Consider the following statements regarding the Second Buddhist Council held at Vaishali: 1. It was convened under the patronage of King Kalasoka of the Shishunaga dynasty. 2. It was presided over by the venerable monk Mahakassapa to codify the Sutta Pitaka. 3. The council resulted in the permanent schism of the monastic community into the Sthaviravadins and the Mahasanghikas. Which of the statements given above are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Second Buddhist Council convened at Vaishali around 383 BCE under the royal patronage of king Kalasoka to resolve disputes concerning monastic discipline and Vinaya rules. The council was presided over by Sabakami, not Mahakassapa who presided over the First Buddhist Council at Rajgriha. The ideological rift during this assembly led to the formal division of the Buddhist order into the conservative Sthaviravadins and the progressive Mahasanghikas.