Mod 4: The Second Buddhist Council at Vaishali (c. 383 BCE) โ the Ten Points, the Seven Hundred Monks and the First Great Schism
Concept
7.7 The Second Council
๐ซ School level ยท NCERT Class 6โ12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Vaishali, Kalashoka, Sabakami and 700 monks
About a hundred years after the Buddhaโs death, a quarrel over monastic discipline led to the Second Buddhist Council at Vaishali (c. 383 BCE), held in the Valikarama (Valukarama) monastery under the patronage of Kalashoka. Because 700 monks took part, it is also called the Sattasatika (โof the seven hundredโ).
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year | c. 383 BCE (100 years after the parinirvana) |
| Place | Valikarama, Vaishali |
| Patron | Kalashoka (Kakavarna) |
| President | Sabakami (Sarvakami), the oldest monk |
| Leading figures | Yasa (Kakandakaputta), who raised the issue; Revata of Soreyya |
| Members | 700 monks |
| Issue | Ten points (dasa vatthuni) of Vinaya practised by Vajjian monks |
| Result | Ten points declared unlawful; the Sangha split into Sthaviravada and Mahasanghika |
- Second Council c. 383 BCE, Valikarama, Vaishali; patron Kalashoka; president Sabakami; 700 monks.
- Raised by Yasa Kakandakaputta; Revata of Soreyya.
- Question: Who presided over the Second Council? Answer: Sabakami (Sarvakami).
- Question: Where was it held? Answer: Valikarama, Vaishali.
MCQs
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Question 1: Who presided over the Second Buddhist Council held at Vaishali in 383 BCE under Emperor Kalashoka?
[School] The Second Buddhist Council was held at:
[BPSC level] The Second Buddhist Council is usually dated to about:
[BPSC level] How many monks took part in the Second Council?
[UPSC level] The monk who saw Vajjian monks accepting gold and silver and raised the issue was:
[BSSC pattern] The monastery where the Second Council met was:
[UPSC level] The Second Council was mainly concerned with:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who presided over the Second Council?
Sabakami (Sarvakami).Where was it held?
Valikarama, Vaishali.Concept
7.8 The ten points and the schism
๐ซ School level ยท NCERT Class 6โ12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Sthaviravada and Mahasanghika
- Singilona-kappa โ carrying salt in a horn for later use.
- Dvangula-kappa โ eating after noon while the sunโs shadow is within two fingersโ breadth.
- Amathita-kappa โ drinking unchurned buttermilk after meals.
- Jalogi-kappa โ drinking unfermented palm wine.
- Jatarupa-rajata โ accepting gold and silver (money) โ the most serious point.
The Pali chronicles (Dipavamsa) say the defeated Vajjian monks held their own โGreat Councilโ (Mahasangiti) of 10,000 monks, and so the Mahasanghika school began. Other sources (Sarvastivada and Mahasanghika texts) place the split a little later, over the โfive pointsโ of Mahadeva about the nature of the arhat, or over additions to the Vinaya. Many scholars today think the first schism followed the Second Council by some decades rather than happening at it. For exams, the standard answer remains: the Sangha split into Sthaviravadins and Mahasanghikas after the Second Council.
Three of the four Buddhist councils were held in Bihar: the First at Rajagriha, the Second at Vaishali and the Third at Pataliputra. Only the Fourth met outside (Kundalvana, Kashmir, under Kanishka).
- Ten points incl. salt in a horn, eating after noon, gold and silver.
- Schism: Sthaviravada vs Mahasanghika (Mahasangiti); research: perhaps later (Mahadevaโs five points).
- Question: Into which two groups did the Sangha split? Answer: Sthaviravadins and Mahasanghikas.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] The most serious of the ten points disputed at the Second Council was:
[UPSC level] โSingilona-kappaโ, one of the ten points, allowed monks to:
[BPSC level] After the Second Council the Sangha divided into:
[UPSC level] According to the Dipavamsa, the defeated Vajjian monks held their own assembly of 10,000 monks called the:
[UPSC level] Many modern scholars link the Mahasanghika split also with:
[School] How many of the four Buddhist councils were held in present-day Bihar?
[BSSC pattern] The Second Council is also called โSattasatikaโ because of:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Into which two groups did the Sangha split?
Sthaviravadins and Mahasanghikas.Concept
๐ฏ UPSC ยท BPSC ยท BSSC ยท State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Buddhist councils table; origin of Mahasanghika |
| BPSC | Place, patron, president of the Second Council |
| BSSC / SSC | Match councils with places and kings |
The Second Buddhist Council was held at: (a) Rajagriha (b) Vaishali (c) Pataliputra (d) Kashmir
- Rajagriha โ First (Ajatashatru, Mahakassapa); Vaishali โ Second (Kalashoka, Sabakami); Pataliputra โ Third (Ashoka, Moggaliputta Tissa); Kashmir โ Fourth (Kanishka, Vasumitra).
- President of the Second Council = Sabakami; Yasa raised the issue; Revata guided the debate.
- Mahayana did not arise at the Second Council โ it developed centuries later (around the Kushana age).
- 700 monks at the Second Council; 500 at the First; 1,000 at the Third.
Model question: โThe Second Buddhist Council was about discipline, not doctrine.โ Discuss. Points: ten points of Vinaya; Yasa and the Vajjian monks; role of Kalashoka; result and the Mahasanghika schism; later doctrinal splits; significance of Vaishali.
- Councils: Rajagriha (I), Vaishali (II), Pataliputra (III), Kashmir (IV).
- Question: Did Mahayana arise at the Second Council? Answer: No โ centuries later.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[State PSC pattern] The Second Buddhist Council was held at which place?
[UPSC level] Which set of councilโpatronโpresident is correct?
[BSSC pattern] Revata, prominent at the Second Council, came from:
[UPSC level] Which statement is NOT correct?
[BPSC level] The decision of the Second Council on the ten points was that they were:
[School] The Mahasanghikas are often seen as forerunners of:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Did Mahayana arise at the Second Council?
No โ centuries later.