Theravada
Theravāda (/ˌtɛrəˈvɑːdə/;[a] lit. 'School of the Elders')[1][2] is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school.[1][2] The school's adherents, termed Theravādins, have preserved their version of Gautama Buddha's teaching or dhamma in the Pāli Canon for over two millennia.[1][2][web 1]
The Pāli Canon is the most complete Buddhist canon surviving in a classical Indian language, Pāli, which serves as the school's sacred language[2] and lingua franca.[3] In contrast to Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna, Theravāda tends to be conservative in matters of doctrine (pariyatti) and monastic discipline (vinaya).[4] One element of this conservatism is the fact that Theravāda rejects the authenticity of the Mahayana sutras (which appeared c. 1st century BCE onwards).[5][6]
Modern Theravāda derives from the Mahāvihāra order, a Sri Lankan branch of the Vibhajjavāda tradition, which is, in turn, a sect of the Indian Sthavira Nikaya. This tradition began to establish itself in Sri Lanka from the 3rd century BCE onwards. It was in Sri Lanka that the Pāli Canon was written down and the school's commentary literature developed. From Sri Lanka, the Theravāda Mahāvihāra tradition subsequently spread to Southeast Asia.[7] Theravāda is the official religion of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Cambodia, and the main dominant Buddhist variant found in Laos and Thailand. It is practiced by minorities in India, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, North Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Taiwan. The diaspora of all of these groups, as well as converts around the world, also embrace and practice Theravāda Buddhism.
During the modern era, new developments have included Buddhist modernism, the Vipassana movement which reinvigorated Theravāda meditation practice,[web 1] the growth of the Thai Forest Tradition which reemphasized forest monasticism and the spread of Theravāda westward to places such as India and Nepal, along with Buddhist immigrants and converts in the European Union and in the United States.
The 20th-century Nepalese Theravāda movement which introduced Theravāda Buddhism to and was led by prominent figures such as Dharmaditya Dharmacharya, Mahapragya, Pragyananda and Dhammalok Mahasthavir.[50]
Nepal
The establishment of some of the first Theravāda Viharas in the Western world, such as the (1926), Das Buddhistische Haus in Berlin (1957) and the Washington Buddhist Vihara in Washington, DC (1965).
London Buddhist Vihara
The founding of the (1892) and the Dharmankur Vihar (1900) in Calcutta by the Bengali monk Kripasaran Mahasthavir, which were key events in the Bengali Theravāda revival.[51]
Bengal Buddhist Association
The founding of the in 1891 by Anagarika Dharmapala which focused on the conservation and restoration of important Indian Buddhist sites, such as Bodh Gaya and Sarnath.[52][53]
Maha Bodhi Society
The introduction of Theravāda to other Southeast Asian nations like Singapore, and Malaysia. Especially with Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda missionary efforts among English-speaking Chinese communities.
Indonesia
The return of Western Theravādin monks trained in the Thai Forest Tradition to western countries and the subsequent founding of monasteries led by western monastics, such as , Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, Metta Forest Monastery, Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery, Bodhinyana Monastery and Santacittarama.
Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery
The spread of the around the world by the efforts of people like S.N. Goenka, Anagarika Munindra, Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Dipa Ma, and Ruth Denison.
Vipassana movement
The Vietnamese Theravāda movement, led by figures such as Ven. Hộ-Tông (Vansarakkhita).
[54]
A doctrine of action (), which is based on intention (cetana) and a related doctrine of rebirth which holds that after death, sentient beings which are not fully awakened will transmigrate to another body, possibly in another realm of existence. The type of realm one will be reborn in is determined by the being's past karma. This cyclical universe filled with birth and death is named samsara.
karma
A rejection of other doctrines and practices found in , including the idea that the Vedas are a divine authority. Any form of sacrifices to the gods (including animal sacrifices) and ritual purification by bathing are considered useless and spiritually corrupted.[89] The Pāli texts also reject the idea that castes are divinely ordained.
Brahmanical Hinduism
A set of major teachings called the (factors conducive to awakening).
bodhipakkhiyādhammā
Descriptions of various meditative practices or states, namely the four (meditative absorptions) and the formless dimensions (arupāyatana).
jhanas
The corruptions or influxes (), such as the corruption of sensual pleasures (kāmāsava), existence-corruption (bhavāsava), and ignorance-corruption (avijjāsava).
āsavas
The doctrine of impermanence (), which holds that all physical and mental phenomena are transient, unstable and inconstant.[91]
anicca
The doctrine of not-self (), which holds that all the constituents of a person, namely, the five aggregates (physical form, feelings, perceptions, intentions and consciousness), are empty of a self (atta), since they are impermanent and not always under our control. Therefore, there is no unchanging substance, permanent self, soul, or essence.[92][93]
anatta
The (pañca nīvaraṇāni), which are obstacles to meditation: (1) sense desire, (2) hostility, (3) sloth and torpor, (4) restlessness and worry and (5) doubt.
Five hindrances
The (brahmavihārā), also known as the four immeasurables (appamaññā)
Four Divine Abodes
The , which is seen as having two major facets. First, it is a middle path between extreme asceticism and sensual indulgence. It is also seen as a middle view between the idea that at death beings are annihilated and the idea that there is an eternal self (Pali: atta).
Middle Way
one of the main outlines of the Buddhist path to awakening. The eight factors are: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Samadhi.
The Noble Eightfold Path
Various frameworks for the practice of (sati), mainly, the four satipatthanas (establishments of mindfulness) and the 16 elements of anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing).
mindfulness
The first section (part 1) explains the rules of discipline, and the method for finding a correct temple to practice, or how to meet a .
good teacher
The second section (part 2) describes (calming) practice, object by object (see Kammaṭṭhāna for the list of the forty traditional objects). It mentions different stages of Samādhi.
Samatha
The third section (parts 3–7) is a description of the five , ayatanas, the Four Noble Truths, dependent origination, and the practise of Vipassanā (insight) through the development of wisdom. It emphasizes different forms of knowledge emerging because of the practice. This part shows a great analytical effort specific to Buddhist philosophy.
khandhas
Bangladesh
Myanmar
Sri Lanka
Thailand and Cambodia
Dhammayuttika Nikaya
China
Bangladesh
Cambodia
Theravāda has also recently gained popularity in the .
Western world
Theravāda Buddhism is practiced in the following countries and by people worldwide:
Today, Theravādins number over 150 million worldwide, and during the past few decades Theravāda Buddhism has begun to take root in the West[b] and in the Buddhist revival in India.[web 20]
Access to Insight
Adhiṭṭhāna
Arahant
Awgatha
Buddha Sasana
Buddhism in China
Buddhism in Southeast Asia
Buddhist pilgrimage
Cetiya
Mahanayaka
Sacca-kiriya
Sambuddhatva jayanthi
Sangharaja
– Readings in Theravāda Buddhism
Access to Insight
by Jeffrey Samuels
The Bodhisattva Ideal in Theravāda Theory and Practice
on Tricycle's Buddhism for Beginners Series