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Second Buddhist council

January 29, 2023

The Second Buddhist council took place at Vaishali (modern-day Bihar state in India) approximately one hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, so perhaps around 300 BCE. The Second Council resulted in the first schism in the Sangha, probably caused by a group of rigorist reformists called Sthaviras who split from the majority Mahāsāṃghikas.[1] After unsuccessfully trying to modify the Vinaya, a small group of "elderly members", i.e. sthaviras, broke away from the majority Mahāsāṃghika during the Second Buddhist council, giving rise to the Sthavira sect.[2]

Modern scholarship

Addition of Vinaya rules

The Second Council is commonly said to have resulted in the first schism in the Sangha, probably caused by a group of rigorist reformists called Sthaviras who split from the more liberal, but orthodox, majority Mahāsāṃghikas.[3] After unsuccessfully trying to modify the Vinaya, a small group of "elderly members", i.e. sthaviras, broke away from the majority Mahāsāṃghika during the Second Buddhist council, giving rise to the Sthavira sect.[4] Regarding this matter, L. S. Cousins writes, "The Mahāsāṃghikas were essentially a conservative party resisting a reformist attempt to tighten discipline. The likelihood is that they were initially a larger body, representing the mass of the community, the mahāsaṃgha."[5]

It seems however that the council, with four representatives from each group, both condemned the lax practices of the Vaisali monks. Therefore the schism did not occur at this time. [6][7] Instead, it seems the introduction of more rigorous rules was attempted shortly after a second Second Council, where the new interpretation was rejected and led to the 'schism'. [7]

The Śāriputraparipṛcchā contains an account in which an old monk rearranges and augments the traditional Vinaya, consequently causing dissension among the monks that required the king's arbitration and eventually precipitating the first schism.[8] As stated in the Śāriputraparipṛcchā:

He copied and rearranged our Vinaya, developing and augmenting what Kāśyapa had codified and which was called "Vinaya of the Great Assembly" (Mahāsāṃghavinaya). [...] The king considered that [the doctrines of the two parties represented] were both the work of the Buddha, and since their preferences were not the same, [the monks of the two camps] should not live together. As those who studied the old Vinaya were in the majority, they were called the Mahāsāṃghika; those who studied the new [Vinaya] were in the minority, but they were all Sthaviras; thus they were named Sthavira.

Scholars have generally agreed that the matter of dispute was indeed a matter of vinaya, and have noted that the account of the Mahāsāṃghikas is bolstered by the vinaya texts themselves, as vinayas associated with the Sthaviras do contain more rules than those of the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya.[9] For example, the Mahāsāṃghika Prātimokṣa has 67 rules in the śaikṣa-dharma section, while the Theravāda version has 75 rules.[5]

Mahādeva legend

According to the Theravadin account, the Second Council occurred in Vaiśālī. Its purpose was to adjudicate on ten points which amounted to minor infringements of the Vinaya, such as handling money and eating after midday.[10] The council was convened, and an elder rendered a verdict condemning the ten points, after which the council was closed.[10] According to this account, some 35 years later at Pāṭaliputra, there was another meeting over five points held by a figure named Mahādeva.[10] These five points were essentially regarding doctrines of the fallibility and imperfection of arhats, which were opposed by some.[10] In this account, the majority (Mahāsaṃgha) sided with Mahādeva, and the minority (Sthaviras) were opposed to it, thus causing a split in the Saṃgha.[10] However, the Samayabhedoparacanacakra records that Mahādeva was a completely different figure who was the founder of the Caitika sect over 200 years later.[11][12] Some scholars have concluded that an association of "Mahādeva" with the first schism was a later sectarian interpolation.[13] Jan Nattier and Charles Prebish write:

Mahādeva has nothing to do with the primary schism between the Mahāsāṃghikas and Sthaviras, emerging in a historical period considerably later than previously supposed, and taking his place in the sectarian movement by instigating an internal schism within the already existing Mahāsāṃghika school.[14]

