Mahasanghika (“Great Congregation”, also given as Mahasamghika) was an early Buddhist school of thought which is thought to have been formed after the Second Buddhist Council of 383 BCE when it separated itself from another school, the Sthaviravada (“Sect of the Elders”, also given as Sthavira nikaya), over differences in monastic practices (known as Vinaya).
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 400 BCEThe First Buddhist Council at which the teachings and monastic discipline of Buddhism are agreed upon with, presumably, the Mahasanghika as the majority.
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383 BCESecond Buddhist Council at which the Sthaviravada and Mahasanghika schools separate over differences in monastic discipline; the first schism in Buddhism.
