Buddhist Councils of Ancient India

After the Buddha's death, Buddhist councils were convened over the period of time to recite approved texts of scriptures and to settle doctrinal and disciplinary disputes. 

First Buddhist Council

Soon after the Buddha’s death in the fifth century BC the first Buddhist Council (sangiti) was held at Sattapanni cave near the Magadhan capital of Rajagriha (modern Rajgir, Bihar state of India). It was convened 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. 

This council was held under the patronage of the king Ajatashatru with the monk Mahakasyapa, who presided over the assembly.

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 around 383 B.C. Vaishali in Bihar became the venue for the second Buddhist council which was convened to settle a serious dispute over the 'Ten Points’.  This is a reference to claims of some monks breaking ten rules. It is at Vaishali council where schism raised its head. Since either of the parties did not come to terms with each other, the council ended in a permanent schism of the Buddhist church into orthodox Sthaviravadins , or “Believers in the Teaching of the Elders” and Mahasanghikas or “Members of the Great Community”.

Third Buddhist Council
The third council was held at Patliputra (modern Patna, capital of Bihar ) under the patronage of Great Mauryan Emperor Asoka, 236 years after the death of Buddha. Presided over by the scholar monk Moggaliputra Tissa, the council was participated in by one thousand monks. The third Buddhist Council resulted in the expulsion of several heretics.

This council achieved a number of other important things. Moggaliputta Tissa, in order to keep heresies at bay and ensure the Dhamma was kept pure, composed a book called the Kathavatthu in which he disproved the wrong opinions and theories of a number of sects.

Fourth Buddhist Council
The fourth Council was held during the reign of Kanishka of Kushan Dynasty in Kashmir under the leadership of elder Vasumitra and the great scholar Asvaghosha. Here at this council Savastivadin doctrines were codified in a summary, the Mahavibhasa ("Great Exegesis"). The convening of this council led to the division into two broad sects, namely the Mahayana (great Vehicle ) and the Hinayana (lesser Vehicle). According to Buddhist tradition, another fourth Buddhist council was also held at Tambapanni at Alu Vihara in Sri Lanka in 29 B.C. under the patronage of King Vattagamani Abhaya (29–17 bc).  

Dragon Palace Temple

The Dragon Palace Temple is a Buddhist temple at Kamptee in Nagpur. 2024 marks the  25th anniversary of Dragon Palace Temple. 

Built in 1999 by the contribution from the Japan-based Ogawa Society, Dragon Palace Temple is a pilgrimage site for the Buddhists. 

Kasyapa Matanga And Dharmaratna

White Horse Temple In Luoyang, China / Image Credit

In the 1st century AD, Buddhism was introduced to China by Kasyapa Matanga, an Indian Buddhist monk who traveled  from India to Luoyang in Imperial China with another Indian monk, Dharmaratna or Gobharana. 

Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty constructed the White Horse Temple or Bai Ma Temple in 68 CE in the Han capital Luoyang in honour of these two Indian monks. White Horse Temple is reputed as the first Buddhist temple in China. These two monks learned Chinese and translated several Buddhist books, the first of which was the Sutra of 42 Sections Spoken by Buddha.

Ajita Kesakambali, One of the Six Heretics

Six Heretical Teachers / Image Credit 

A contemporary of the Buddha in the 6th century BC, Ajita Kesakambalin (“Ajita of the Hair-blanket)  is one of the Six Heretical Teachers who were opposed to his teachings. The other five were Pūraṇa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla, Pakudha Kaccāyana, Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta and Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta). 

According to Buddhism, Ajita Kesakambalin was a heretic whose beliefs were challenged and refuted by the Buddha who is said to have performed feats of levitation and other miracles (known as the Twin Miracle) due to challenge from these rivals. 

Ajita Kesakambalin is the earliest known proponent of complete materialism. He taught that pleasure is the chief end of life. According to him, “When the body dies both fool and wise alike are cut-off and perish. They don’t survive after death.”

According to Buddhist sources, Ajita founded a sect of monks. He is depicted as an ascetic dressed in human hair. Hence the name 'Ajita Kesakambalin'

It is not possible to pinpoint the exact influence of the tenets of Charvaka or Lokayata, as the materialist schools were called. However, they have been condemned in no uncertain terms in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina literature of the period. 

Sometimes these references contain an undertone of fear. This goes to show that Ajita was certainly one of the chief rivals to these sects for the allegiance of the adherents of this period.

 

Kushinagar: Where the Buddha Breathed his last

Located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Kushinagar is one of the world's most sacred sites of Buddhism. Kushinagar’s claim to fame lies in being the place where Buddha breathed his last, the event known in the Buddhist tradition as paranibbana (Mahaparinirvana) which is considered to have taken place in 483 BC. 

Kushinagar has an antiquity of centuries. Buddha himself declared Kushinagar as one of the four most sacred places. However, unlike Sravasti, Champa, Rajagraha, Saketa, Kausambi and Varanasi, Kusinagar was not an important city during Buddha’s time. This can be ascertained form Buddha’s disciple Ananda’s regret that his master chose to die in so small town as Kusinagar.

Kusinagar was visited by the Buddha several times before his death. 

Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana came at the age of eighty. After spending the last rainy season of life near the city of Vaishali, he and his followers reached the town of Pava where he took a meal at the house of his lay disciple, Cunda. Soon after he was attacked by blood dysentery but he continued his journey till he reached the outskirts of Kushinagar town where he laid himself down under a sal tree and that night he attained Mahaparinirvana (Final Blowing- out). His last words were: “All composite things decay. Strive diligently!”  

After paying homage to the remains of the Buddha, his sorrowing followers cremated his body. His relics were distributed among various claimants including the Magadhan ruler Ajatashatru.

Ananda was with the Buddha at the time of latter's death.     

Places to see in Kushinagar

                                        Mahaparinirvana Temple / Wikimedia Commons  

Mahaparinirvana Temple

The Mahaparinirvana Temple is home to a 6.10 meter long fifth century AD statue of the reclining Buddha. The idol is made of the sandstone of Chunar, about 25 miles south-west of Varanasi. 

Nirvana Stupa

Discovered by Carlyl in 1876, the huge brickwork Nirvana Stupa stands behind the Mahaparinirvana Temple at a height of 2.74 meters. A copper vessel bearing an inscription in Brahmi script states that Buddha's relics had been placed here.

Ramabhar Stupa

1.5 km away from Mahaparinirvana Temple, the Ramabhar Stupa marks the spot where the Buddha was cremated. Rising to a height of 15 meters, the Stupa is referred to as 'Mukut-Bandhan Chaitya' in ancient Buddhist texts. 

Other places of attractions in and around Kushinagar are Japanese Temple, Chinese Temple, Kushawati Temple and Kushinagar Museum.

How to Reach Kushinagar

Air: Nearest major airport to Kushinagar is at Varanasi which is connected by flights from major cities in India. Varanasi is 260 km away from Kushinagar. Other airports close to Kushinagar are at Gorakhpur and Lucknow which are 53 km and 252 km away respectively from Kushinagar. 

Rail: Kushinagar does not have a Railway Station. The nearest railheads are at Deoria and Gorakhpur which are 35 km and 53 km away from Kushinagar. Gorakhpur railway station is well connected by rail with all the major railway stations in India. 

Road: Situated on National Highway No. 28, Kushinagar is well connected with important places in Uttar Pradesh by frequent bus services.