Extant Vinaya Recensions

From Wikivinaya

Revision as of 12:33, 9 July 2006

There are seven extant Vinaya recensions:

1. Theravada (uses the Tipitaka (or Pali Canon), composed in the Pali language).
2. Dharmaguptaka (the Chinese ordination lineage is Dharmaguptaka and those who follow Vinaya in the Chinese tradition use the Dharmaguptaka recension, there is a complete Chinese translation but no Sanskrit fragments).
3. Sarvastivāda (Chinese translation, and also substantial Sanskrit fragments).
4. Mūlasarvastivāda (the ordination lineage of the Tibetan and part of the Japanese monastic tradition is Mūlasarvastivādin, so the Mūlasarvastivādin Vinaya is preserved in Tibetan, also preserved in Chinese translation and Prakrit).
5. Mahāsaṅghika (Chinese translation and Sanskrit).
6. Mahāsaṅghika-Lokuttaravāda (Chinese translation and Sanskrit).
7. Mahīśāsaka (Chinese translation and Sanskrit fragments).
8. Kaśyāpiya (only the Prātimokṣha-sūtra remains - Chinese and Sanskrit fragments).

See “A Survey of Vinaya Literature” by Charles S. Prebish for details.