Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c35.s1.1

v2.c35.s1.1

The antiquity of the Mahīśāsakas goes back to the time of the first Buddhist Council, hence its origin is anterior to that of the Mahāsanghikas. The Vinaya texts of the Theravādins (in Pāli), of the Mahīśāsakas and of the Dharmaguptakas record the differences of opinion—relating to seven rules according to the Mahīśāsakas, and eight rules according to the Dharmaguptakas—between Mahākassapa and Purāṇa of Dakkhiṇāgiri (near Rājagṛha). The Mahīśāsaka Vinaya attached special importance to the person of Purāṇa, his insistence on a second rehearsal which, according to this school, was complied with by Mahākassapa, as also the incorporation in the Vinaya of the seven rules relating to food.¹ This shows clearly that Purāṇa and his admirers and followers formed a group by themselves, though probably not yet known by the designation, Mahīśāsaka. Prof. Przyluski has discussed this in his work *Le Concile de Rājagṛha* (pp. 319 ff.) on the basis of the Mahīśāsaka and Dharmagupta Vinaya texts in Chinese.