Could someone provide a list of all Buddhist schools?

Question

If someone could provide a list of all Buddhist schools (both extinct and extant) it would be much appreciated. If this is unmanageable due to the high number, major schools would be good, or a link to such a list would be great. Thank you

Answer 1

Out of thousands schools, sub-schools, and hybrids, here are some of the most notable outlines:

Early Buddhism and conservative descendants

• =======Popular wing=======
  • Mahasanghika (developed into Mahayana)
    • Gokulika (in Varanasi/Pataliputra)
      • Bahusrutiya (in Kosala)
        • Satyasiddhi / Tattvasiddhi (Chinese, extinct)
          • Jojitsu (Japanese)
      • Prajnaptivada (in Magadha)
    • Lokottaravada
    • Caitika
  • Pudgalavada heresy (extinct)
    • Vatsiputriya (extinct)
      • Sanmitiya (extinct)
• =======Conservative center=======
  • Tamraparniya (the Sri Lanka offshoot)
    • Theravada
  • Mahisasaka (absorbed into Theravada)
  • Dharmaguptaka (in Gandhara, extinct)
    • Ritsu (Japanese)
• =======Abhidharma wing=======
  • Sarvastivada (in Gandhara, extinct)
    • Vaibhashika (extinct)
    • Sautrantika (developed into Yogacara)
    • Kusha (Japanese, extinct)

Mahayana

• =======Prajnaparamita / emptiness group=======
  • Yogacara line
    • Faxiang (Chinese)
    • Hosso (Japanese)
  • Madhyamaka line
    • Tibetan family
      • Kadam (extinct)
        • Gelug (Dalai Lama's school)
      • Sakya
    • Sanlun (Chinese, extinct)
      • Sanron (Japanese, extinct)
  • Chan (Chinese)
    • Zen (Japanese)
      • Soto
      • Rinzai
        • Fuke (extinct)
      • Obaku
    • Seon (Korean)
      • Jogye / Chogye (my Zen Master's school)
    • Thien (Vietnamese)
• =======Tantric group=======
  • Tibetan tantra
    • Nyingma
      • Aro gTér
    • Kagyu
      • Karma-Kagyu (Chogyam Trungpa's school)
    • New Kadampa (Gelug breakaway)
  • Tangmi (Chinese)
    • Shingon (Japanese)
• =======Sincretic group=======
  • Bon-Nyingma hybrid (Tibetan)
  • Shugendo (Japanese)
  • Ari Gaing (Burma, extinct)
  • Newar (Nepal)
• =======Popular wing / Ekayana=======
  • Pure Land / Amitabha line
    • Jodo (Japanese)
    • Yuzu Nembutsu (Japanese)
  • Lotus Sutra line
    • Tiantai (Chinese)
      • Cheontae (Korean)
      • Tendai (Japanese)
      • Nichiren (Japanese)
        • Nipponzan-Myohoji (my first encounter with Buddhism)
  • Avatamsaka Sutra line
    • Huayan (Chinese)
      • Kegon (Japanese)
      • Hwaeom (Korean, subsumed by Seon)

Answer 2

There are the following links to Buddhist Schools:

• Wikipedia - "Schools of Buddhism".

• BuddhaNet - "Schools / Lineages".

• Rigpawiki - "The four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism"

• DharmaNet - "The Principal Spiritual Traditions of Buddhism"

• Budsas "Two Main Schools of Buddhism"

• "History & Timeline of Buddhism’s Spread"

• SiddhartaBuddhism - "Buddhist Sects"

• "Schools of Buddhism and their countries: An overview"