The Buddhist texts mention as many as ______ sects or schools of thought.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → 64
The Buddhist texts, which give us a glimpse of the lively debates of the time, mention as many as 64 sects or schools of thought.
Sixty-four schools of thought, and NTA wanted the exact count. The numbers in a chapter are part of the syllabus too.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.3 Debates and discussions … We get a glimpse of lively discussions and debates from Buddhist texts, which mention as many as 64 sects or schools of thought. Teachers travelled from place to place, trying to convince one another as well as laypersons, about the validity of their philosophy or the way they understood the world. Debates took place in the kutagarashala – literally, a hut with a pointed roof – or in groves where travelling mendicants halted. If a philosopher succeeded in convincing one of his rivals, the followers of the latter also became his disciples. So support for any particular sect could grow and shrink…” |