What is the Lokottaravāda school of Buddhism?
The Lokottaravāda emerged from the Mahāsārgika school in ancient India. Historical texts suggest this group formed alongside the Ekavyāvahārikas and the Kukkuītikas.
Questions about Lokottaravāda
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did the Lokottaravādins move north of Rājagrhā?
Paramārtha recorded that two hundred years after the Buddha's death, much of the school moved north of Rājagrhā. This event occurred around the 6th century CE according to historical records.
Which text preserves the views of the Lokottaravādins?
Scholars know the views of the Lokottaravādins primarily through a rare Sanskrit text called the Mahāvastu. The Sanskrit version of the Mahāvastu was preserved in the libraries of Mahāyāna Buddhists in Nepal.
Where did archaeologists rediscover a Lokottaravāda vihara?
Archaeologists rediscovered a monastery site at Bamyan in modern Afghanistan that once housed a Lokottaravāda vihara. The Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang visited this location during the 7th century.
What are the two kinds of emptiness asserted by the Lokottaravādins?
The Lokottaravādins asserted that only two kinds of emptiness exist in the world. They defined these as the emptiness of a self and the emptiness of phenomena.