Knowing About the Buddhist Councils

The Buddhist Councils are assemblies organised after the death of Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, by Buddhist monastic communities and monks to recite Buddhist literature, texts, and philosophy. They discuss the way ahead, resolve doctrinal and disciplinary disputes, and review and revise the contents of the Sutras.

The six Buddhist Councils mark important points in Buddhist history. After the death of Gautama Buddha, the first of the Buddhist Councils was held in the 5th century BCE, and the latest Buddhist Council was held in the year 1954 in Burma (now Myanmar).

The First Buddhist Council

Held in the 5th century BCE, the first council was held years after Buddha’s death by his disciples who had adopted his teachings. The Buddha’s teachings were divided into three Pitakas: the Sutta Piṭaka, Vinaya Piṭaka, and Abhidhamma Piṭaka. The most senior disciple of Buddha, Mahakasyapa, presided over the council. It was held near Cave Rajgir. The council took place under King Ajastashattu of the Haryanka dynasty.

Its objective was the preservation of the Buddha’s teachings, which are called Suttas, and the monastic discipline called Vinaya. Ananda recited the Suttas and Upali narrated the Vinaya.

The Second Buddhist Council

The Second Buddhist Council was held around the 3rd BCE at Vaishali. The main issue discussed for this council was related to the Vinaya and the loose monastic disciplinary practices of monks at Vaishali.

According to historians, the dispute over loose monastic practices caused the first divide in views in the Sangha that whether monks, Bhikkhus, should be accepting monetary donations and handling money.

The Third Buddhist Council

The third council was conducted in 250 BCE. It was presided over by monk Moggliputta Tissa and under the patronage of King Ashoka. 

The council’s chief objective was the removal of opportunistic groups of peoples and heretics. They had only joined after being drawn by the Sangha’s royal patronage from the Buddhist movement. Another reason for the convening of the council was to send missionaries to spread Buddhism to various countries.

The Fourth Buddhist Council

By the time the fourth council took place, the Buddhist school was divided into two: the Sarvastivada and Theravada.

The Sarvastivada council was held in Kundalvana, Kashmir in 72 BCE. It was presided over by the monk Vasumitra and his deputy Asvaghosa. The council was under the patronage of the Kushan king, Kanishka. Their main goal was to systematise Sarvastivadin texts which were translated from the earlier Prakrit language into Sanskrit.

The Theravada school’s council was held in the first century BCE in Sri Lanka, in Alu Vihara. It was held as a response to the current events in Sri Lanka where its harvest was severely poor. This led to many Buddhist monks dying of starvation. 

The Pali texts at that time were in the form of oral literature which was maintained by several dharma reciters. The surviving monks realised that it was better to keep written records. This way, they would not lose the literature and would be able to pass it on to later generations.

The Fifth Buddhist Council

The fifth council was held in 1871, in the city of Mandalay, Burma under the patronage of the Burmese king, Mindon. The three elders monks, Jagarabhivamsa, Narindhabhidhaja and Sumangalasami, presided over it. 

The objective of this council was to examine and verify the scriptures and check that nothing had been altered, removed or distorted. They also gathered to recite the Buddha’s teachings. It also approved the entire Tripitaka inscription on the 729 slabs in Burmese script and erected it. The council is not generally recognised outside Burma (Myanmar), as monks from other Buddhist countries were not involved in it.

The Sixth Buddhist Council

The sixth council was held in Burma (now Myanmar) as well, in the year 1954. It was conducted in the city of Kaba Aye, Rangoon, under the patronage of the Burmese government. Prime Minister U Nu presided over it to commemorate 2500 years of Buddhism. The council is not generally recognised outside Burma.

The sixth council’s main objective was to preserve the Buddhist teachings and practices as understood by the Theravadin school.

Conclusion

The Buddhist Councils are assemblies convened over the centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha to recite the approved literature and scripture. They also preserved his teachings, called Sutta, and rules of discipline. Additionally, the councils were organised to settle doctrinal disputes.

The first four Buddhist councils were held in ancient times and are recognised by all, while the fifth and sixth ones (now Myanmar) are generally unrecognised outside Burma.

The Fourth Buddhist Council was significant as, by that time, Buddhism was divided into two Schools Sarvastivada and Theravada.