a small group of Buddha’s intimate disciples gathered
after his death, a council held in the grand style de-
scribed in the scriptures is almost certainly a fiction.
On the other hand, almost all scholars agree that the
second and following councils were historical events.
Of special importance is the Vais ́alor second coun-
cil, which paved the way for the first great schism in
early Buddhism.
The first council was said to have been held in Ra-
jagrha, India, in the year of the Buddha’s death, gen-
erally thought to have occurred in the fourth or fifth
century B.C.E. Fearful that the community would dis-
solve through uncertainty over the founder’s teachings,
the san ̇gha held a council to preclude that possibility.
MAHAKAS ́YAPA, one of the Buddha’s chief disciples, was
appointed president of the council and selected five
hundred ARHATmonks as participants. Another disci-
ple, UPALI, recited the disciplinary rules known as the
Vinayapitaka(Basket of Discipline), while ANANDAre-
cited the Buddha’s discourses, establishing the Sutra-
pitaka.Functionally, this important event established
authority for the group in the absence of its leader.
The Vais ́alcouncil, deemed the second Indian Bud-
dhist council in all accounts, occurred about one hun-
dred years after the Buddha’s death. It was convened
to resolve a dispute over supposedly illicit monastic
behavior, such as accepting gold and silver. To resolve
the conflict, a council of seven hundred monks met in
Vais ́al. Revata was appointed president of the coun-
cil, and Sarvagamin was questioned on ten points of
possibly inappropriate monastic behavior. Each point
was rejected by Sarvagamin, the offending practices
outlawed, and concord reestablished, although signif-
icant disagreements had obviously begun to appear in
the still-unified Buddhist community. It has been pos-
tulated that Buddhist sectarianism began shortly after
the Vais ́alcouncil, with the Mahasamghika school
and Sthavras emerging as individual sects following a
non-canonical council held shortly after the Vais ́al
event.
Another council was held in Pataliputra around
250 B.C.E. during the reign of King AS ́OKA. As ́oka con-
vened the council under Moggaliputta Tissa with the
intention of establishing the orthodoxy of the
dharma. A thousand monks were assembled, and, un-
der Tissa’s guidance, various viewpoints were consid-
ered and either sanctioned or rejected, with the
proponents of rejected views being expelled from the
city. This council is mentioned only in the Pali
records, and for this reason it is often referred to as
the third THERAVADAcouncil.
A Theravada council was held under King Vatta-
gamanof Sri Lanka in 25 B.C.E., following a famine
and in the midst of schismatic unrest in the Buddhist
community. Vattagamanconvened the conference in
the capital city of Anuradhapura at the monastery
known as Mahavihara. The meeting committed the
Pali Buddhist scriptures to writing, thus “closing” the
three baskets of scriptures in the Theravada tradition.
Around 100 C.E. another council was held under the
Kushan king Kanishka, probably in Gandhara. A great
scholar named Vasumitra presided, assisted by the
learned AS ́VAGHOSA. In addition to compiling a new
Vinaya, they prepared a commentary called the Ma-
havibhasa (Great Exegesis) on the ABHIDHARMAtext
Jñanaprasthana(Foundation of Knowledge), which be-
came the standard reference work for all Sarvastivada
abhidharma issues.
Almost seven centuries later, around 792, a council
was held in Lhasa, Tibet, under King Khri srong lde
btsan. It was convened at the recently completed
monastery BSAM YAS(SAMYE) in order to resolve dif-
ferences between Chinese and Indian notions of prac-
tice and enlightenment. Tibetan sources claim that the
Chinese position was defeated, continuing an Indian
basis for the development of Tibetan Buddhism.
In modern times, a council was held in Rangoon,
Burma (Myanmar), in 1871; this council is sometimes
referred to as the fifth Theravada council. Convened
during the reign of King Mindon Min, this council was
charged with revising the Pali texts. The revised texts
were inscribed on 729 marble tablets, and enshrined
in stupas to ensure their survival.
Finally, a council considered to be the sixth Ther-
avada council was held in Rangoon in 1954 to recite
and confirm the whole Pali canon. This council was
scheduled to coincide with the celebration of the
2,500th anniversary of the Buddha’s death. The prime
minister of Burma, U Nu, delivered the opening ad-
dress to the approximately twenty-five hundred monks
in attendance. The council was a national festival in
Burma, and helped established solidarity for Therav-
ada Buddhists throughout the world.See also: Bsam yas Debate; India; Mahasamghika
School; Mainstream Buddhist Schools; Pudgalavada;
Sarvastivada and MulasarvastivadaBibliography
Bareau, André. Les premiers conciles bouddhiques.Paris: Presses
Universitaires de France, 1955.COUNCILS, BUDDHIST