Unit Three: The Second and Third Buddhist Councils

The Second Buddhist council also occupies an important place in the history of Buddhism, not because it was conducive to the solidity of Buddhism but because it paved the way to split the united Sangha into divisions. It was started not as a rehearsal of the teachings of the Buddha but as a disciplinary procedure against the misconducts adopted by a certain faction of Buddhist monks. It was held after a hundred years of the passing away of the Buddha at Vālukarāma of Vesāli with the participation of a thousand Arahants, according to Cullavagga.