Mahishasaka, Mahisasaka, Mahīśāsaka, Mahisāsaka: 10 definitions
Introduction:
Mahishasaka means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
The Sanskrit term Mahīśāsaka can be transliterated into English as Mahisasaka or Mahishasaka, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
Images (photo gallery)
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Tibetan BuddhismMahīśāsaka (महीशासक) refers to one of the Eighteen Sects (of the Vaibhāṣika) [classified as Sarvāstivāda] known in Tibetan as bye brag smra ba'i gyes pa bco brgyad.—Cf. the writings of Vinītadeva (8th century): an Indian scholar and author who was active at the ancient Nalanda university where he produced commentaries on both the Triṃśikā and the Viṃśatikā which survive in Tibetan translation and some Sanskrit fragments.
Source: Google Books: The Crystal Mirror of Philosophical SystemsMahīśāsaka (महीशासक) refers to one of the “Seven Sarvāstivādin Sects” which are known in Tibetan as gzhi thams cad yod par smra ba las gyes pabdun. They are mentioned in the Vaibhāṣika section of the “history of the Śrāvaka philosophical systems”.

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.
General definition (in Buddhism)
Source: Buddhist Door: GlossaryMahishasaka refers to one of the Hinayana school, a branch of Sarvastivadah founded 300 years after the Nirvana, but the doctrines of the school are said to be similar to those of the Mahasanghika. Literally means a ruler who converted or rectified his land or people. The school denied reality to past and future, but maintained the reality of the present. Similarly, the school rejected the doctrine of the void and the non ego, the production of taint by the Five consciousness, the theory of nine kinds of non activity, and so on. They held that enlightenment came suddenly rathern than gradually.
Source: SgForums: BuddhismMahisasakah refers to a branch of Sarvastivadah founded 300 years after the Nirvana, but the doctrines of the school are said to be similar to those of the Mahasanghika. Literally means a ruler who converted or rectified his land or people. The school denied reality to past and future, but maintained the reality of the present. Similarly, the school rejected the doctrine of the void and the non-ego, the production of taint by the Five consciousness, the theory of nine kinds of non-activity, and so on. They held that enlightenment came suddenly rathern than gradually.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionaryMahīśāsaka (महीशासक).—pl., name of a Buddhist school: Mahāvyutpatti 9080; Karmavibhaṅga (and Karmavibhaṅgopadeśa) 60.8 (by plausible em., see Lévi's note).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English DictionaryMahīśāsaka (महीशासक):—[=mahī-śāsaka] [from mahī > mah] m. [plural] Name of a school, [Buddhist literature]
[Sanskrit to German]
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Pali-English dictionary
[Pali to Burmese]
Source: Sutta: Tipiṭaka Pāḷi-Myanmar Dictionary (တိပိဋက-ပါဠိမြန်မာ အဘိဓာန်)mahisāsaka—
(Burmese text):
မဟိသာသက အယူဝါဒ၊ မဟိသာသကဂိုဏ်းသား။
(Auto-Translation): Mahayana Buddhism, Mahayana sect member.

Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Sasaka, Mahi.
Full-text: Dharmagupta, Dharmaguptah, Eighteen sects, Seven sects, Second Buddhist Council, Mulasarvastivada, Eighteen Hinayana Sects, Dharmaguptaka, Asanga, Jivaka, Four basic schools, Sukhavativyuha Sutra, Vinaya.
Relevant text
Search found 18 books and stories containing Mahishasaka, Mahī-śāsaka, Mahi-sasaka, Mahi-shasaka, Mahisasaka, Mahīśāsaka, Mahisāsaka; (plurals include: Mahishasakas, śāsakas, sasakas, shasakas, Mahisasakas, Mahīśāsakas, Mahisāsakas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Blue Annals (deb-ther sngon-po) (by George N. Roerich)
Chapter 5 - The division into eighteen schools (of the Doctrine of the Buddha) < [Book 1 - The beginning of the story of the Doctrine]
Buddhism in Andhra – Its Arrival, Spread and < [July – September, 1994]
Buddha-nature (as Depicted in the Lankavatara-sutra) (by Nguyen Dac Sy)
1. Traces of the Buddha-nature in Early Buddhism (Introduction) < [Chapter 1 - Evolution of the Buddha-nature Concept]
Bhesajjakkhandhaka (Chapter on Medicine) (by Hin-tak Sik)
(c) The Bhesajjakkhandhaka (Chapters on Medicine) < [Chapter 2 - Background Information]
The Vinaya Piṭaka, Skandhaka, and Bhesajjakkhandhaka < [Chapter 2 - Background Information]
Seven-day Medicines (a): Lipids and Sweets < [Chapter 4 - Medicinal Substances in the Chapter on Medicine]
Theravada Buddhist studies in Japan (by Keiko Soda)
5. Schools of Early Buddhism < [Chapter 2 - Theravada, Hinayana and Early Buddhism (critical study)]
6. Early Buddhist canon in Pali and Sanskrit < [Chapter 2 - Theravada, Hinayana and Early Buddhism (critical study)]
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms (by Fa-Hien)