I came across the following articles and found them very interesting.
As such, I thought it would be good to reproduce it here to share with everyone.
It's with regards to the councils that were held to 'preserve' The Buddha's Teachings after HIS passing to PariNibbana.
And it's the 2nd council, which was held about 100 years after HIS PariNibbana which I find most interesting,
Cos it's during this council that a split among the monastics came about.
Apparently, the purpose of this (2nd) council was to settle a disagreement that had arisen between a group of monks and the Elders of The Order.
This group of monks resented the authority of The Elders and wanted greater freedom in the application of the rules of discipline which many of The Elders considered to be breaches of The Disciplinary Code - The Vinaya - set down by The Buddha.
As such, at the council, a discussion took place and the practices of these monks were found and declared to be unacceptable.
The monks, however, refused to accept the decision, and proceeded to hold their own council instead,
And called themselves The Great Community - Mahayana -
Because they felt that they were sympathetic to the concerns of the majority of the ordinary monks and the lay community, and had their support.
Interestingly, during The Buddha's time, something similar happened. (See Dhammapada verse 163 below).
It is little wonder The Buddha foresaw such an event (Read "The Future" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2008/11/future.html)
And told/explained to one of His Arahant Disciples, Venerable Maha Kassapa that
'It's the WORTHLESS people in the 4 assemblies (i.e. monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen) that cause the disappearance of The (True) Dhamma'.
(Read 'Will The (True) Dhamma 'Vanish'? - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2010/06/will-true-dhamma-vanish.html)
Now you know why I say 'interesting'?
Shame Shame.
THE FIRST COUNCIL
King Ajatasattu sponsored the First Council.
It was convened in 544 B.C. in the Satiapanni Cave situated outside Rajagaha three months after The Buddha had passed away.
A detailed account of this historic meeting can be found in the Cullavagga of the Vinaya Pitaka.
According to this record the incident which prompted the Elder Mahakassapa to call this meeting was his hearing a disparaging remark about the strict rule of life for monks.
This is what happened.
The monk Subhadda, a former barber, who had ordained late in life, upon hearing that The Buddha had died,
Voiced his resentment at having to abide by all the rules for monks laid down by The Buddha.
Many monks lamented the passing of The Buddha and were deeply grieved,
However, the Elder Mahakassapa heard Subhadda say:
"Enough your Reverences, do not grieve, do not lament. We are well rid of this great recluse (The Buddha).
We were tormented when he said, 'this is allowable to you, this is not allowable to you'
But now we will be able to do as we like and we will not have to do what we do not like.'
Mahakassapa was alarmed by his remark and feared that the Dhamma and the Vinaya might be corrupted and not survive intact if other monks were to behave like Subbhada and interpret the Dhamma and the Vinaya rules as they pleased.
To avoid this he decided that the Dhamma must be preserved and protected.
To this end after gaining the Sangha's approval he called to council four hundred and ninety-nine Arahants and Ananda.
With the Elder Mahakassapa presiding, the five-hundred monks met in council during the rainy season.
The first thing Mahakassapa did was to question the foremost expert on the Vinaya of the day, the Venerable Upali on particulars of the monastic rule.
This monk was well qualified for the task as The Buddha had taught him the whole of the Vinaya, himself.
First of all the Elder Mahakassapa asked him specifically about the ruling on the first offence (parajika), with regard to the subject, the occasion, the individual introduced, the proclamation, the repetition of the proclamation, the offence and the case of non-offence.
Upali gave knowledgeable and adequate answers and his remarks met with the unanimous approval of the presiding Sangha.
Thus the Vinaya was formally approved.
The Elder Mahakassapa then turned his attention to Ananda in virtue of his reputable expertise in all matters connected with the Dhamma.
Happily, the night before the Council was to meet, Ananda attained Arahantship.
The Elder Mahakassapa, therefore, was able to question him at length with complete confidence about the Dhamma with specific reference to The Buddha's sermons.
This interrogation on the Dhamma sought to verify the place where all the discourses were first preached and the person to whom they had been addressed.
Ananda, aided by his word-perfect memory was able to answer accurately and so the Discourses met with the unanimous approval of the Sangha.
The First Council also gave its official seal of approval for the closure of the chapter on the minor and lesser rules, and approval for their observance.
It took the monks seven months to recite the whole of the Vinaya and the Dhamma and those monks sufficiently endowed with good memories retained all that had been recited.
This historic first council came to be known as the Pancasatika because five-hundred fully enlightened Arahants had taken part in it.
THE SECOND COUNCIL
The Second Council was called one hundred years after the Buddha's Parinibbana in order to settle a serious dispute over the 'ten points'.
This is a reference to some monks breaking of ten rules.
They were given to:
- Storing salt in a horn.
- Eating after mid-day.
- To eating once and then going again to a village for alms.
- Holding the Uposatha Ceremony with monks dwelling in the same locality.
- Carrying out official acts when the assembly was incomplete.
- Following a certain practice because it was done by one's tutor or teacher.
- Eating sour milk after one had had his mid-day meal.
