School of thought

Theravada

Tradition

Classification

Period: c. 250 BCE onward
Regions: south asia
Domains: Philosophy of Mind , Philosophy of Religion

Overview

Theravada ('School of the Elders') is the oldest surviving Buddhist tradition, based on the Pali Canon. It emphasizes individual liberation through the practice of insight meditation (vipassana), strict monastic discipline, and the systematic analysis of mental and physical phenomena (Abhidhamma). The ideal is the arhat — one who has attained nirvana through personal effort.

Key ideas

Pali Canon: The Tipitaka ('Three Baskets') — the oldest complete Buddhist scripture, comprising the Buddha's discourses (Suttas), monastic rules (Vinaya), and systematic philosophy (Abhidhamma).
Abhidhamma Analysis: A minute analysis of experience into ultimate constituents (dhammas) — momentary mental and physical events that arise and pass away in rapid succession.
Vipassana: Insight meditation: the systematic observation of body and mind to directly see impermanence, suffering, and non-self — leading to liberation.

Key figures

Buddhaghosa · Mahinda · Anuruddha · Dhammapala

Methods used

Śamatha · Open in Methods
Vipassanā · Open in Methods

Influenced by

Buddhism

References

Rupert Gethin, The Foundations of Buddhism (Oxford University Press, 1998)
Rupert Gethin, The Foundations of Buddhism (Oxford University Press, 1998), ch. 1
Aṅguttara Nikāya 2.31
Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.94 and 7.16–19
A Thematic Guide to the Aṅguttara Nikāya, SuttaCentral
Visuddhimagga (Path of Purification) — Buddhaghosa (trans. Bhikkhu Nanamoli)
In the Buddha's Words — Bhikkhu Bodhi