Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c30.s1.1

v2.c30.s1.1

The names of monks and the geographical information as furnished by the accounts of the Second Council throw interesting light on the extent of the area which came under the influence of the Buddhist church. The leading monks of the time were counted as eight, viz., Sabbakāmī, Sāḷha, Revata, Khujjasobhita, Yasa, Sambhūta Sāṇavāsī, Vāsabhagāmika and Sumana.¹ The first six were disciples of Ānanda, and the remaining two of Anuruddha. Ānanda died during the latter part of the reign of Ajātasattu, and so the age of his disciples at the time of the Second Council exceeded, in any case, 90 years. Sabbakāmī was then the Saṅghatthera but Revata was the recognised leader. In the Sanskrit tradition, Sambhūta Sāṇavāsī gets more prominence as he, according to this tradition, was selected by Ānanda as the monk to take charge of the religion after him. In the Chinese traditions, he is shown as taking the leading part in the deliberations of the Council. The Vesālians were monks of the eastern countries (*pācinakā*) so also were Sabbakāmī, Sāḷha of Sahajāti,² Khujjasobhita and Vāsabhagāmika.¹ In Buston's account, Sabbakāmī is said to have been residing at Vesālī. Hiuen Tsang tells us that Khujjasobhita belonged to Pāṭaliputra while Sāḷha came from Vesālī. It will be observed that Sāḷha of Sahajāti or Vesālī was at first in an indecisive mood. King Kālāsoka also like Sāḷha was at first in favour of the Vesālians, but later on, at the intervention of his sister Bhikkhunī Nandā, he changed towards the Westerners. In the early history of Buddhism, Vesālī is described as a town seething with non-Buddhistic thinkers and as a centre of the followers of Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta, hence it is quite in keeping with the traditions of the country that non-orthodox Buddhists should find a footing there.