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.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Second Buddhist Council canonical 5

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Buddhist council
religious assembly
aimedAt upholding the original Vinaya as understood by conservative elders
associatedWith Mahāsāṃghika faction
linked to: Mahasamghika

Sthavira (Elders) faction
linked to: Sthavira Nikaya
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
hasApproximateDate about 100 years after the Buddha’s parinirvana
circa 4th century BCE
hasKeyFigure Revata
Sabbakāmi
Yasa
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
Vesālī
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
precedesEvent Third Buddhist Council (according to some traditions)
preservedIn Theravāda tradition
linked to: Theravada

other early Buddhist schools’ accounts
recordedIn Pāli Vinaya
various Sanskrit and Prakrit Vinaya traditions
religion Buddhism
resultedIn condemnation of certain lax practices as unlawful
reaffirmation of stricter Vinaya interpretation by the majority

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

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

Indian Buddhism hasCouncil Second Buddhist Council
Shishunaga dynasty significantEvent Second Buddhist Council
Third Buddhist Council followed Second Buddhist Council
Third Buddhist Council follows Second Buddhist Council
First Buddhist Council followedBy Second Buddhist Council