Vinaya antiquity

Modern scholarship is generally in agreement that the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya is the oldest.[9][8] This agrees well with the views of the Chinese monk Faxian, who travelled to India in order to procure the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya, which was regarded as the original.[8] According to Andrew Skilton, future scholars may determine that a study of the Mahāsāṃghika school will contribute to a better understanding of the early Dharma-Vinaya than the Theravāda school.[15]

Theravadin account

According to the traditional Theravadin account, the dispute arose over the 'Ten Points.' This is a reference to ten modifications of the Buddhist monastic discipline observed among the monks of Vesali. The specific ten points were:

  1. Storing salt in a horn.
  2. Eating after midday.
  3. Eating once and then going again to a village for alms.
  4. Monks within the same ritual boundary conducting official acts of the Sangha independently.
  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 semi-churned butter after one had his midday meal.
  8. Consuming unfermented toddy.
  9. Sitting on a cloth without a border.
  10. Using gold and silver.[16]

The inciting issue, according to the Sattasata of the Theravada Vinaya Pitaka, was the use of 'gold and silver', an Indic idiom that includes any kind of money. The monks of Vesali had become accustomed to lay followers donating coins in order to pay for the needs of the community, to which the visiting monk Yasa objected.[16]

Yasa's objection became known to lay supporters, who began to regard the Vesali monks as corrupt. In response, both the monks of Vesali and Yasa gathered senior members of the Sangha from the region to consult in order to settle the issue of monastic law.[16]

All of the ten points concerned dukkata or sekhiya rules, minor offenses of the monastic code.

The Second Buddhist Council made the unanimous decision not to relax any of the rules. The sixth issue, regarding following the customs of one's teacher or tutor, was declared indeterminate. The gathered group of 700 monks recited the unanimous decision together, an event which lends its name to the Sattasata text of the Vinaya Pitaka, likely a reference to the earlier Pañcasata, or recitation of the 500.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Harvey, Peter (2013). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 88–90.
  2. ^ Skilton, Andrew. A Concise History of Buddhism. 2004. pp. 49, 64
  3. ^ Harvey, Peter (2013). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 89–90.
  4. ^ Skilton, Andrew. A Concise History of Buddhism. 2004. pp. 49, 64
  5. ^ a b Williams, Jane, and Williams, Paul. Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies, Volume 2. 2005. p. 190
  6. ^ Harvey, Peter (2013) p. 89.
  7. ^ a b Williams, Jane, and Williams, Paul. Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies, Volume 2. 2005. pp. 230–235
  8. ^ a b c Williams, Jane, and Williams, Paul. Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies, Volume 2. 2005. p. 189
  9. ^ a b Skilton, Andrew. A Concise History of Buddhism. 2004. p. 48
  10. ^ a b c d e Skilton, Andrew. A Concise History of Buddhism. 2004. p. 47
  11. ^ Sujato, Bhante (2012), Sects & Sectarianism: The Origins of Buddhist Schools, Santipada, p. 78, ISBN 9781921842085
  12. ^ Walser, Joseph. Nāgārjuna in Context: Mahāyāna Buddhism and Early Indian Culture. 2005. pp. 49–50
  13. ^ Walser, Joseph. Nāgārjuna in Context: Mahāyāna Buddhism and Early Indian Culture. 2005. p. 50
  14. ^ Williams, Jane, and Williams, Paul. Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies, Volume 2. 2005. p. 188
  15. ^ Skilton, Andrew. A Concise History of Buddhism. 2004. p. 64
  16. ^ a b c d Recitation of the 700

External links

  • Bhikkhu Sujato. Sects & Sectarianism: The Origins of Buddhist Schools
  • Theravadin account of the Second Council: part 1 and part 2.
  • Account of the Second Council from the Mahavamsa

