The history of Buddhism often focuses on the well-known major schools such as Mahayana, Hinayana or Tantra. But the history of Buddhism is much more than that. Many schools that once flourished are now little known, and their teachings, practices, and influences have faded into the long course of history.
Echoes of Silence: The Legacy of the Sapa Duobu
The name "sarvāstivāda" means "sarvastivada" and asserts that all dharmas have been, is, and will be substantial, which is quite unique in the Buddhist world.
The Saba was once very popular in the northwestern part of India, especially in present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Their teachings were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and spread throughout Central Asia. It is worth mentioning that the Vinaya of the Saba Sutra is considered to be the most systematic and complete, and has had an immeasurable impact on the understanding and practice of Buddhist Vinaya in later generations.
However, with the rise of Islam and the development of other Buddhist sects, the teachings and texts of the Sabha were replaced by the emerging schools of Buddhism and gradually faded out of the mainstream of history.
The Voice of Stone Carvings: The Wisdom of Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna, named after its founder, Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna is known as the founder of the Madhyamaka school, and his philosophical thought mainly revolves around "emptiness", emphasizing that all phenomena have no fixed, self-existent essence, breaking the superstition of inherent essence and the attachment to eternity.
Nagarjuna's masterpiece "The Theory of the Middle Path" profoundly expounds the theory of emptiness and proposes a middle way thought that is neither substantialism nor nihilism. It provides a new perspective on the interpretation of the core teachings of Buddhism: the law of dependent birth.
Nagarjuna's ideas had a great influence in India and also profoundly influenced later Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism. However, as it developed, the teachings of Nagarjuna were gradually replaced by other schools of Buddhism in some regions, and the unique way of philosophy and practice can only be found in a few specific texts and stone carvings.
The Buddha's light shines: the legacy of the Faxiang sect
Founded between the 4th and 5th centuries AD by two brothers, Asa Ga and Vasubandhu, the Dharma Sect is based on the principle of "all knowledge and selflessness."
According to the Dharma Sect, the world that people perceive is not directly in contact with external things, but phenomena constructed through the mind. This perspective provides a unique epistemological stance for Buddhist philosophy, and has had a profound impact on Buddhist meditation practice, especially in how to understand and practice the practice of "contemplating the mind" and "turning knowledge into wisdom".
The development of the Dharma Xiangzong in India has reached its peak, and its influence has reached as far as China, Japan, South Korea and other places. However, as history evolved, this school of thought was eventually replaced by other Buddhist thought, and the original teachings and texts gradually faded from view.
Fading Radiance: The Mystery of the Chicken Blade
Kukku ika is a more mysterious school of Buddhism, characterized by only promoting the Treatise on Tibet, not the Sutra and the Vinaya, believing that both the Sutra and the Vinaya are convenient teachings of the Buddha, and should be based on the Sutra and the Vinaya.
Exact doctrinal and historical details of the Jiyinbu are scarce, but according to ancient texts, the school existed between the early and middle stages of Buddhism and was closely associated with the popular sect Buddhism.
As time passed, the teachings and practices of this school were gradually absorbed by other schools of Buddhism, and its independent existence eventually disappeared into the dust of history.
Today, the direct legacy of the Jiyinbu is almost impossible to find, and its potential contribution to the development of Buddhism in later generations can only be revealed through the study of early Buddhist texts.
With archaeological discoveries and the study of ancient texts, some forgotten schools and teachings of Buddhism are being recognized. Through these schools, it is possible to get a glimpse into the diversity of Buddhism in different cultural and historical contexts, and how Buddhist thought has adapted, integrated, and influenced different societies.