First council: Ushering in the new tradition

Sachitra MAHENDRA

In significance, Nikini is ranked second only to Vesak, since it marks the first council of Dhamma of 500 monks. The first council plays a vital role in paving way for a new tradition - this council assembled the doctrine into one place officially for the first time in the council.

With the Buddha’s death taking place, the protection of philosophy was on tenterhooks. The monk community concerns grew worse when they started hearing anti-Buddhist opinions immediately following the shock of the news.

It was Ven. Subaddha, one monk representing anti-Buddha cults, expressed his joy asking the monk brethren not to worry about their leader’s death, hence they are free of discipline.

Ven. Subaddha’s statement and the move are noteworthy, considering what the Buddha has preached before the death. He must have obviously foreseen the situation that will follow his death. He declared that the teacher of the monk community would be the doctrine itself in his absence. Ven. Subaddha’s statement was a good signal to the responsible monk community.

It is essential to discuss the role of Ven. Kassapa in conducting the first council. He was one of the most senior disciples of the Buddha who had attained Arahathhood. One interesting fact about him is that he was physically identical with the Buddha.

Many lay disciples mistook him for being the Buddha. One reason for Ven. Kassapa’s leaving for the forest life is this physical similarity, though the major reason is that he preferred the forest over urban life.

As a senior monk, he had many roles to perform. He had to console the non-Arahath grieving monks. An Arahath does not grieve a death, because he is free of all blemishes, and is fully aware of the impermanence. Secondly he had to counter anti-Buddha cults, and the division of the community.

These anti-Buddha cults had two primary objectives; join the monk brethren and enjoy the luxuries, and tarnish the monk image. It should be dealt with intellectually - the Buddha’s way. The monks had the justifiable fear of another community division too, since it actually took place in the Buddha’s time with Ven. Devadatta’s contribution.

Ven. Devadatta laid down five conditions a monk should adhere to, of which vegetarianism is one. This is largely misunderstood in today’s context by both the Buddhists (including monks) and non-Buddhists.

The Buddha should not be misunderstood to have rejected the concept of vegetarianism. Buddha knew the practical difficulty of adhering to vegetarianism in a monk’s life. Monks depend on lay disciples and they can’t demand what they want. They should be happy with whatever they are given; this is the monk discipline.

This is not applicable to the lay person, who can decide what they eat. Ven. Devadatta’s division was dealt amiably - or rather strategically - by the Buddha. However the Buddha’s physical absence makes things harder if another division would come up.

Ven. Kassapa’s next step was summoning the monks to work out on a council to assemble the doctrine, which is declared as teacher in the physical absence of the Buddha.

However it was not that easy, as the monk community had a variety of ideas. Though Ven. Kassapa needed Ven. Ananda, the Buddha’s chief attendant and doctrine treasurer, to take place in the convention, he had two hurdles: his popularity was going down among the monks and he was only a Sotapanna (first stage of sainthood) monk with no Arahath status.

Ven. Ananda’s popularity had a blow when he persuaded the Buddha to establish nun community and secondly when he did not make the Buddha to change the decision to give up the life-span. Ven. Ananda, renowned to be a humble monk despite he had the privilege of keeping close company with the Buddha, apologised for his errors. Ven. Kassapa’s main concern was Ven. Ananda’s sainthood status.

Ven. Kassapa made the monk concentrate on the core of the doctrine. Ven. Ananda tried hard on concentrating on the doctrine over the night, and miraculously - rather obviously as he had already attained the first stage of sainthood - attained Arahath status at the crack of dawn. Ven. Ananda had the enchanting power to attract an audience, which is noted by the Buddha too. However his only Sotapanna status made him grieve the death of the Buddha.

The Buddha, however, consoled Ven. Ananda reminding him the transitory nature of beings, and the accumulation of his merits. This must have led Ven. Ananda to overcome grieving status gradually though he is still not an Arahath, and concentrate on the proceeding.

The monks had no issue in Ven. Ananda’s contribution making allowances for his memory power and Arahath status. Although the Buddha’s chief disciples, Venerables Sariputta and Moggallana, had attained Parinibbana (Arahath’s demise) by this time, the convocation had the rare privilege of the participation of 500 Arahath monks.

Some non-Buddhists have misunderstood the mission. They have the view that these councils made amendments in the doctrine, and what we have today is a revised doctrine. It is strictly not so. The doctrine was classified into Digha Nikaya, Majima Nikaya, Sanyutha Nikaya, Anguttara Nikaya and Kuddaka Nikaya, in the convention that went for three months.

Monks learnt the doctrine by heart. What we have today is a proper classification of the philosophy, thanks to the immediate-post-Buddha monk community, especially Venerables Kassapa and Ananda.