Editing Nagarjuna (section)

=== Background ===
India in the first and second centuries CE was politically divided into various states, including the [[Kushan Empire]] and the [[Satavahana dynasty|Satavahana Kingdom]]. At this point in [[History of Buddhism|Buddhist history]], the Buddhist community was already divided into various [[Schools of Buddhism|Buddhist schools]] and had spread throughout India.

At this time, there was already a small and nascent Mahāyāna movement. Mahāyāna ideas were held by a minority of Buddhists in India at the time. As Joseph Walser writes, "Mahāyāna before the fifth century was largely invisible and probably existed only as a minority and largely unrecognized movement within the fold of nikāya Buddhism."<ref>Walser (2005), p. 43.</ref> By the second century, early [[Mahayana sutras|Mahāyāna Sūtras]] such as the ''[[Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra|Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā]]'' were already circulating among certain Mahāyāna circles.<ref>Mäll, Linnart. ''Studies in the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā and other essays.'' 2005. p. 96</ref>