1. The Pali Tipitaka
After the passing away of the Buddha at Kusinara, the disciples had assembled to pay their last homage to him. The Venerable Mahi Kassapa, the chief of the congregation, was delivering words of consolation to the bereaved assembly, reminding them of the declaration of the Buddha-"It is the very nature of all things near and dear to us that we must divide ourselves from them." Subhadra, a monk who had received ordination in an advanced age, however, did not look gloomy. He took a perverted view of the situation and spoke: "Do not grieve, brothers, for now we are definitely released from the restraint of the Great Teacher and his too rigid discipline. While the Teacher lived, we were constantly rebuked for failing to observe the hard rules; but, now we are at liberty to do as we please; therefore, do not grieve." These words sounded a note of warning against the future possible distortion of the Dhamma at the hands of faithless members of a similar category. The Venerable Maha Kassapa felt an urgent need for convening a Grand Council of the leading Elders of the Sangha to make a full collection of the teachings, and also to adopt means for their right preservation and transmission to posterity. He addressed the Bhikkhus thus:-"Come, friends, let us chant together the Dhamma and the Vinaya..." The Venerable Mahā Kassapa drew a list of five hundred names of the topmost disciples to be appointed as members of the Council. At first, the name of the Venerable Ananda was left out in view of the fact that he had not attained Arhathood till then. But, as no one else in the Sangha had the privilege of listening to the Teacher so very closely and for such a long period of time, his participation was deemed necessary and important. He was, consequently, asked to go to a suitable abode and develop insight, so as to become an Arhat and be able in time to join the Council. King Ajatasattu made necessary arrangements for the accommodation convenience of the convention at Rajagaha, a favourite resort of the Teacher himself. A spacious beautiful pavilion was raised for the meeting at the entrance of the Sattapanni cave, on the northern side of the Vebhara Hill, Venerable Ananda made the best efforts to train himself in developing insight. He kept walking up and down for the whole night absorbed in deep meditation; and, early in the morning, as he was going to stretch himself on the bed, his feet had left the ground and the head had not reached the pillow, at that moment, as if by a flash of light, darkness was dispelled and the sublime light of sainthood dawned upon him. And, through his miraculous super-human power of an Arhat, he appeared all of a sudden on his appointed seat in the hall, as if emerging out of the ground, exactly as the proceedings were going to be started.
With the permission of the Sangha, Venerable Mahā Kassapa asked Upâli questions on Vinaya, relating to the different monastic transgressions; the matter, the occasion, the individuals concerned, the principal rules (pannatti), the amended rules (anupaññatti) and all other details about them. In this, the Vinaya text was agreed upon and settled. Then, again, with the permission of the Sangha, he asked Ananda questions on the Dhamma; the occasion of a sermon, and the person or persons with reference to whom it was preached.
The commentary, Atthakathā, of a much later date, assumes that the Abhidhamma Pitaka was also included in the collection of the Dhamma, and that the Tipitaka, as it is available to us, was finalised at this very stage.
A century after the passing away of the Buddha, a great controversy arose in the Sangha concerning the interpretation of some Vinaya rules. This necessitated the holding of the Second Council at Vesali. Seven hundred leading Elders from distant parts of the country assembled to take part in it; and they had drawn up a new edition of the Scripture, resulting in the fixing up of the Pițakas, Nikāyas, Angas and Dhammakkhandhas³.
A century after, when King Asoka embraced Buddhism and gave patronage to its propagation, the richly furnished monasteries became centres of attraction even for the members of other sects. They donned the yellow robe, either by proper ordination or stealthily, and went about as Bhikkhus enjoying the privileges and honour given to them. They could not, however, leave their own inclinations behind, and began to twist and distort the Doctrine in their own ways. This led to a state of confusion, and it became difficult to distinguish the true principles from the coloured ones.
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