- Drinking strong drink before it had been fermented.
- Using a rug which was not the proper size.
- Using gold and silver (i.e. money).
Their misdeeds became an issue and caused a major controversy as breaking these rules was thought to contradict The Buddha's original teachings.
King Kalasoka was the Second Council's patron and the meeting took place at Vesali due to the following circumstances.
One day, whilst visiting the Mahavana Grove at Vesali, the Elder Yasa came to know that a large group of monks known as the Vajjians were infringing the rule which prohibited monk's accepting gold and silver by openly asking for it from their lay devotees.
He immediately criticized their behaviour and their response was to offer him a share of their illegal gains in the hope that he would be won over.
The Elder Yasa, however declined and scorned their behaviour.
The monks immediately sued him with a formal action of reconciliation, accusing him of having blamed their lay devotees,
The Elder Yasa accordingly reconciled himself with the lay devotees,
And at the same time, convinced them that the Vajjian monks had done wrong by quoting The Buddha's pronouncement on the prohibition against accepting or soliciting for gold and silver.
The laymen immediately expressed their support for the Elder Yasa and declared the Vajjian monks to be wrong-doers and heretics saying,
"The Elder Yasa alone is the real monk and Sakyan son. All the others are NOT monks, NOT Sakyan sons."
The stubborn and unrepentant Vajjian monks then moved to suspend the Venerable Yasa Thera without the approval of the rest of the Sangha, when they came to know of the outcome of his meeting with their lay devotees.
The Elder Yasa, however escaped their censure and went in search of support from monks elsewhere,
Who upheld his orthodox views on the Vinaya.
Sixty forest dwelling monks from Pava and eighty monks from the southern regions of Avanti who were of the same mind,
Offered to help him to check the corruption of the Vinaya.
Together they decided to go to Soreyya to consult the Venerable Revata as he was a highly revered monk and an expert in the Dhamma and the Vinaya.
As soon as the Vajjian monks came to know this, they also sought the Venerable Revata's support by offering him the four requisites which he promptly refused.
These monks then sought to use the same means to win over the Venerable Revata's attendant, the Venerable Uttara.
At first he too, rightly declined their offer but they craftily persuaded him to accept their offer,
Saying that when the requisites meant for The Buddha were not accepted by him,
Ananda would be asked to accept them and would often agree to do so.
Uttara changed his mind and accepted the requisites.
Urged on by them he then agreed to go and persuade the Venerable Revata to declare that the Vajjian monks were indeed speakers of the Truth and upholders of the Dhamma.
The Venerable Revata saw through their ruse and refused to support them.
He then dismissed Uttara.
In order to settle the matter once and for all, the Venerable Revata advised that a council should be called at Valikarama with himself asking questions on the ten offences of the most senior of the Elders of the day, the Thera Sabbakami.
Once his opinion was given it was to be heard by a committee of eight monks, and its validity decided by their vote.
The eight monks called to judge the matter were the Venerables Sabbakami, Salha, Khujjasobhita and Vasabhagamika, from the East and four monks from the West, the Venerables Revata, Sambhuta-Sanavasi, Yasa and Sumana.
They thoroughly debated the matter with Revata as the questioner and Sabbakami answering his questions.
After the debate was heard the eight monks decided against the Vajjian monks and their verdict was announced to the assembly.
Afterwards seven-hundred monks recited the Dhamma and Vinaya and this recital came to be known as the Sattasati because seven-hundred monks had taken part in it.
This historic council is also called the Yasatthera Sangiti because of the major role the Elder Yasa played in it and his zeal for safeguarding the Vinaya.
The Vajjian monks categorically refused to accept the Council's decision and in defiance, called a council of their own which was called the Mahasangiti / Mahayana.
- http://www.mahindarama.com/e-tipitaka/buddhist-councils.htm
The Dhammapada verse 163
EVIL IS EASY BUT GOOD IS DIFFICULT
Sukarani asadhuni - attano ahitani ca
Yam ‘ve hitan ca sadhun ca - tam ve parama dukkaram.
Easy to do are things that are evil and NOT beneficial to oneself,
But very very difficult indeed, to do is that which is beneficial and good.
XII:7 The Story of Schism in The Order
One day, when The Buddha was giving a discourse in the Veluvana monastery,
Devadatta came to him and suggested that since The Buddha was getting old, the duties of the Order should be entrusted to him (Devadatta);
But The Enlightened One did not accept his proposal and Devadatta felt very insulted.
From that time, he felt very bitter.
He even tried to kill The Buddha, but all his attempts failed.
Later he tried another tactic.
This time, he came to him and proposed five rules of discipline for the bhikkhus to observe throughout their lives.
He proposed
(i) that the bhikkhus should live in the forest;
(ii) that they should live only on food received on almsrounds;
(iii) that they should wear robes made only from pieces of cloth collected from rubbish heaps;
(iv) that they should reside under trees; and
(v) that they should not take fish or meat.
The Buddha did not have any objections to these rules and did not restrict those who were personally willing to observe them,
But for various valid considerations, He was not prepared to introduce these rules of discipline as binding laws on the Order in general.
