Download Rehearsal/council

The six Questions
• What is …?
• When…?
• Where…?
• Why…?
• How…?
• Who…?
These six Questions are related to
the Buddhist Rehearsal (council)
What is a Rehearsal (Council)?
• Rehearsal is to preserve the original teachings of the
Buddha as accurately as possible, not allowing
anyone to alter, modify, omit, or add anything at whim.
•Rehearsal is to collect and compile of all teachings of
the Buddha word, from first until the end.
• Rehearsal is the maintenance of the word of the
Buddha is essential to the maintenance of Buddhism,
it is regarded as an absolute necessity and also an
issue of crucial importance in Buddhism to preserve
the word of the Buddha.
• Great efforts have been made to preserve the word of
the Buddha ever since the Buddha’s time, even when
he was still alive.
• Preserving the words of the Buddha is to collect the
Buddha’s teachings, classify them in such a way as to
facilitate memorization, rehearse, review them until
everything is in place, and chant them in unison, thus
showing approval for the text in question to serve as
the model to be committed word for word to memory,
them to be passed on to others and handed down to
posterity. These are called the Sańgāyana, or Sańgīti,
literally “Chanting together”
When…?
• Three months after the
Buddha's Mahaparinibbana
(passing away)
•
One hundred years later
•
In the 3rd Century B.C.
Where…?
• After Buddha’s nirvana, the dhamma and sangha
received directives from successive councils over a
period of four centuries in a democratic manner.
• Magadha king Ajatashatru organized the first Buddhist
Council taking place at the Sattapanna Guhā cave, on
mount Vebhāra, outside of Rajagaha three months after
Buddha’s mahanirvana.
• King Kalashoka convened the second council at
Vaishali.
• Emperor Ashoka patronised the third council at
Pataliputra and
• King Kaniska convened the fourth council in Ceylon
about four centuries later.
(Sańgītisutta) can be find in the Dīgha Nikaya of the Suttantapitaka.
Why…?
• The Venerable Cunda brought the news to
the Buddha. (Nigruntha Nātaputta, the
founder of Jainism)
• At that time the Venerable Sariputa, the
chief disciples, he collected the Buddha’s
teachings and expounded them, arranging
them in groups of itemized Dhamma according
to the number of items involved, ranging from
groups of one to groups of ten.
On hearing the news from a monk by name of Subhadda, who had
been ordained in his old age, and said to them, why bother to weep
at all? Isn’t it nice that the Buddha has attained his final Nibhāna?
When he was alive, he was always being very strict with us,
forbidding us to do this, telling us to do that. We difficulty being on
our guard. Now that he was passed away, we may do just as we like.
We will do whatever we like, and we’ll not do whatever we don’t like.
On hearing this, the Elder Ven. Mahakassapa thought to himself that
even as shortly after the Buddha’s final Nibhana as this, there were
already people who were intent on deviating from the doctrine and
disciplines.
How many time?
Buddhist council there are:
• the first council
Three months after the Buddha's Mahaparinibbana
• the Second council
One hundred years later, the Second Council was held to discuss some Vinaya
rules.
• the third council
In the 3rd Century B.C. during the time of Emperor Asoka, the Third Council was
held to discuss the differences of opinion among the bhikkhus of different sects.
Who..?
1
2
3
• Maha Kassapa, the most respected
and elderly monk, presided at the
Council.
• One was Ananda, the closest constant
companion and disciple of the Buddha
for 25 years. Endowed with a remarkable
memory, Ananda was able to recite what
was spoken by the Buddha.
• The other personality was Upali who
remembered all the Vinaya rules.
4
5
6
7
•The first rehearsal (council)
Magadha king Ajatashatru
•The second rehearsal
King Kalashoka
•The third rehearsal
Emperor Ashoka
•The fouth rehearsal
and king Kaniska
World Religions for
World Peace
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2 3 4 5
6
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The third rehearsal
By Venerable Moggaliputta Tissa
Abhidhamma Pitaka was included at this Council.
After the Third Council, Asoka's son, Ven. Mahinda,
brought the Tripitaka to Sri Lanka, along with the
commentaries that were recited at the Third Council.
The texts brought to Sri Lanka were preserved until
today without losing a page.
Conclusion
To understanding the
six questions that
relate to Buddhist
council and the three
basket of Tripitaka.