The First Great Council was held at Rajagriha immediately after the passing of the Buddha, the Ven. Kasyapa presiding. The Scriptures, as then agreed, were recited by all, Ananda leading with the doctrine and Upali with the Rules of the Order. The Second was held at Vaisali about 100 years later. As only a minority upheld the original teachings and Rules the majority seceded and held a rival Council, from which schism the 18 sects of the Hinayana School were later formed. The Third Council was held in the reign of Asoka (q.v.) at Pataliputra (Patna) about 250 B.C.
Here the Canon was fixed, though not reduced to writing until the first century B.C. in Ceylon, when a Fourth Great Council was held. About A.D. 70 a Council was held in Kashmir under the patronage of King Kanishka, but as the doctrines promulgated were exclusively Mahayana it is not recognized by the Theravāda. The Fifth Council was held in 1871 at the instance of King Mindon of Burma, when the Tipitika was carved on 729 marble slabs and preserved at Mandalay. The Sixth Great Council was opened in Rangoon at Wesak, 1954, and sat until 1956 when Buddha Jayanti (q.v.) opened. Meetings held in enormous Hall built specially near Rangoon in imitation of the Saptaparna Cave (q.v.): 2,500 Bhikkhus took part in checking the entire Pali Canon.
This is the complete article, containing 228 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
