As Buddhism spread in ancient India, various Vinaya schools developed. Of the eighteen initial school, three are extant today: the Theravada, which is widespread in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia; the Dharmaguptaka, which is fallowed in Taiwan, China, Korea, and Vietnam; and the Mulasarbastivada, which is practiced in Tibet. All of these Vinaya school have spread to western countries in recent year. Considering that the Vinaya was passed down orally for many centuries before being written down and that various school had little communication with each other due to geographical distance, it is amazing that the monastic precepts are so consistence throughout. The difference among them are minor. Over the centuries, each school has developed its own ways of enumerating, interpreting, and living the precepts that accord with the culture and climate of that place.
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