Theravada Buddhists - Doctrinal Differences With Other Schools

Doctrinal Differences With Other Schools

See also: Early Buddhism, Pre-sectarian Buddhism, and Early Buddhist schools

The Sthaviravada, from which Theravāda is derived, differed from other early Buddhist schools on a variety of teachings, which are maintained by the Theravāda school. The differences resulted from the systemization of the Buddhist teachings, which was preserved in the Abdhidhammas of the various schools.

The Abhidhamma is "a restatement of the doctrine of the Buddha in strictly formalised language assumed to constitute a consistent system of philosophy". Its aim is not the empirical verification of the Buddhist teachings, but "to set forth the correct interpretation of the Buddha's statements in the Sutra to restate his 'system' with perfect accuracy".

Read more about this topic:  Theravada Buddhists

Famous quotes containing the words differences and/or schools:

    The mother must teach her son how to respect and follow the rules. She must teach him how to compete successfully with the other boys. And she must teach him how to find a woman to take care of him and finish the job she began of training him how to live in a family. But no matter how good a job a woman does in teaching a boy how to be a man, he knows that she is not the real thing, and so he tends to exaggerate the differences between men and women that she embodies.
    Frank Pittman (20th century)

    If Jesus, or his likeness, should now visit the earth, what church of the many which now go by his name would he enter? Or, if tempted by curiosity, he should incline to look into all, which do you think would not shut the door in his face?... It seems to me ... that as one who loved peace, taught industry, equality, union, and love, one towards another, Jesus were he alive at this day, would recommend you to come out of your churches of faith, and to gather into schools of knowledge.
    Frances Wright (1795–1852)