Sampradaya


Sampradaya, in Indian-origin religions, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, can be translated as 'tradition', 'spiritual lineage’. To ensure continuity and transmission of dharma, various sampradayas have the Guru-shishya parampara in which a parampara or lineage of successive gurus and shishyas serves as a spiritual channel and provides a reliable network of relationships that lends stability to a religious identity. Shramana is vedic term for seeker or shishya. Identification with and followership of sampradayas is not static, as sampradayas allows flexibility where one can leave one sampradaya and enter another or practice religious syncretism by simultaneously following more than one sampradaya. Samparda is a Punjabi language term, used in Sikhism, for sampradayas.

Guru-shishya parampara

Sampradayas are living traditions of both teaching and practice within a specific religious-spiritual tradition. They are generally composed of a monastic order within a specific guru lineage, with ideas developed and transmitted, redefined and reviewed by each successive generation of followers. A particular guru lineage is called parampara. By receiving diksha into the parampara of a living guru, one belongs to its proper sampradaya.
To ensure continuity through dharma transmission, various sampradayas ensure continuity through Guru-shishya parampara where Guru teaches shishyas in gurukula, matha, akhara, and viharas. Buddhism also has lineage of gurus. Tibetan Buddhism has lineage of Lamas who teach in gompas and stupas.
Titles such as Guru, Acharya, or Mahacharya may be used to denote the level of authority within a lineage.

Continuity of sampradaya

Sampradaya is a body of practice, views and attitudes, which are transmitted, redefined and reviewed by each successive generation of followers. Participation in sampradaya forces continuity with the past, or tradition, but at the same time provides a platform for change from within the community of practitioners of this particular traditional group.

Diksha: Initiation into sampradaya

A particular guru lineage in guru-shishya tradition is called parampara, and may have its own akharas and gurukulas. By receiving diksha into the parampara of a living guru, one belongs to its proper sampradaya. One cannot become a member by birth, as is the case with gotra, a seminal, or hereditary, dynasty.

Authority on knowledge of truth

Membership in a sampradaya not only lends a level of authority to one's claims on truth in Hindu traditional context, but also allows one to make those claims in the first place. An often quoted verse from the Padma Purana states:
And another verse states:
As Wright and Wright put it,
Nevertheless, there are also examples of teachers who were not initiated into a sampradaya, Ramana Maharshi being a well-known example. A sannyasin belonging to the Sringeri Sharada Peetham once tried to persuade Ramana to be initiated into sannyasa, but Ramana refused.

Types of sampradayas

Āstika and nāstika sampradayas

Since ancient times, Indian philosophy has been categorised into āstika and nāstika schools of thought.
Āstika and nāstika concept in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain scriptures define Astika as those sampradayas which believe in the existence of Atman and those who accept supremacy of vedas, Nastika being those who deny there is any "Self" in human beings or do not hold vedas as supreme. In modern context, Astika are also defined as theists and Nastika as atheist. In Indian origin religions, even atheism is considered acceptable, especially under the concept of Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava. The concept of acceptable or valid Dharma excludes the Mleccha who are considered without the purity of ethics and code of conduct called yamas and niyama.
Sampradayas of Indian-origin religions have their own Darshana or philosophy, encompassing world views and teachings. Six Astika or orthodox sampradayas which believe in supremacy of veda are called shad-darśana, namely Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.

Āstika or orthodox sampradayas

Astika or orthodox sampradayas or schools of Indian philosophy have been called ṣaḍdarśana. This scheme was created between the 12th and 16th centuries by Vedantins. It was then adopted by the early Western Indologists, and pervades modern understandings of Indian philosophy. Each of six āstika schools of thought is called a darśana, and each darśana accepts the Vedas as authority. Each astika darsana also accepts the premise that Atman exists. The schools of philosophy are:
  1. Samkhya – An strongly dualist theoretical exposition of consciousness and matter. Agnostic with respect to God or the gods.
  2. Yoga – A monotheistic school which emerged from Sankhya and emphasises practical use of Sankhya theory: meditation, contemplation and liberation.
  3. Nyāya or logic – The school of epistemology which explores sources of knowledge.
  4. Vaiśeṣika – An empiricist school of atomism.
  5. Mīmāṃsā – An anti-ascetic and anti-mysticist school of orthopraxy. This school deals with the correct interpretation of the verses in Vedas.
  6. Vedānta – The last segment of knowledge in the Vedas, or jñānakāṇḍa. Vedanta is also referred as Uttara-Mimamsa. Vedānta came to be the dominant current of Hinduism in the post-medieval period.

