Why is there no Sthavira texts?

Discussion
1

Greetings

Did the Sthavira maybe replaced it’s name to one of the two schools that are said to come out of it?
I’m finding it hard to believe that they existed. Is there even fragments of their text? :joy:

2

Sthavira is simply the Sanskrit spelling of thera, i.e. “Theravada”.

The “original” Sthavira school split into a number of subschools, including the Mulasarvastivada and Dharmaguptaka, whose Vinayas are still in use in Central and east Asia respectively. In a very real sense these monastics are Mulasarvastivada and Dharmaguptaka. In terms of doctrine and practice, they mostly emphasize Mahayana, but there is no Mahayana Vinaya, so as monastics they follow the code of their school.

In addition to this, there are many texts of the different Sthavira schools, including the Abhidharmas of the Sarvastivada and Dharmaguptaka, and a range of later texts. While these are often not directly studied, they inform the teachings of later philosophers who are studied. Our remnants of the old Sthavira subschools are far from complete, but still, there is much there.

And then of course there is the school known today as “Theravada”. This is not identical with the ancient Sthavira, which is why scholars retain the different forms of the name. But the modern Theravada descends from the Sthavira, and as we know, retain the Vinaya, Suttas, and so on, as the only modern example of a “complete” Sthavira school.

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3

Thanks Bhante

I’m reading this. It’s interesting.

(PDF) Sthavira, Thera and Sthaviravadin in Chinese Buddhist Sources | Max Deeg - Academia.edu

I do think that Theravada = A mixed Nikaya like the Chinese called it by Mahayanasthavira Nikaya. Because it’s obvious by the way our Tripitaka was written down. Terms like Bodhisattva is found more in our Tripitaka then it’s found for example in the early Sthavira sub branches. The later sub branches use more of that mix style. Only the words are added. It’s interesting.

I’m also reading this.
Which I can’t still believe that they have so much translations already of the Chinese Tripitaka canon

https://www.bdkamerica.org/book/madhyama-āgama-middle-length-discourses-volume-i

Amazing work they are doing.