January 29, 2023
second, buddhist, council, took, place, vaishali, modern, bihar, state, india, approximately, hundred, years, after, buddha, parinirvāṇa, perhaps, around, second, council, resulted, first, schism, sangha, probably, caused, group, rigorist, reformists, called, . The Second Buddhist council took place at Vaishali modern day Bihar state in India approximately one hundred years after the Buddha s parinirvaṇa so perhaps around 300 BCE The Second Council resulted in the first schism in the Sangha probably caused by a group of rigorist reformists called Sthaviras who split from the majority Mahasaṃghikas 1 After unsuccessfully trying to modify the Vinaya a small group of elderly members i e sthaviras broke away from the majority Mahasaṃghika during the Second Buddhist council giving rise to the Sthavira sect 2 Contents 1 Modern scholarship 1 1 Addition of Vinaya rules 1 2 Mahadeva legend 1 3 Vinaya antiquity 2 Theravadin account 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksModern scholarship EditAddition of Vinaya rules Edit The Second Council is commonly said to have resulted in the first schism in the Sangha probably caused by a group of rigorist reformists called Sthaviras who split from the more liberal but orthodox majority Mahasaṃghikas 3 After unsuccessfully trying to modify the Vinaya a small group of elderly members i e sthaviras broke away from the majority Mahasaṃghika during the Second Buddhist council giving rise to the Sthavira sect 4 Regarding this matter L S Cousins writes The Mahasaṃghikas were essentially a conservative party resisting a reformist attempt to tighten discipline The likelihood is that they were initially a larger body representing the mass of the community the mahasaṃgha 5 It seems however that the council with four representatives from each group both condemned the lax practices of the Vaisali monks Therefore the schism did not occur at this time 6 7 Instead it seems the introduction of more rigorous rules was attempted shortly after a second Second Council where the new interpretation was rejected and led to the schism 7 The Sariputraparipṛccha contains an account in which an old monk rearranges and augments the traditional Vinaya consequently causing dissension among the monks that required the king s arbitration and eventually precipitating the first schism 8 As stated in the Sariputraparipṛccha He copied and rearranged our Vinaya developing and augmenting what Kasyapa had codified and which was called Vinaya of the Great Assembly Mahasaṃghavinaya The king considered that the doctrines of the two parties represented were both the work of the Buddha and since their preferences were not the same the monks of the two camps should not live together As those who studied the old Vinaya were in the majority they were called the Mahasaṃghika those who studied the new Vinaya were in the minority but they were all Sthaviras thus they were named Sthavira Scholars have generally agreed that the matter of dispute was indeed a matter of vinaya and have noted that the account of the Mahasaṃghikas is bolstered by the vinaya texts themselves as vinayas associated with the Sthaviras do contain more rules than those of the Mahasaṃghika Vinaya 9 For example the Mahasaṃghika Pratimokṣa has 67 rules in the saikṣa dharma section while the Theravada version has 75 rules 5 Mahadeva legend Edit According to the Theravadin account the Second Council occurred in Vaisali Its purpose was to adjudicate on ten points which amounted to minor infringements of the Vinaya such as handling money and eating after midday 10 The council was convened and an elder rendered a verdict condemning the ten points after which the council was closed 10 According to this account some 35 years later at Paṭaliputra there was another meeting over five points held by a figure named Mahadeva 10 These five points were essentially regarding doctrines of the fallibility and imperfection of arhats which were opposed by some 10 In this account the majority Mahasaṃgha sided with Mahadeva and the minority Sthaviras were opposed to it thus causing a split in the Saṃgha 10 However the Samayabhedoparacanacakra records that Mahadeva was a completely different figure who was the founder of the Caitika sect over 200 years later 11 12 Some scholars have concluded that an association of Mahadeva with the first schism was a later sectarian interpolation 13 Jan Nattier and Charles Prebish write Mahadeva has nothing to do with the primary schism between the Mahasaṃghikas and Sthaviras emerging in a historical