Divisions in The Buddhist Clergy
The different sects of the Sri Lankan Buddhist clergy are referred to as Nikayas, and three main Nikayas are:
- Siam Nikaya, founded in the 18th century by Ven. Upali, a Thai monk who was invited by the King of Kandy Kirti Sri Rajasinghe, and on the initiative of Ven. Weliwita Saranankara.
- Amarapura Nikaya, founded in 1800 with higher ordination obtained from Myanmar (Burma)
- Ramanna Nikaya, founded in 1864 by Ambagahawatte Saranankara.
Within these three main divisions there are numerous other divisions, some of which are caste based. There are no doctrinal differences among any of them.
Read more about this topic: Buddhism In Sri Lanka
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