Buddhist Councils
Three months after the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana (passing away), his immediate
disciples convened a council at Rajagaha. Maha Kassapa, the most respected and
senior monk, presided at the Council.
The First Council: 
Three
months after the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana (passing away), his immediate disciples
convened a council at Rajagaha. Maha Kassapa, the most respected and senior
monk, presided at the Council.
Two very important personalities who specialised in
the two areas of the teachings:
- The Dharma: Ananda, the closest constant companion and disciple of
the Buddha for 25 years. Endowed with a remarkable memory, Ananda was able to
recite what was spoken by the Buddha.
- The Vinaya: Upali remembered all the Vinaya rules.
Only these two sections - the Dharma and the Vinaya - were recited at the First
Council (no mention was made of the Abhidharma yet). Though there were no differences
of opinion on the Dharma there was some discussion about the Vinaya rules.
Before the Buddha's Parinirvanana, he had told Ananda that if the Sangha wished
to amend or modify some minor rules, they could do so. But Ananda forgot to
ask the Buddha what the minor rules were. As the members of the Council were
unable to agree as to what constituted the minor rules, Maha Kassapa finally
ruled that no disciplinary rule laid down by the Buddha should be changed, and
no new ones should be introduced. No intrinsic reason was given. Maha Kassapa
did say one thing, however: "If we changed the rules, people will say that
Ven. Gautama's disciples changed the rules even before his funeral fire has
ceased burning." At the Council, the Dharma was divided into various parts
and each part was assigned to an Elder and his pupils to commit to memory. The
Dharma was then passed on from teacher to pupil orally. The Dharma was recited
daily by groups of people who regularly cross-checked with each other to ensure
that no omissions or additions were made.
The Second Council: According to the Theravadin school (Rahula), about
one hundred years after the Buddha's passing away, the Second Council was held
to discuss some Vinaya rules, and no controversy about the Dharma was reported.
The orthodox monks (Sthavarivada) said that nothing should be changed, while
the others insisted on modifying some rules. Finally, a group of monks left
the Council and formed the Mahasanghika - the Great Community. (The Mahasanghika
should not to be confused with Mahayana.)
According to another version (Skilton), the Second Council may have had two
parts: initially in Vaisali, some 60 years after the Buddha, and 40 years after
that, a meeting in Pataliputra, where Mahadeva maintained five theses on the
Arhat. The actual split may have occurred at Pataliputra, not Vaisali over details
of the Vinaya. In the non-Theravadin version of events, the Mahasangha followed
the original vinaya and the Sthaviravada (the Elders) wanted changes. What exactly
happened is unlikely to be ever revealed, but the first split in the Sangha
was a fact.
The Third Council: Duri
ng
the reign of Emperor Asoka in the 3rd Century BCE, the Third Council was held
to discuss the differences of opinion among the bhikkhus of different sects.
At this Council differences of opinion were not confined to the Vinaya, but
also concerned the Dharma. The President of the Council, Moggaliputta Tissa,
compiled a book called the Kathavatthu which refuted the heretical, false views
and theories held by some sects occurring at the time. The teaching approved
and accepted by this Council became known as Sthaviras or Theravada, "Teaching
of the Elders". The Abhidhamma Pitaka was included at this Council. After
the Third Council, King Asoka sent missionaries to Sri Lanka, Kanara, Karnataka,
Kashmir, Himalaya region, Burma, even nowadays Afghanistan. Asoka's son, Ven.
Mahinda, brought the Tripitaka to Sri Lanka, along with the commentaries that
were recited at the Third Council. These teachings later became known as the
"Pali-canon".
The Fourth Council: The Fourth Buddhist Council was held under the auspices
of King Kaniska at Jalandhar or in Kashmir around 100 CE, where 499 monks of
the Sarvastivadin school compiled a new canon. This council was never recognised
by the Theravada school.
The Fifth Council (Burma): The 5th Buddhist Council was held from 1868
to 1871 in Mandalay, Burma where the text of the Pali Canon was revised and
inscribed on 729 marble slabs.
The Sixth Council (Burma): The 6th Buddhist Council was held at Rangoon,
Burma in 1954-1956.
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