Previous Year Question
Four Buddhist Councils were held at the following places. Arrange them in the correct chronological order and select the correct answer from the code given below—
Vaishali
Rajagriha
Kundalvana
Pataliputra
Code:
1, 2, 4, 3
2, 1, 3, 4
2, 1, 4, 3
1, 2, 3, 4
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
2. First Buddhist Council — Rajagriha: According to Buddhist tradition, the First Buddhist Council was held at Rajagriha shortly after the Mahaparinirvana of Gautama Buddha, in the Saptaparni Cave. It was held during the reign of the Magadhan king Ajatashatru and was presided over by Mahakassapa.
The principal purpose of the council was to organize and preserve the teachings of the Buddha. Ananda recited the teachings associated with the Sutta tradition, while Upali recited the rules concerning Vinaya. Thus, the teachings of the Buddha and the disciplinary rules of the Sangha were given an organized form.
1. Second Buddhist Council — Vaishali: The Second Buddhist Council was held at Vaishali about 100 years after the First Council. Its principal cause was a dispute concerning certain disciplinary practices within the Sangha. Ten practices followed by some monks of Vaishali were regarded as contrary to the Vinaya.
The dispute produced serious differences within the Buddhist Sangha. Traditional accounts also connect it with the subsequent division into the Sthavira and Mahasanghika traditions.
4. Third Buddhist Council — Pataliputra: The Third Buddhist Council was held at Pataliputra during the reign of Emperor Ashoka. It was presided over by Moggaliputta Tissa.
The purpose of the council was to deal with disagreements and differing views that had developed within the Sangha. Buddhist tradition also associates it with the organization of the Abhidhamma Pitaka and the dispatch of Buddhist missionaries to different regions under Ashoka's patronage.
3. Fourth Buddhist Council — Kundalvana: According to the traditional northern Buddhist account, the Fourth Buddhist Council was held at Kundalvana in Kashmir during the reign of the Kushana ruler Kanishka. It was presided over by Vasumitra, and Ashvaghosha is also associated with it.
Detailed discussions on Buddhist doctrines took place at this council, and commentaries on the Tripitakas were prepared, collectively associated with the Vibhasha tradition. The council is particularly important in the history of the Sarvastivada Buddhist tradition.