History of Buddhism Xuanzang in 7th-century India were Mahayanists. Early Mahayana schools of thought included the Mādhyamaka, Yogācāra, and Buddha-nature ("Tathāgatagarbha") teachings. Mahayana is today the dominant form of Buddhism in East Asia and Tibet. Several scholars have suggested that the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, which are among the earliest Mahāyāna sūtras, developed among the Mahāsāṃghika along the Kṛṣṇa River in the Āndhra region of South India. The earliest Mahāyāna sūtras to include the very first versions of the Prajñāpāramitā genre, along with texts concerning Akṣobhya Buddha, which were probably written down in the 1st century BCE in the south of India. A.K. Warder believes
Southern, Eastern and Northern Buddhism provides additional evidence that the form of Buddhism practiced in the "Northern" territories likely retains many non-Mahayana influences. Furthermore, in certain regions of China and East Asia (notably in Southern China), non-Mahayana forms were sometimes dominant. Vietnam represents an interesting case of a country lying in the liminal region between the Northern and Southern Buddhist schools. As might be expected, Vietnamese Buddhism shows both a strong Mahayana and Theravada influence. Southern, Eastern and Northern Buddhism "Southern Buddhism", "Eastern Buddhism" and "Northern Buddhism" are geographical terms sometimes used to describe the styles of Buddhism practiced in Asia. "Southern Buddhism" represents Buddhism