Which of the following Buddhist councils witnessed the formal schism of the Sangha into Sthaviravada (Theravada) and Mahasamghika?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Second Buddhist Council convened at Vaishali approximately a century after the Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha under the patronage of King Kalasoka to resolve disciplinary disputes over monastic rules. This assembly witnessed the first major schism in the early Buddhist community, permanently dividing the monastic order into the Sthaviravada and Mahasamghika factions. Subsequent councils at Pataliputra and Kundalavana further solidified sectarian developments and compiled canonical texts into the Tripitaka.