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By Jayaram V
According to tradition, immediately after the
Buddha's death, a gathering of
500 monks took place at Rajagriha in about 487
B.C. representing various sanghas under the leadership of Mahakassapa.
The assembled monks discussed, collated and classifieds the discourses
of the Buddha into authoritative canonical texts. Upali and Ananda,
two of the Buddha's chief disciples, said to have recited the Vinaya Pithaka and
Sutta Pitaka infront of the gathering. Historians doubt the authenticity of
this account.
About a hundred years after the Buddha's death the second Buddhist council was said to have
been convened at Vaisali, around 387 B.C. The council was called mainly to
discuss certain serious differences that arose within the Buddhist
Order over the true interpretation of the Buddha's teachings and
certain practices followed by some monks, especially the monks of
Vaisali. The orthodox followers of the Buddha believed that the monks
of Vaisali were taking liberties with the rules prescribed in the
Vinaya Pitaka. The council discussed the matter at length, but could
not reach an agreement. This resulted in the great schism within the
Order and led to the formation of the two divergent schools of
thought. The first school advocated strict adherence to the age old
traditions of Buddhism and compliance with the original teachings of
the Buddha. They were called The Sthaviravadins. The second group did
not find a problem in having a liberal attitude towards the rules
prescribed in the Pitakas and the deviations followed by the monks of
Vaisali. They became known as the Mahasamghikas. The schism subsequently led to the
formal division of Buddhism into irreconcilable Hinayana and the Mahayana sects.
Some historians, however, doubt
the authenticity of the second council also.
The Third Buddhist Council was held at Pataliputra, about 236 years after
the death of the Buddha, during the reign of Asoka. It was presided over by
Moggaliputta Tissa and said to have also been attended by king Asoka himself
in the capacity of a monk. Many heretics
were expelled during this meeting. The Sthaviravadins established themselves
as the orthodox school of Buddhism, firmly adhering to the original teachings
of the Buddha and unwilling to make any compromises. The Council also made
some additions and alterations
to the existing Buddhist Pali Canon by brining together the Vinaya Pitaka and
Dhamma Pitaka with the Kathavaththu of
Abhidammam Pitaka.
The Fourth Buddhist Council was held in
Kashmir or at Jullundhar under during the reign of Kanishka, the famous Kushana
King of
great valor and personal charm, who in the early Christian era ruled large
parts of central Asia and the north western India. He was a patron of
Buddhism and was instrumental in spreading the religion in the northwestern
borders of India. He played a key role in organizing the fourth Buddhist
Concil. The Council was presided over by Vasumitra and Asvaghosha and
had to deal with a seriious conflict between the Sarvasthivada
teachers of Kashmir and Gandhara. During this meeting
the Sarvasthavadin doctrines were organized into a Mahavibhasa containing
three large commentaries on the Pitakas. The reign of Kanishka
witnessed the ascendence of the Mahayana sect.
The followers of the Hinayana sect adhered strictly to the early
teachings of the Buddha and were uncompromising on the fundamental teachings
of the Buddha such as the existence of soul
and God. They did not introduce new gods or heavens, nor encouraged any
speculation about such matters as Nirvana and the after life of an of Arhat.
The followers of the Mahayana sect, on the other hand, tried to
elaborate upon the earlier doctrines and remove the ambiguities and
contradictions inherent in early Buddhism by providing new explanations and
clarifications. They expanded the scope of Buddhism by introducing new theories
and practices so as to make it more familiar and meaningful to the lay
Buddhists. They also elevated the status of the Buddha to that of God to rest
all questions and doubts regarding the existence of the Buddha after his
parinirvana.
The four Buddhist councils can be considered as
the four mile stones in the history of Buddhism. If the Four Noble Truths
formed the core of the Buddha's teachings, these four Buddhist meetings
formed the core of its early history. They helped the followers of the
Buddhist Order
to sort out the differences amongst them in a democratic and collective
manner. Where rapprochement was not possible the Councils defined the
boundaries by organizing the Canonical texts and fomralizing their
interpretation.
Initially the divisions with in the Buddhist Order did not weaken Buddhism, though they
caused a lot of confusion and commotion and gave scope for the entry
of certain corrupt and unethical practices. But in the long run they also provided the much needed diversity
and flexibility to Buddhism, by offering a wide range of alternatives to the
would be followers.
Since the followers of Buddhism came from
different social, geographical and cultural backgrounds, this diversity
suited them. They were able to chose the best path according to their
inclinations and inner aspirations and the peculiarities of their own
environment.
List of related articles
The following article throws further light on the history of
Buddhist Councils.
The Buddhist Councils by
Venerable Dr. Rewata Dhamma: The authentic teachings of the
Buddha Gotama have been preserved and handed down to us and are to be
found in the Tipitaka. The Pali word, 'Tipitaka', literally means 'the
three baskets' (ti- three + pitaka- basket). All of the Buddha's
teachings were divided into three parts. The first part is known as
the Suttanta Pitaka and it contains the Discourses. The second part is
called the Vinaya Pitaka and it contains all the rules the Buddha laid
down for monks and nuns. The third part is known as the Abhidhamma
Pitaka and comprises the Buddha's teachings on his psycho-ethical
philosophy. It is known, that whenever the Buddha gave a discourse to
his ordained disciples or lay-followers or prescribed a monastic rule
in the course of his forty-five year ministry, those of his devoted
and learned monks, then present would immediately commit his teachings
word for word to memory. Thus the Buddha's words were preserved
accurately and were in due course passed down orally from teacher to
pupil. More...
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