Buddhism in India

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After Shakyamuni’s demise, his disciples gradually carried his teachings from their birthplace in central India to every corner of the nation. Thereafter, as the Buddhist community expanded, fringe elements in the two Buddhist factions—the conservative Theravada school, which strictly protected the Buddha’s teachings, and the more liberal and independent-minded Mahasamghika school—ultimately began forming splinter groups, which marked the beginning of sectarian Buddhism.

Then, sometime around the beginning of the Common Era, Mahayana Buddhism gained predominance and many of the Mahayana scriptures became firmly established. During the second century CE, various theoretical dissertations were appended to these Mahayana scriptures. It is during this period that such great theoreticians as Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu made their advent to lend unprecedented, clear interpretations on the true spirit of the Buddhist scriptures. Compilation of the Buddhist Scriptures

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