Mulasarvastivada

Mulasarvastivada (“Root Sarvastivada”) was an early Buddhist school whose Vinaya became the standard for Tibetan Buddhist monasticism, and whose texts were preserved in the Tibetan Buddhist canon.

Overview

The Mulasarvastivada school was a branch or descendant of the Sarvastivada tradition, prominent in India, Central Asia, and eventually Tibet. The school produced the Vinayamula, a comprehensive Vinaya text that was translated into Tibetan and became the basis for Tibetan Buddhist monastic discipline. The school also contributed numerous sutras and abhidharma texts to the Tibetan canon (Kangyur and Tengyur).

Core Teachings

The Mulasarvastivadas followed the general Sarvastivada philosophical framework while developing their own distinctive interpretations. They maintained the Sarvastivada classification of dharmas and their analysis of conditioned and unconditioned phenomena. The school preserved and transmitted important Buddhist texts including the Lalitavistara (a biography of the Buddha), the Samyuktagama, and extensive vinaya literature.

Practice and Ritual

Mulasarvastivada monasticism followed their distinctive Vinaya, which became the standard for Tibetan Buddhist ordination. The school maintained elaborate monastic institutions and contributed to the development of Buddhist education and meditation traditions in India and Tibet. Their practice included systematic study of the Vinaya, Abhidharma, and sutra literature.

Modern Status

The Mulasarvastivada Vinaya remains the standard ordination lineage for Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns. While the school as a distinct entity no longer exists, its institutional and textual legacy continues through Tibetan Buddhism. The school’s texts are preserved in the Tibetan Buddhist canon and are studied by modern scholars.

Verification Notes

• The Mulasarvastivada Vinaya is one of the three surviving Vinaya traditions
• Important for understanding the transmission of Buddhism from India to Tibet
• The school’s relationship to the original Sarvastivada tradition is debated