period considerably later than previously supposed and taking his place in the sectarian movement by instigating an internal schism within the already existing Mahasaṃghika school 14 Vinaya antiquity Edit Modern scholarship is generally in agreement that the Mahasaṃghika Vinaya is the oldest 9 8 This agrees well with the views of the Chinese monk Faxian who travelled to India in order to procure the Mahasaṃghika Vinaya which was regarded as the original 8 According to Andrew Skilton future scholars may determine that a study of the Mahasaṃghika school will contribute to a better understanding of the early Dharma Vinaya than the Theravada school 15 Theravadin account EditThis section relies excessively on references to primary sources Please improve this section by adding secondary or tertiary sources Find sources Second Buddhist council news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message According to the traditional Theravadin account the dispute arose over the Ten Points This is a reference to ten modifications of the Buddhist monastic discipline observed among the monks of Vesali The specific ten points were Storing salt in a horn Eating after midday Eating once and then going again to a village for alms Monks within the same ritual boundary conducting official acts of the Sangha independently Carrying out official acts when the assembly was incomplete Following a certain practice because it was done by one s tutor or teacher Eating semi churned butter after one had his midday meal Consuming unfermented toddy Sitting on a cloth without a border Using gold and silver 16 The inciting issue according to the Sattasata of the Theravada Vinaya Pitaka was the use of gold and silver an Indic idiom that includes any kind of money The monks of Vesali had become accustomed to lay followers donating coins in order to pay for the needs of the community to which the visiting monk Yasa objected 16 Yasa s objection became known to lay supporters who began to regard the Vesali monks as corrupt In response both the monks of Vesali and Yasa gathered senior members of the Sangha from the region to consult in order to settle the issue of monastic law 16 All of the ten points concerned dukkata or sekhiya rules minor offenses of the monastic code The Second Buddhist Council made the unanimous decision not to relax any of the rules The sixth issue regarding following the customs of one s teacher or tutor was declared indeterminate The gathered group of 700 monks recited the unanimous decision together an event which lends its name to the Sattasata text of the Vinaya Pitaka likely a reference to the earlier Pancasata or recitation of the 500 16 See also EditBuddhist councils First Buddhist council Third Buddhist council Fourth Buddhist council Fifth Buddhist council Sixth Buddhist councilReferences Edit Harvey Peter 2013 An Introduction to Buddhism Teachings History and Practices 2nd ed Cambridge UK Cambridge University Press pp 88 90 Skilton Andrew A Concise History of Buddhism 2004 pp 49 64 Harvey Peter 2013 An Introduction to Buddhism Teachings History and Practices 2nd ed Cambridge UK Cambridge University Press pp 89 90 Skilton Andrew A Concise History of Buddhism 2004 pp 49 64 a b Williams Jane and Williams Paul Buddhism Critical Concepts in Religious Studies Volume 2 2005 p 190 Harvey Peter 2013 p 89 a b Williams Jane and Williams Paul Buddhism Critical Concepts in Religious Studies Volume 2 2005 pp 230 235 a b c Williams Jane and Williams Paul Buddhism Critical Concepts in Religious Studies Volume 2 2005 p 189 a b Skilton Andrew A Concise History of Buddhism 2004 p 48 a b c d e Skilton Andrew A Concise History of Buddhism 2004 p 47 Sujato Bhante 2012 Sects amp Sectarianism The Origins of Buddhist Schools Santipada p 78 ISBN 9781921842085 Walser Joseph Nagarjuna in Context Mahayana Buddhism and Early Indian Culture 2005 pp 49 50 Walser Joseph Nagarjuna in Context Mahayana Buddhism and Early Indian Culture 2005 p 50 Williams Jane and Williams Paul Buddhism Critical Concepts in Religious Studies Volume 2 2005 p 188 Skilton Andrew A Concise History of Buddhism 2004 p 64 a b c d Recitation of the 700External links EditBhikkhu Sujato Sects amp Sectarianism The Origins of Buddhist Schools Theravadin account of the Second Council part 1 and part 2 Account of the Second Council from the Mahavamsa Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Second Buddhist council amp oldid 1114235551, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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