What is the oldest form of Buddhism?
Buddhism is a religion rooted in the awakening of the Siddhartha Guatama under the bodhi tree after meditation for several days. Then known as the historical Buddha, all Buddhist practices in whatever form refer to his teachings.
What is the oldest form of the Buddhist current?
Buddhism through the enlightenment of Buddha
Buddhism was born in India 25 centuries BC. It first spread to Asia, notably in Indonesia, Japan and Ceylon, then to South Korea, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Combodge and Tibet. In the latter country, it is even considered the main religion.
Guatama Siddhartha, known as the Buddha, serves as a reference in Buddhist spirituality. After his spiritual awakening, he became the historical landmark of Buddhist currents and practices. He meditated for forty days, then reached enlightenment. Once awake he started to teach and its teachings are based on the Four Noble Truths and other reality-related truths.
Also, Buddhism is all about salvation, life, law, change, and reality. In other words, these are principles that Buddhism addresses, each of which has meaning and significance. These are also elements that make up the Buddhist precepts. Buddhism has been a religion without borders for over a hundred years.
Historical dates of Buddhism
The death of Buddha is the starting point for the foundation of several schools called “Nikaya”. Around 250 BC. AD, under the reign of Ashoka, divergences appear on the religious practice and the Buddhist doctrine. Some people respect and cultivate the precepts of the Buddha more. These are the elders known as “Thera”. They are conservatives of the Buddhist teachings and always seek to adapt them to our time, to impregnate them in the current society in spite of the religious pluralism and the cultural diversity. Their goal is to make Buddha’s teachings more accessible while preserving their authenticity.
comes after the schools of Buddhism. They are about ten in total and still exist today, namely Kosa or Abhidharma and Satysiddhi or Cheng-se in China, Sarvāstivādin in North India, Bahyanumeyavada of the Sautrantrikas, Mahīçasāka and Bahya-Pratyakshavada of the Vaibhashikas. Next, we distinguish two types of Theravadin schools which are:
– Mahā-nikayalocated in Indochina and influenced by Sarvastivadin, Mahiçasaka, trantrism and Mahayana;
– Dhammayutika-nikayaalso located in Indochina and appeared in the middle of the 19th century. It is based on the importance of Sinhalese Theravada lineage orthodoxy.
Ancient Buddhism or Theravada
Buddha’s teachings on the Four Noble Truths serve as a reference for ancient Buddhism. It focuses on Dharma, that is, the systematic and direct recognition of phenomena. Traditional Buddhism also addresses such things as the value of monastic life, the importance of detachment and renunciation, and discipline.
According to the principle of ancient Buddhism, the historical Buddha is a privileged and exceptional man. He was the first monk to embark on the path of the bodhisattva without having received any accompaniment, advice, help or special instruction. He is a real character in the eyes of his disciples and they use him as a model. Indeed, during his meditation, he learned to rediscover himself and learned for himself the path that led him to complete enlightenment. We must not forget that Siddharta Guatama chose to follow this path to help his fellows, Buddhists or not.
The oldest aspect of the Buddhist movement is Theravada. It was Emperor Ashoka who initiated this early form of Buddhism. Ashoka means “The Pious” or “Beloved of the Gods”. It was he who took into account the first writings of Buddha. As mentioned earlier, the conservative countries for small vehicles are Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Laos and Sri Lanka.
In the 14th century in Laos, during the reign of Emperor Fa Ngum, Theravada was the main religion of the rulers. Also called Hinayana, this principle is inseparable from the early Agama Sutras. The latter represents the teachings of the Buddha which are based on the “Tripitaka”. These are the three components of the Buddhist canon. The Small Vehicle preserves and respects the monastic rules and is in agreement with the fact that the accomplishment of the individual salvation, the respect of the rules of Shila is essential. According to the Buddha, Nirvana and salvation complement each other and their common point is the renunciation of physical and other desires.
The peculiarities of the Theravadin school
The Theravadin school was founded in the southeast of the Indian continent in the 11th century, in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Known as the “Ancient Way”, or the Southern School “it has a lot of influence on China.
Considered the closest to primitive Buddhism, Theravada is the oldest school that teaches the doctrine of Buddhism. Its fundamental principle is the same as that of Buddhism in general, that is, the path that leads to enlightenment, nirvana, detachment from impermanence and liberation from samsara, which is none other as the cycle of reincarnation or rebirth. The sacred texts distributed are in the Pali language. Nirvana is defined as the ultimate truth which reflects desire and suffering.
THE Theravada development as spirituality is reflected in detachment or “non-attachment” to material things. Thus, monks should avoid worldly activities. Also, they are not allowed to grow their own food, they depend on food from lay people. The practice of the Noble Eightfold Path, that is, right speech, right action and many others, helps them to face these conditions of life. This is part of the vision: the phenomenon of reincarnation supposes that in order not to die again, one must not stop being reborn.
