The Buddhist Schools of the Small Vehicle - The Gokulikas/Kukkuṭikas

Textual analysis and comparative discussion on early Buddhist sects and scriptures.
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Ceisiwr
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The Buddhist Schools of the Small Vehicle - The Gokulikas/Kukkuṭikas

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Gokulikas/Kukkuṭikas

These were one of the main schools to emerge from the internal Mahāsāṃghika schism, centred over accepting the Mahāyāna sūtras. There seems to be some confusion regarding what their name means. Sources range from "forming part of the family of oxen" through to "mountain of cinders". One possible explanation is that it is related to an Elder's name.

Texts
This school had a Vinaya-piṭaka, Sūtra-piṭaka and Abhidharma-piṭaka.

Doctrines
1) Out of the three Piṭakas, the only one that mattered was the Abhidharma. This is because the Abhidharma contains the real teachings of the Buddha, whilst the Vinaya and Sūtras are only preparatory (upāya) teachings.

2) No disciplinary obligations - The Vinaya is said to have been re-interpreted by them, with the school claiming they were justified by the Buddha in doing so.

3) Cultivation of logic alone - Too much study of the sūtras would lead to pride and so would prevent liberation.

4) Refusal to teach - Time should instead be spent in meditation.

5) All formations without distinction are merely cinders (kukkuḷa) - They refer to a sūtra where the Buddha said that all formations are burnt by the fire of desire, hatred and delusion.

Coming next: The Bahuśrutīyas.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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