Professional Documents
Culture Documents
4 Buddhist Councils
4 Buddhist Councils
(Buddhist Councils)
1
The First Buddhist Council
(Pathama Saṅgāyanā)
• Three months after the demise of the Buddha the First Buddhist
Council was held in Sattapaṇṇi Cave Pavilion at Mount Vebhāra
near the city of Rājagaha.
• King Ajātasattu provided the congregation with food and other
requisites.
• The meeting actually took place in the second month of the
rainy season.
• The proceeding of the council began with Venerable
Mahākassapa’s selection of 499 Arahats to participate in the
meeting. 2
• The 500th seat was finally filled by Venerable Ānanda who
became an Arahat just on the eve of the meeting.
• Venerable Mahākassapa acted as the president of the
Council.
• Venerable Upāli was selected to be the reciter of the
Vinaya.
• Venerable Ānanda was selected to be the reciter of the
Dhamma.
• Then with the permission of the Saṁgha, Venerable
Mahākassapa asked questions on the Vinaya (disciplines)
of the Venerable Upāli.
• In this way all the Vinaya texts were agreed upon at the
council.
3
• Then came the turn of Venerable Ānanda, the subject matter
of the Sutta Piṭaka, in all the Five Nikāyas was formulated as
questions for Ānanda who able gave appropriate answers.
• The answers given by Ānanda settled the collection of the
Sutta Piṭaka. In this way the texts belonging to the first two
Piṭakas (baskets) were arranged and settle collectively by the
whole assemble of 500 Arahats.
• The council lasted seven months.
4
The Second Buddhist Council
(Dutiya Saṅgāyanā)
5
• The ten points or indulgences at issue were as follows:
• 1. Storing salt in a horn.
• 2. Eating after midday.
• 3. Eating once and then going again to a village for alms.
• 4. The observance of the Uposatha in different places within the
same Sīmā.
• 5. Carrying out official acts when the assembly was incomplete.
• 6. Following a certain practice because it was done by one's tutor or
teacher.
• 7. Eating sour milk after one had his midday meal.
• 8. Consuming strong drink before it had been fermented.
• 9. Using a borderless seat which was not the proper size.
• 10. Using gold and silver. 6
• He declared these practices to be illegal and immoral in the
extreme.
• The Vajjī (Vajjian) monks, however, pronounced the penalty of
Paṭisāraṇīya kamma upon him.
• This necessitated the offenders apologizing to the laity who had
been forbidden by Ven. Yasa to carry out the precepts of the
Vajjī monks.
• Ven. Yasa defended his own view before the laity and by his
eloquent advocacy won them over to his side.
• This increased the fury of the offending monks who pronounced
the punishment of Ukkhepanīya kamma upon him, which meant
his virtual expulsion from the Order.
• Alone but determined, Ven. Yasa fought along battle. 7
• He first went to Kosambhī and sent messengers to the west and
south, inviting Theravāda monks there to assemble and decide
the question.
• Consequently, he won over to his side such celebrities as
Venerable Sambhūta and, later, Venerable Revata.
• Finally, the ten points were brought to the notice of most
celebrated Venerable Revata at Sahajāti who studied and
clarified illegal each and every practice in the presence of some
sixty Arahats from the west and some eighty – eight Arahats
from Avanti and the South.
8
• At the suggestion of Venerable Revata, all the monks then
proceeded to Vesālī to settle the dispute at the place of its
origin.
• The Vāḷukārāma was then chosen as the Venue were 700
monks met for eight months and King Kālāsoka
patronized the council.
• The Venerable Revata acted as president and asked the
question.
• The Venerable Sabbakāmi answered the Vinaya rules.
• So this council was called Vinayasaṁgīti, in which Vinaya
had been decided.
9
THE THIRD BUDDHIST COUNCIL
(Tatiya Saṅgāyanā)
22
The Sixth Buddhist Council
(Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyanā)
26