Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c12.s10.5

c12.s10.5

Although the story of the second council in its present form is a garbled version and does not give a faithful picture of the event, it, however, seems that it had a historical basis. A Vinaya council had certainly been held at Vaiśālī and its session might have been necessitated by the arbitrary conduct of the local monks, but the time when it was held cannot be fixed with any amount of certainty. It is not impossible that it was held during the earlier part of the reign of Aśoka. This council led to the first schism in the church and the foundation of the Mahāsānghika school.