used to date their split.

This page separates early textual evidence, modern scholarly discussion, and later readings. Historical study sits beside practice; it does not replace it.

The full article is available in Traditional Chinese.

The Great Stupa at Sanchi, an early Buddhist stupa in Madhya Pradesh — The Great Stupa at Sanchi

Citation

APA

Prajñā Buddhist Studies. (2026). Sthavira and Mahasamghika. Retrieved from https://buddhism.hksapientia.org/en/buddhist-history/sectarian-buddhism/sthavira-mahasanghika/

BibTeX (reference manager format, not code)

@misc{buddhist-history-sectarian-buddhism-sthavira-mahasanghika,
  title = {Sthavira and Mahasamghika},
  author = {Prajñā Buddhist Studies},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://buddhism.hksapientia.org/en/buddhist-history/sectarian-buddhism/sthavira-mahasanghika/}
}

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