Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c31.s1: The Story
Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c31.s1
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The Story
v2.c31.s1.1
Some of the Vajjian monks of Vesālī allowed as lawful ten rules which were not in strict conformity with the *Pātimokkha*. Yasa of Kosambi, while at Vesālī, happened to notice this and strongly protested against the same. The Vajjian monks resented this attitude of Yasa and expelled him (*ukkhepana*) from the Saṅgha. Yasa made an appeal to the laity of Vesālī, and it is said, that he had to flee to his native land. From there he tried to form a party of monks who adhered to his views. He sent messengers to the monks at Pātheyya and Avantī, and he himself went to Ahogaṅga, the residence of Sambhūta Sāṇavāsī. There he was joined by sixty theras of Pātheyya and eighty theras of Avantī, and gradually by several others. They all decided to approach Revata of Soreyya, who was then the chief of the Saṅgha. Before they could reach Soreyya, Revata started for Vesālī, and the meeting of Revata with other monks took place at Sahajāti. The Vajjian monks, in order to forestall Yasa’s plans, approached Revata at Sahajāti with robes and such other presents but failed to win him over to their side. Sāḷha of Sahajāti was at first wavering between the two parties, but ultimately he sided with Yasa. The Vajjian monks, being unsuccessful in this attempt of theirs, approached king Kālāsoka at Pupphapura, and persuaded him to believe that the monks of the western countries were making a sinister move to get possession of the Teacher’s Gandhakūṭi in the Mahāvanavihāra at Vesālī. The king at first took up their cause but later on changed his mind, it is said, at the intervention of his sister who was a *bhikkhuṇī*. The session of the Council was held at Vesālī with 700 members but as there was great uproar during the deliberations of the Council, it was decided to refer the matters to a body of referees consisting of eight members, four from the orthodox party of the west and four from the unorthodox party of the east. The Council followed the *Ubbāhikā* process as described in the *Pātimokkha*.¹ The findings of the referees, which were all against the Vesālian monks, were placed before the larger body constituting the Council and were confirmed.
v2.c31.s1.2
¹ See *Early Monastic Buddhism*, vol. I. p. 319.
v2.c31.s1.3
The Ceylonese chronicles continue the story and write that the findings were not accepted by all the Vesālian monks, some of whom held another Council and included in it all the monks whether arhats and non-arhats, and decided matters according to their own light. This assembly was called Mahāsaṅgha or Mahāsaṅgīti.
Cites (1)
- Pātimokkha — Pāli