Book Title: Jainism in Buddhist Literature
Author(s): Bhagchandra Jain Bhaskar
Publisher: Alok Prakashan

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Page 292
________________ ( 274 ) Vesali to recite again the Dhama and the Vinaya. Seven hundred monks participated in this council. It is also therefore called Saptasatikā. The accounts of the Second Council The accounts of this council state that Yasa Thera was shocked when he came to know about the relaxing of monāstic rules and the acceptance by some monks of the ten heretical practices (dasa vatthüni)23. But as Yasa Thera opposed thcm, he was excommunicated (patisāraniyakamma). Yasa then went in search of monks who would agree with his views. He further tried to bring the dispute to a peaceful end. For this purpose Council was summoned at Vesali in Valikärīna under the presidency of Thera Revata. All these ten points were considered unlawful according to tradition. This council lasted eight months during which the Dhamma and Vinaya were discussed. The heretical monks then arranged a separate council called Mahāsamgiti making a different redaction of the Canonical literature.24 Main Sources The main sources of the second council are: (1) the cullavagga of the Vinayapitaka, (ii) Dipavamsa, (in) Malāvansa, (iv) Samanta pasadiki, (v) Hiuen Tsang's Record of Western countries (vi) Tibetan Dulva, Tárānātha's Geschichted's Buddhismus in Indien, ubersetz von Schifener, and other Chinese sources such as Fa-bian and Hiuen-Thsang's records. These sources differ in some respects, but the Cullavagga's record is the oldest one and the others appear. to be based on it. Historicity of the Council. The historicity of this council is now accepted unanimously by the scholars. Kern raised an objection saying “We could not discover in these accounts anything but dogmatic fictions for which didactic mythical stories of older times have furnisbed the materials25. But in another work he altered his conception stating "The council on Vinaya in Vaibali has an

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