Why are there so many schools of Buddhism? Are the differences just cultural, or do they have fundamentally different visions of Dhamma? This work assesses the claims of the traditions, and takes into account to findings of modern scholarship. It pays special attention to the origins of the monastic orders. If we are to understand the differences, and sometimes tensions, between the schools of Buddhism today, we must examine more closely the forces that spurred their formation....

Foreword Abstract 0.1 The Early Period (BCE) 0.2 The Middle Period (CE) 0.3 Comparing pre-CE & post-CE evidence 0.4 The Mahāvihāravāsins 0.5 The Dharmaguptakas 0.6 The Mūlasarvāstivādins Chapter 1 The ‘Unity Edicts’ 1.1 Schism & unity 1.2 Aśoka & unity 1.3 The Third Council 1.4 What were the heretics teaching? 1.5 Aśoka in the Mahāsaṅghika Vinaya? Chapter 2 The Saints of Vedisa 2.1 Gotiputa 2.2 Mogaliputa 2.3 Vāchiputa Chapter 3 The Dīpavaṁsa 3.1 The heresy of grammar 3.2 The Sri Lankan context 3.3 Was Buddhaghosa a Theravādin? Chapter 4 Monster or Saint? 4.1 Vasumitra’s Samayabhedoparacanacakra 4.2 Bhavya’s Nikāyabhedavibhaṅgavyakhyāna 4.3 Śāripūtraparipṛcchā 4.4 Xuan-zang’s Records of the Western Lands 4.5 Kuei Chi Chapter 5 Three Sins & Five Theses 5.1 Which Mahādeva? 5.2 The five heresies 5.3 ‘Outflows’ 5.4 Dhamma or Vinaya? Chapter 6 More on the Vibhajjavādins 6.1 The Kathāvatthu 6.2 Later Mahāvihāravāsin sources 6.3 What does ‘Vibhajjavāda’ mean? Chapter 7 Vibhajjavāda vs. Sarvāstivāda? 7.1 The early controversies 7.2 What schism? Chapter 8 Dharmagupta: the...