VIBHAJJAVĀDA (ORIGINAL BY VEN. NYĀNEINDA)
The Buddha did not call his folowers Buddhists and in fact recommended Buddhism to be called as Vibhajjavāda, which means „doctrine of analysis.“ The followers would be called Vibhajjavādins, which would basically means „analysts“ or „those who analyze.“ The ultimate origin of the word Vibhajjavāda is described in the Subha sutta of the Majjhima nikāya. It is said that the Buddha declared himself to be a Vibhajjavādin on the question of the relative advantages of the household life and renunciation life. According to this point, the Buddha is not an Ekamsavādin. Again, in the Vajjiyamahita sutta of the Aṅguttara Nikāya, it is stated that the Buddha criticizes all practitioners of asceticism so he is a Vibhajjavādin. The third Buddhist council, under the leadership of ven. Moggalliputtatissa Thera emphasized this analytics (vibhajjavāda). But some schools such as Sarvāstivāda, Mahāsaṅghika and Sammītiya did not accept it because they regarded the Vibhajjavāda as a wrong view, according to the Kathāvatthu ascribed to ven. Moggalliputtatissa Thera. After the third Buddhist council, the Vibhajjavāda gradually evolved into four groups namely the Mahīśāsaka, Kāśyapiīya, Dharmaguptaka and the Tāmraparnīya. On the other hand, some sources suggest that Mahīśāsaka, Kāśyapīya and Dharmaguptaka did not evolve directly from the Vibhajjavāda but due to their respctive Vinayas. According to Sinhalese tradition, Buddhism under the name of Vibhajjavāda was brought to Sri Lanka by Mahinda, who was the son of Emperor Asoka in 3rd century BC. The Theravāda has derived from Vibhajjavāda and represented doctrine of the orthodoxy too. In the Kathāvatthu, the arguments between Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda recorded that some parts of Sarvāstivādin doctrines were refused. From that time onwards, Vibhajjavāda was popular in Buddhism. Later on, there were so many scholars to analyze in Vibhajjavāda according to their understanding. Among them, as it is said in ven. Buddhaghosa's commentary of Ceylong chronicle, that in the account of the third council, Vibhajjavādins were declared to be orthodox monks and one of sect in Buddhism. In this passage, the Vibhajjavādins were those who spoke after distinguishing because they spoke truly about the Dhamma. The Prof. Paussin said that position of Vibhajjavāda was not different from the original doctrine of the Buddha but did not common(?) with the doctrine of the Sarvāstivādins, Mahāsaṅghikas and others. He added that Theravādins preffered to be called Vibhajjavādins.
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