Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c23.s7.1

v1.c23.s7.1

We have indicated above the number of works that preserve the tradition of the Council. Some of them are no doubt reiteration of the earlier ones but the fact remains as pointed out by Minayeff that these earlier ones on account of their unanimity must have a common tradition as their basis. To dismiss this as fictitious was rather too bold on the part of Prof. Oldenberg and it is strange that a number of scholars accepted Oldenberg's dictum until Prof. La Vallée Poussin challenged it. Prof. Oldenberg's conclusion is based mainly on the fact that in the *Mahāparinibbāna-sutta* the motive of the Council is given but not a word about the session of the Council.