The Sarvastivada and Its Tradition (An Old and Rare Book)

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The Sarvästiväda was a very powerful Buddhist movement in India and the major parts of Asia. It had wide and extensive away over the Buddhists for a number of centuries. Fighting a two-cornered battle inside the country, it paved an altogether new path push ing out of the land the Vibhajjavādis in the garb of Theravada and a host of others on the one hand and putting under heavy weight for quite a long time the Mahāyāna which was in the offing. Its territorial expansion had been the most extensive. It got the patronage of the ruling classes of the time which consisted of the nobility and the trading and mercantile communities. Its grip over the people had been so strong that even the foreign invaders and settlers in India embraced it willy-nilly. Even the rulers like Kanişka had to publicise his preference to Sarvästivāda presumable for the easy acceptence of his rule by the people and for smooth functioning of his administra tion. The patronage given by him to the Vibhāṣā Council at Puruşapura (now identified with Peshawar in Pakistan) is a glaring example in this respect. A study in the origins of the Sarvästiväda would reveal many latent facts buried either underground or in the torn and truncated pages of the manuscripts discovered so far and still awaiting discovery.

Sanghasen Singh was born in 1933 in the village Sambhuchak of district Allahabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh (India). He gradu ated in 1954 and did his Master's Course in Sanskrit with specialization in Pali and Prakrit from the University of Allahabad, Allahabad in the year 1956. Thereafter hed id M A. in Pali with specialization in Abhidhamma Philosophy from Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda (Bihar) in 1957. After having served Pali Publication Board there for nearly two years as Asstt. Editor under Bhikkhu J. Kashyap, the Chief Editor, Dr. Singh was appointed Lecturer in Sanskrit and Pali in the Buddhist Studies unit of the Department of Philosophy, University of Delhi, Delhi in 1959. He has been serving the Buddhist Studies Unit (which was subsequently raised to the level of Department) as Lecturer, Reader and Professor since then teaching Buddhist texts in Pali, Prakrit and Sanskrit and supervising research in the field of Buddhist Studies in particular and Indology in general. Dr. Singh has published as many as twenty books and more then fifty research papers in reputed journals. He participated in scores of seminars. and delivered hundreds of lectures in academic and semi-academic symposia in India and abroad. At present Dr. Singh is associated with a number of Academic bodies, the noted among them being Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi of which he happens to be the Secretary General and Hon. Director.

The papers incorporated in the present volume are those which were read out and discussed in an All India Seminar held on the 31st March, 1st and 2nd April, 1986 under the auspices of our Department of Buddhist Studies. Due to some unavoidable circumstances, the volume could not be published earlier. We are happy that it has been possible now. In getting it out, the role of my colleagues is the most significant. They inspired us, rather instigated us to do it quickly in any case prior to the end of the current financial year. A number of my students helped me in correcting proofs. Main among them were Dr. R.K. Rana, Dr. Priya Sen Singh, Dr. Amar Nath Thakur, Mr. B.L. Bansal, Dr. Veena Gaur and Mr. A.G. Purohita.

**Contents and Sample Pages**