Buddhism

====Ashokan Era and the early schools====
{{Main|Early Buddhist schools|Buddhist councils|Theravada}}
[[File:Sanchi Stupa No 3.jpg|thumb|left|[[Sanchi]] Stupa No. 3, near [[Vidisha]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], India]]
According to numerous Buddhist scriptures, soon after the [[Parinirvana|{{IAST|parinirvāṇa}}]] (from Sanskrit: "highest extinguishment") of Gautama Buddha, the [[first Buddhist council]] was held to collectively recite the teachings to ensure that no errors occurred in oral transmission. Many modern scholars question the historicity of this event.{{sfnp|Harvey|2013|pp=88–90}} However, [[Richard Gombrich]] states that the monastic assembly recitations of the Buddha's teaching likely began during Buddha's lifetime, and they served a similar role of codifying the teachings.{{sfnp|Williams|2005|pp=175–176}}

The so called [[Second Buddhist council]] resulted in the first schism in the [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Sangha]]. Modern scholars believe that this was probably caused when a group of reformists called [[Sthavira nikāya|Sthaviras]] ("elders") sought to modify the Vinaya (monastic rule), and this caused a split with the conservatives who rejected this change, they were called [[Mahāsāṃghika]]s.{{sfnp|Harvey|2013|pp=89–90}}<ref>Skilton, Andrew. ''A Concise History of Buddhism.'' 2004. pp. 49, 64</ref> While most scholars accept that this happened at some point, there is no agreement on the dating, especially if it dates to before or after the reign of Ashoka.<ref>Sujato, Bhante (2012), Sects & Sectarianism: The Origins of Buddhist Schools, Santipada, {{ISBN|978-1-921842-08-5}}</ref>

[[File:Asoka̠ Buddhist Missions.png|thumb|Map of the Buddhist missions during the reign of [[Ashoka]] according to the Edicts of Ashoka]]
Buddhism may have spread only slowly throughout India until the time of the [[Maurya Empire|Mauryan]] emperor [[Ashoka]] (304–232 BCE), who was a public supporter of the religion. The support of Aśoka and his descendants led to the construction of more [[Stupa|stūpas]] (such as at [[Sanchi]] and [[Bharhut]]), temples (such as the [[Mahabodhi Temple]]) and to its spread throughout the Maurya Empire and into neighbouring lands such as [[Central Asia]] and to the island of [[Sri Lanka]].

During and after the Mauryan period (322–180 BCE), the Sthavira community gave rise to several schools, one of which was the [[Theravada]] school which tended to congregate in the south and another which was the [[Sarvāstivāda]] school, which was mainly in north India. Likewise, the [[Mahāsāṃghika]] groups also eventually split into different Sanghas. Originally, these schisms were caused by disputes over monastic disciplinary codes of various fraternities, but eventually, by about 100 CE if not earlier, schisms were being caused by doctrinal disagreements too.{{sfnp|Harvey|1998|pp=74–75}}

Following (or leading up to) the schisms, each Saṅgha started to accumulate their own version of [[Tripiṭaka]] (triple basket of texts).<ref name=britannicatipitaka>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tipitaka Tipitaka] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427112107/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tipitaka |date=27 April 2020 }} Encyclopædia Britannica (2015)</ref><ref name="Crandall2012p56">{{cite book |author=Barbara Crandall |title=Gender and Religion: The Dark Side of Scripture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zq7UAwAAQBAJ |edition=2nd |year=2012 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-4871-1 |pages=56–58 |access-date=10 July 2016 |archive-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111055820/https://books.google.com/books?id=Zq7UAwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> In their Tripiṭaka, each school included the Suttas of the Buddha, a Vinaya basket (disciplinary code) and some schools also added an [[Abhidharma]] basket which were texts on detailed scholastic classification, summary and interpretation of the Suttas.<ref name=britannicatipitaka/>{{sfnp|Harvey|2013|pp=90–91}} The doctrine details in the Abhidharmas of various Buddhist schools differ significantly, and these were composed starting about the third century BCE and through the 1st millennium CE.{{sfnp|Harvey|2013|pp=90–93}}<ref>"Abhidhamma Pitaka". ''Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008.</ref>{{sfnp|Keown|Prebish|2004|p=485}}
Description	What you type	What you get
Italic	''Italic text''	Italic text
Bold	'''Bold text'''	Bold text
Bold & italic	'''''Bold & italic text'''''	*Bold & italic text*
Description	What you type	What you get
Reference	Page text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>	Page text.^[1]
Named reference	Page text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>	Page text.^[2]
Additional use of the same reference	Page text.<ref name="test" />	Page text.^[2]
Display references	<references />	↑ Link text, additional text. ↑ Link text