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peace by the removal of suffering. What attracted people was the very practical nature of the Path-that it is clear, tangible, beneficial, easily understandable, yielding fruit here and now, in this very life, and that it leads one step-by-step towards the final goal of liberation. Because it is characterized by these qualities, it is a universal path.
The purpose of the Dhamma councils was to preserve the words of the Buddha in their pure form so that the Dhamma might not become polluted through interpolation by unscrupulous elements. The councils were necessary to safeguard and accurately preserve the teachings because the words of the Buddha were not committed to writing until the Fourth Council, more than 500 years after the Buddha's Mahāparinibbāna. When the monks joined together in these councils, they tried to maintain the purity of the monastic discipline and, in the event of disagreement, acted sincerely, in concert, to resolve it.
The following is a brief description of each of the six councils :
The First Dhamma Council was convened three months after the Mahāparinibbana of the Buddha at Rājagaha (Rajgir) under the patronage of King Ajātasattu (544 B.C.). All of the Buddha's words were collected for the first time in this Council. Ven. Mahākassapa Thera presided over the council. Ven. Upāli recited the Vinaya and Ven. Ananda recited the Dhamma. Five hundred fully enlightened, arahat-monks participated and the Council continued for seven months. In this way, the first collection of the Vinaya and Dhamma took place. It is evident from the Nidana-Katha of the Digha-Nikaya's Commentary that the term "Dhamma" has been used to denote Sutta and Abhidhamma.
The Second Dhamma Council was convened 100 years after the first one at Vāļukārāma in Vesāli under the patronage of King Kāļasoka. A major disagreement related to the Vinaya rules had arisen and the Council was convened specifically to settle it. Seven hundred monks participated and Ven. Revata Thera presided. The words of the Buddha were again recited and approved by all the participants.
The Third Dhamma Council was convened in 326 B.C. at Asokārāma at Pataliputta (Patna) under the patronage of King Dhammāsoka (better known as King Asoka). It was presided over by Thera Moggaliputta Tissa and 1,000 monks well-versed in Buddha-vacana (the words of the Buddha) participated for nine
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