Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c12.s10.9

c12.s10.9

The history of the Buddhist church in this period was not in all appearance an undistrubed one. The church was gradually losing its unity on account of its expansion and for want of regular communication between the various distant communities. Local influences were slowly affecting their conduct and shaping them in different ways. These tendencies ultimately gave rise to different Buddhist schools. The community of Vaiśālī, as we have already seen, formed itself into a school either before the time of Aśoka or in a period when Aśoka had not yet taken up the cause of Buddhism. Under Aśoka's patronage, the Buddhist community of Pāṭaliputra, which pretended to be more loyal to the teachings of Buddha, reorganised itself and tried to check the schismatic tendency in the church. It is probably under their influence that Aśoka advised his officials to see that nobody might destroy the unity of the Saṅgha. The Sārnāth Pillar edict contains the following order of the emperor to his officers at Pāṭaliputra :