Mahā Saṅghikā untranslated

Mahā Saṅghikā, Mahā Sangītikā. One of the Buddhist schools which separated out from the Theravādins at the Second Council. The members rejected the Parivāra, the Abhidhamma, the Paṭisambhidāmagga, the Niddesa and some portions of the Jātakas (Kv-a.p.4; Dpv.v.32ff).

The school was so-called owing to the great number of its followers, which made a great assembly or “Mahā Sangīti.” They were counted among the Anātmavādīs, and later gave rise to the following schools: the Mahā Saṅghika, Pubbasela, Aparasela, Rājagiriyā, Hemavatas, Cetiyavādins, Saṅkantivādins and Gokulikas. Originally they had only two divisions the Ekabbohārikas and Gokulikas (Rockhill, op.cit., 182ff).

Their separation from the orthodox school was brought about by the Vajjiputta monks, and was probably due to difference of opinion on the ten points (for these see Vin.ii.294f) held by the Vajjiputta monks. According to Northern sources, however, the split occurred on the five points raised by Mahā Deva:

• (1) An Arahant may commit a sin under unconscious temptation;
• (2) one may be an Arahant and unconscious of the fact;
• (3) an Arahant may have doubts on matters of doctrine;
• (4) one cannot attain Arahant-ship without the help of a teacher;
• (5) the “Noble Way” may begin with some such exclamation as “How sad!” uttered during meditation (JRAS. 1910, p. 416; cf. Mhv­ṭ 173).

These articles of faith are found in the Kathāvatthu, attributed to the Pubbaselas and the Aparaselas, opponents of the Mahā Saṅghika school (173ff., 187ff., 194, 197).

According to Xuanzang (Beal-Xuan.ii.164), the Mahā Saṅghikas divided their canon into five parts: Sūtra, Vinaya, Abhidhamma, Miscellaneous and Dhāraṇī. Faxian took from Pāṭaliputta to China a complete transcript of the Mahā Saṅghika Vinaya. (Giles, p. 64, Nañjio’s Catalogue mentions a Mahā Saṅghika Vinaya and a Mahā Saṅgha Bhikṣuṇī Vinaya in Chinese translations, Coḷa. 247, 253. Ms. No.543).

The best known work of the Mahā Saṅghikas is the Mahā Vastu. Their headquarters in Ceylon were in Abhayagirivihāra, and Sena I. is said to have built the Vīraṅkurārāma for their use. Cv.1.68.