Buddhist councils

Quick Facts: Who was Buddhist councils?

Subject:

Buddhist councils

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A series of historical assemblies convened to preserve and revise Buddhist doctrines.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Since the death of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, Buddhist monastic communities, the "sangha", have periodically convened for doctrinal and disciplinary reasons and to revise and correct the contents of the Buddhist canons. Although sometimes referred to as Buddhist "councils" (Pāli and Sanskrit: saṅgīti, literally meaning "reciting together" or "joint rehearsal"), Tilakaratne explains that the term saṅgīti stands above all for a group or communal recitation that functions as an expression of communal harmony and unity. This is the key element of the first saṅgīti, for example, for which various prior deliberations formed but a preparation. What the term saṅgīti conveys in this way differs to some extent from what the term “council” designates in its standard English usage. The famous First Buddhist Council or Communal Recitation is recorded in Buddhist texts as being held soon after the Buddha's passing, when Ananda recited all of the spoken sutras, which were recorded in Rajagriha.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The second Council was held 100 years later. The details of the later councils are debated by modern Buddhist studies. Various sources belonging to different Buddhist schools may contain different accounts of these events. For this reason, modern scholars have questioned the historicity of some of these councils or at least their preserved descriptions in literature. All six of the surviving Vinaya sources of various early Buddhist schools contain accounts, in whole or in part, of the first and second councils.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The story of the First Council seems to be a continuation of the story of the Buddha's final days and death told in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta and its equivalents in the Agamas. Based on correlations and continuity between these two texts, Louis Finot concluded that they had originated from a single narrative that was later split between the Sutta Pitaka and Vinaya Pitaka. In most schools, the account of the First Council is located at the end of the Skandhaka section of the Vinaya but before any appendices. The first Buddhist council is traditionally said to have been held just after Buddha's final nirvana, and presided over by Mahākāśyapa, one of his most senior disciples, at a cave near Rājagṛha (today's Rajgir) with the support of king Ajatashatru. Its objective was to preserve the Buddha's sayings (suttas) and the monastic discipline or rules (Vinaya).

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Buddhist councils

True or False: “The traditional account suggests that the entire corpus of Suttas and Vinayas as known today were recited during the First Buddhist Council.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Modern scholarship suggests this notion is likely an exaggeration; for instance, the Pāli commentarial tradition shows some discourses were only included at the Second Saṅgīti.

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