Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c5.s2.t7.1

c5.s2.t7.1

Further light might be thrown on the propagation of Buddhism during this period, if the tradition of the Mahāsāṅghikas had been to hand. It may be that the Chinese versions of the Mahāsāṅghika Vinaya may contain some information, but as yet we are in the dark about it. In the absence of any Mahāsānghika tradition, we cannot have much definite information about the Mahāsānghikas, or the part of India to which they confined their activities. From the account of the Vesālian Council, we can say that they retained their seat at Vesāli, and from the inscriptions on the Mathura Lion Capital (120 B.C.)¹ and on the Wardak vase in Afghanistan,² it may be inferred that they made attempts to proceed towards the north, but the caves of Karle and the location of the centre of activities of their offshoots, the Pubbaseliyas and Aparaseliyas, at Dhanakaṭaka³ indicate that they were later on successful in their propaganda more in the south than in the north.