Devadatta claimed that the rules proposed by him were much better than the existing rules of discipline, and some new bhikkhus agreed with him.
One day, on being questioned by The Enlightened One,
Devadatta admitted that he was trying to create a schism in the Order.
Devadatta was advised that it was a very serious misdeed,
But he paid no heed to the advice.
Later, Devadatta informed Venerable Ananda that from that day onwards he would observe all his religious activities and perform monastic duties separately from the Order instituted by The Buddha.
Ananda then reported the matter to The Master.
On hearing this, The Buddha reflected,
"Devadatta is committing a very serious misdeed in dividing the Sangha Community, and he will have to suffer for his evil intention."
Then The Enlightened One said,
'For a virtuous person, it is easy to do good deeds and it is difficult to do evil;
But for an evil one, it is easy to do evil and difficult to do good.
Indeed, it is easy to do something which is NOT beneficial,
But it is very difficult to do something which is good and wholesome.’
Then Devadatta, followed by a group of bhikkhus, broke off from the Order, and went to Gayasisa.
However, the two Chief Disciples, Sariputta and Moggallana, were able to make many of those bhikkhus realise their mistakes and they returned to The Buddha.
* * * Read :
1) "Saving Others" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2008/07/saving-others.html
2) "Why Like That?" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2009/11/why-like-that.html
3) "Will The (True) Dhamma 'Vanish'?" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2010/06/will-true-dhamma-vanish.html
4) "Why Are There So Few Arahants?" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-are-there-so-few-arahants-ie-fully.html
5) "How Much Is 'True'?" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-much-is-true.html
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"It is useless pretending to forget the power of Kamma,
Or pretending that one is superior to The Buddha.
One who does so is sure to be cornered by his own foolish pretensions and assumptions."
- Venerable Ajahn Mun
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" 知错 能/肯 改，还不用紧；
帕的是, 知错却不肯改；
更糟的是，不知错也不肯改."
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"From corrupt Dhamma comes corrupt discipline;
Corrupt discipline, corrupt Dhamma."
- The Buddha
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"Any loose act, any corrupt practice,
A life of dubious holiness -
NONE of these is of much benefit."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 312
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"A gathering of bhikkhus that does not respect one another (or others),
Or that does not behave in accordance with The Dhamma and The Vinaya (Discipline Code) appointed to be their Teacher in my place,
CANNOT be called The Tathagata's bhikkhus.
They are FALSE bhikkhus, ONLY pretending to be real ones."
- The Buddha
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"And for ignorant minds, vanity and self-delusion always do them a world of harm.
Their greatness lies in body, birth, name, rank or self-importance.
But NEVER did their wisdom grow correspondingly large so that it would be conducive to bliss and peace,
Both for themselves and for others.
Worse still, wisdom is often neglected and forgotten.
This is why there is so much trouble and turmoil everywhere."
- Venerable Ajahn Mun
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"ONLY by following The Buddha's instruction and mode of practice, will a mind then be able to see BOTH The Dhamma and The Buddha."
- Venerable Ajahn Maha Boowa Nanasampanno
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"Gotami, the teachings of which you may know,
'These teachings lead
To Dispassion, NOT to passion;
To being Unfettered, NOT to being fettered;
To Shedding, NOT to accumulating;
To Modesty, NOT to self-aggrandisement;
To Contentment, NOT to discontent;
To Seclusion, NOT to entanglement;
To Aroused Persistence, NOT to laziness;
To being Unburdensome, NOT to being burdensome';
You may definitely hold,
"This is The Dhamma, this is The Vinaya, this is The Teacher's instruction."
- The Buddha. Anguttara Nikaya VIII.53
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"For the sake of others' welfare,
However great,
Let NOT one neglect one's own welfare.
Clearly perceiving one's own welfare,
Let one be intent on one's own goal."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 166
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"It is IMPOSSIBLE for a person NOT having realised Meditation, Wisdom, The Path, Fruition and Nibanna himself to teach and lead others to such realisation and Attainment."
- Venerable Ajahn Mun
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"The kammic rewards of providing physical requisites for an Arahant are so great
That donors who provide them are amply repaid for their gift.
Although those who seek Arahantship are sometimes (unfairly and wrongly) criticized as“selfish” for pursuing their goal,
In actual fact one of the motivations for their pursuit is that it offers great rewards to their supporters.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu
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“’Contemplatives, contemplatives’: That is how people perceive you.
And when asked, ‘What are you?’
You claim that ‘We are contemplatives.’
So, with this being your designation and this your claim,
This is how you should train yourselves:
'We will undertake & practice those qualities that make one a contemplative,
That make one a brahman [Arahant],
So that our designation will be true and our claim accurate;
So that the services ofthose whose robes, alms-food, lodging, and medicinal requisites we use
Will bring them great fruit & great reward;
And so that our going forth will NOT be barren,
But fruitful & fertile.’” — MN 39
- The Buddha, Majjhima Nikaya 39
