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Meditation retreat at SadhammaSabhā Multi-Purpose Hall The ordination candidates with their teacher

Walking meditation Vinaya studies

it is close to impossible to discern a common origin. It depends on what we mean when we use the word
While it can be seen that various Abhidhammas build on “Theravāda”. The term “Theravāda” literally refers to the
material from the discourses, their ways of analysis (e.g. doctrine (vāda) of the elders (therā). Which elders? The
categorization of mental and material phenomena) are elders of Mahāvihāra at Sri Lanka in 3rd century BCE,
distinctly different when comparing Abhidhamma texts who established the orthodoxy of the Theravāda lineage.
from different schools.
We need to keep in mind that the Theravāda school
Furthermore, Abhidhamma texts also contain a is just one among the early Buddhist schools which
significant amount of material that is not found in the differentiated itself from its contemporaries mainly
early discourses. Just as with the origin stories of the through its Commentaries and Abhidhamma literature.
Pātimokkha rules of the Vibhaṅgas, this points to a There are two points in history that are important when
historically later starting point of the Abhidhamma trying to answer the question “What is ‘Theravāda’?”
scriptures – a development which likely took
place after the 18 or so early Buddhist schools had First, Theravādin orthodoxy was initially established at
rd
already been formed and separated from each other. the 3 council (approx. 240 B.C.) with the book titled
This is an interesting takeaway that emerges from “Kathāvatthu” (Points of Controversy) of the Theravāda
comparative studies. Abhidhammapiṭaka, while the compilation of the
Visuddhi Magga (which may be called “The Bible and
Would you say that Theravada Buddhism and Early Quran of the Theravāda lineage”) in the 5 century CE
th
Buddhism are not synonymous but there is much marked the second milestone for the standardization
overlap? Can you elaborate on this? and establishment of the Theravāda tradition.