Vatsiputriya, Vātsīputrīya, Vatsi-putriya: 8 definitions
Introduction:
Vatsiputriya 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.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Vātsīputrīya (वात्सीपुत्रीय).—The Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra adds that “later, the Vātsiputrīya monks recited the Śāriputrābhidharma” and Paramārtha, probably on the basis of this assertion, will explain that their founder, the Arhat Vatsyaputra, had had Rāhula as his Upādhyāya, who himself had had as Upādhyāya Śāriputra who had expounded the Abhidharma in nine parts of the Buddha, called the Abhidharma of the “characteristics of the doctrine” or Dharmalakṣaṇābhidharma
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Vātsīputrīya (वात्सीपुत्रीय) refers to one of the Eighteen Sects (of the Vaibhāṣika) [classified as Saṃmatīya] 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.
Vātsīputrīya (वात्सीपुत्रीय) refers to one of the “Three Saṃmatīya Sects” which are known in Tibetan as mang bkur ba'i gyes pa gsum.—The full list is: Kurukullaka, Āvantika, and Vātsīputrīya.
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)
Vatsiputriyas in Sanskrit, Vajjiputtakas in Pali. Hinayanist sect often linked with Sammatiyah, which broke from the orothodox Sarvastivada. The founder was Vatsa. They may be classified as Pudgalavadins, accepting the pudgala transmigrated, and rejecting the theory of the Five Skandhas (the Five Aggregates comprising personality). They were considered schismatics through their insistence on the reality of the self. That individual self is neither the same nor different from the Five Skandhas. The doctrine challenged the Dharma exposition by the Sarvastivadah. The school was later dividied into four: * Dharmottariyah * Bhadrayaniyah * Sammatiyah * Sannagarikah
Vatsiputriyah (most influential) - Vatsiputriyas in Sanskrit, Vajjiputtakas in Pali. Hinayanist sect often linked with Sammatiyah, which broke from the orothodox Sarvastivada. The founder was Vatsa. They may be classified as Pudgalavadins, accepting the pudgala transmigrated, and rejecting the theory of the Five Skandhas (the Five Aggregates comprising personality). They were considered schismatics through their insistence on the reality of the self. That individual self is neither the same nor different from the Five Skandhas. The doctrine challenged the Dharma exposition by the Sarvastivadah. The school was later dividied into four:
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Vātsīputrīya (वात्सीपुत्रीय).—(compare under prec.), name of a Buddhist school: Mahāvyutpatti 9088. See refs. in [Boehtlingk and Roth].
1) Vatsīputrīya (वत्सीपुत्रीय):—[=vatsī-putrīya] [from vatsa] [wrong reading] for vātsī-p.
2) Vātsīputrīya (वात्सीपुत्रीय):—[=vātsī-putrīya] [from vātsī > vātsa] m. [plural] the sect or school of Vātsī-putra, [Buddhist literature]
Vātsīputrīya (वात्सीपुत्रीय):—m. pl. die Schule des Vātsīputra [Vyutpatti oder Mahāvyutpatti 210.] [Burnouf 446. 569. fg.] [Lot. de Lassen’s Anthologie b. l. 357. 489.] [WASSILJEW 57. 230. 233. 253. 262. 269.] [TĀRAN. 4. 130. 271. fgg. 292.] Oefters fälschlich vatsī geschr.
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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Putriya, Vatsi.
Full-text (+46): Po cuo fu luo, Po cuo fu duo luo, Sammatiya, Du zi, Bhadrayaniya, Wo fa ju you zong, Sannagarika, Dharmottariya, Du zi bu, Tridharmakashastra, Ba si fu, Po cuo bu, Po ci zi, Zhao du, Po cuo du lu, Po cu fu luo, Ke zhu zi di zi, Ba si fu duo luo, Zi cu fu luo, Ba si fu di li yu.
Relevant text
Search found 16 books and stories containing Vatsiputriya, Vatsiputriyas, Vātsīputrīya, Vatsīputrīya, Vātsī-putrīya, Vatsī-putrīya, Vatsi-putriya; (plurals include: Vatsiputriyas, Vatsiputriyases, Vātsīputrīyas, Vatsīputrīyas, putrīyas, putriyas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
How Did Chinese Buddhists Incorporate Indian Metaphors? A Study of Lushan... < [Volume 15, Issue 8 (2024)]
On the Patriarchal Lineages of Vinaya Transmission Starting with Upāli < [Volume 14, Issue 4 (2023)]
From India to China < [Volume 16, Issue 5 (2025)]
Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)
II. Emptiness in the Hinayānist sects < [Note on emptiness (śūnyatā)]
Part 4 - Conditioned dharmas cannot have the three marks (lakṣaṇa) < [Chapter I - Explanation of Arguments]
Part 13 - Non-existence of the donor < [Chapter XX - The Virtue of Generosity and Generosity of the Dharma]
Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra
Chapter XLVI - On On Kaundinya (b) < [Section Ten]
Chapter XL - On Bodhisattva Kasyapa (a) < [Section Eight]
Theravada Buddhist studies in Japan (by Keiko Soda)
5. Schools of Early Buddhism < [Chapter 2 - Theravada, Hinayana and Early Buddhism (critical study)]
The Buddhist Philosophy of Universal Flux (by Satkari Mookerjee)
Chapter XII - The Soul-theory of the Vātsīputrīyas < [Part I - Metaphysics]
Chapter I - The Nature of Existence < [Part I - Metaphysics]
Chapter XVI - Nirvāṇa < [Part I - Metaphysics]
Tattvasangraha [with commentary] (by Ganganatha Jha)
Verse 336 (the doctrine of ‘Soul’ according to Vātsīputrīyas) < [Chapter 7 - Doctrine of the Self (ātman, ‘soul’)]
Verse 352 < [Chapter 8 - Examination of the Doctrine of the Permanence of Things]
Verse 340-342 < [Chapter 7 - Doctrine of the Self (ātman, ‘soul’)]