Indian Buddhism

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Indian Buddhism

Table of contents

1 Indian Schools
2 History
3 See also

Indian Schools

Theravada ("Way of the Elders") the single remaining representative of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikaya schools of Indian Buddhism, which are sometimes referred to by the controversial term Hinayana. This school is now most common in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Indochina.
Sarvastivadin One of the main branches of Indian Abhidharma that was instrumental in the creation of Yogacara doctrine. Its system of monastic rules Vinaya is still used in the Gelukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Madhyamaka (Middle Way), of which the most significant thinker is Nagarjuna
Yogacara founded by Asanga and Vasubandhu. Also known as Cittamatra, Vijnanavada (Mind Only, Consciousness-Mind Only).
Tathagatagarbha A trend of Indian and East Asian Buddhist thought that is derived from Yogacara.
Neo-Buddhism A 20th century revivalist movement among low caste and untouchable Indians, initiated in 1956 by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

History

Despite being born in India, at the dawn of the 20th century, Buddhism was followed only in a few isolated areas of that country.

A milestone in the decline of Indian Buddhism occurred in 1193 when Muhammad Khilji burned a major Buddhist library. By the end of the 12th century, following the Islamic conquest of the Buddhist stronghold in Bihar, Buddhists ceased to be a significant presence in India. Some of the survivors retreated into Nepal and Tibet, or escaped to the south of the subcontinent. The remnants of their culture lingered on even as far west as Turkestan.