Second Buddhist Council

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The Second Buddhist Council was an early gathering of monks, traditionally dated about a century after the Buddha’s death, convened to settle disputes over monastic discipline and preserve doctrinal purity within the Buddhist community.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Buddhist council
religious assembly
aimedAt upholding the original Vinaya as understood by conservative elders
associatedWith Mahāsāṃghika faction NERFINISHED
Sthavira (Elders) faction NERFINISHED
category Buddhist councils
Buddhist monastic discipline
Events in early Buddhist history
chronologicalOrder second council after the Buddha
concerns orthodoxy of monastic practice
unity of the Buddhist sangha
convenedBy elders of the Buddhist sangha
follows teachings of Gautama Buddha
followsEvent First Buddhist Council NERFINISHED
hasApproximateDate about 100 years after the Buddha’s parinirvana
circa 4th century BCE
hasKeyFigure Revata NERFINISHED
Sabbakāmi NERFINISHED
Yasa NERFINISHED
hasOutcome deepening division between conservative and more liberal monks
precedent for later schisms in the Buddhist sangha
hasPurpose maintenance of Vinaya rules
preservation of doctrinal purity
settlement of disputes over monastic discipline
heldIn ancient India
historicityStatus partly historical and partly legendary in modern scholarship
languageContext early Buddhist Middle Indo-Aryan languages
locationTradition Vaiśālī NERFINISHED
Vesālī NERFINISHED
mainIssue acceptance of money by monks
alleged relaxation of monastic discipline
consumption of food after midday
drinking of fermented beverages
interpretation of Vinaya rules
procedures for communal decision-making
storage and use of salt
use of luxurious seats and beds
numberOfIssuesDiscussed ten points of discipline GENERATED
precedesEvent Third Buddhist Council (according to some traditions) NERFINISHED
preservedIn Theravāda tradition NERFINISHED
other early Buddhist schools’ accounts
recordedIn Pāli Vinaya NERFINISHED
various Sanskrit and Prakrit Vinaya traditions
religion Buddhism
resultedIn condemnation of certain lax practices as unlawful
reaffirmation of stricter Vinaya interpretation by the majority

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Indian Buddhism hasCouncil Second Buddhist Council