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The Buddhist Councils

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First Buddhist Council If tradition is to be believed, soon after the Buddha’s death the first Buddhist Council ( sangiti ) was held at Sattapanni cave near the Magadhan capital of Rajagriha, to compile the dhamma (religious doctrines) and the vinaya (monastic code). Rajagriha, which once served the capital of Bimbisara of Magadhan Empire, is sixty miles to the south-east of the modern Patna, the capital of Bihar. The council was participated in by five hundred monks. At the council, Upali , one of the Buddha’s chief disciples, recited the vinaya pitaka , or Rules of the Order, while another important disciple Ananada recited the sutta pitaka , the collection of the Buddha’s sermons on matters of doctrine and ethics. Second Buddhist Council A century later Vaishali became the venue for the second Buddhist council which was convened to settle a serious dispute over the 'ten points’. It is at Vaishali council where schism raised its head. Since either of the parties did no