    Nastika sampradayas

Nastika or hetrodox sampradayas do not accept the authority of the Vedas are nāstika philosophies, of which four schools are prominent:
  1. Ājīvika, a materialism school that denied the existence of free will.
  2. Cārvāka, a materialism school that accepted the existence of free will.
  3. Buddhism, a philosophy that denies existence of ātman and is based on the teachings and enlightenment of Gautama Buddha.
  4. Jainism, a philosophy that accepts the existence of the ātman, and is based on the teachings and enlightenment of twenty-four teachers known as tirthankaras, with Rishabha as the first and Mahavira as the twenty-fourth.

    Polycentric or syncretic sampradayas

Some are syncretic in nature which might adopt mixture of concepts from orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy such as realism of the Nyāya, naturalism of Vaiśeṣika, monism and knowledge of Self as essential to liberation of Advaita, self-discipline of Yoga, asceticism and elements of theistic ideas. Some sub-schools share Tantric ideas with those found in some Buddhist traditions.

Hindu sampradayas

Hindus subscribe to a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but have no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophet nor any binding holy book; Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or humanist.
Hinduism is subdivided into a number of major sampradayas. Of the historical division into six darsanas, two schools, Vedanta and Yoga, are currently the most prominent. Classified by primary deity or deities, four major Hinduism modern currents are Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism. These deity-centered denominations feature a synthesis of various philosophies such as Samkhya, Yoga and Vedanta, as well as shared spiritual concepts such as moksha, dharma, karma, samsara, ethical precepts such as ahimsa, texts, ritual grammar and rites of passage.

Vaishnava sampradayas

According to the Padma Purāṇa, one of the eighteen main Purāṇas, there are four Vaishnava sampradāyas, which preserve the fruitful mantras:
During the Kali Yuga these sampradāyas appear in the holy place of Jaganatha Puri, and purify the entire earth.
Each of them were inaugurated by a deity, who appointed heads to these lineages:
Main DeityParampara lineageAcharyaPrimary MathasLinked sampradaya
Lakshmi NarayanaSri SampradayaRamanujaMelukote, Srirangam, Vanamamalai, Tirukkurungudi, Kanchipuram, Ahobila, ParakalaRamanandi Sampradaya
BrahmaMadhva SampradayaMadhvacharyaSri Krishna Matha, Madhva Mathas, Gaudiya Math, ISKCONGaudiya Vaishnavism
RudraRudra SampradayaViṣṇusvāmī/VallabhacharyaPushtimarg sect
Four KumārasKumara SampradayaNimbarkacharyaKathia Baba ka Sthaan, Nimbarkacharya Peeth, Ukhra Mahanta Asthal, Howrah Nimbarka Ashram

Other major Vaishnav sampradaya are:
There are three main Shaiva sampradayas known as "Kailasa Parampara" - Nandinatha Sampradaya, Adinath Sampradaya and Meykanda Sampradaya.
The Nandinatha Sampradaya traces its beginning to at least 200 BCE. Its founder and first known spiritual preceptor was the Maharshi Nandinatha. Nandinatha is said to have initiated eight disciples and sent them to various places to spread the teachings of non-dualistic Shaivism all over the world. Saiva Siddhanta Temple of Hawaii identifies itself as principle Matha or monestory of lineage. Spiritual lineage of the Nandinatha Sampradaya: Maharishi Nandinath→ Tirumular→→→ unknown→Kadaitswami→ Chellappaswami→ Siva Yogaswami→Sivaya Subramuniyaswami → Bodhinatha Veylanswami
Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta philosophy is known as the descendant from the teaching of Sanatkumara, one of the Kumaras. Saiva Siddhanta Temple of HawaiiTirumantiramis one of the significant holy book along with other saivite text.Meykandar SampradayaMeykandarShaiva SiddhantaSaiva adheenams in South Indiatrace its origin at SanatkumaraAdinath SampradayaMatsyendranath, GorakshanathSiddha Siddhanta Nisargadatta Maharaj and International Nath OrderConnected with Inchegiri branchTrika SampradayaDurvasa VasuguptaKashmir ShaivismSwami Lakshmanjo Academy and other Kashmir Saivite MathasAlso known as Ragasya Sampradaya and Trayambaka Sampradaya. Starts its gurus at Srikantha, Vasugupta, and Somananda. Sometimes Durvasa also included.
Nandinatha and Meykandar Sampradayas are associated with the Shaiva Siddhanta while Adinath Sampradaya is associated with Nath Shaivism. Other popular Saivite sampradayas are Veerashaiva Samprdaya, Lingayat Sampradaya and Srouta Sampradaya