Exploring the Path - Pāli Course

The Paṭhamasāmaññasutta once more facilitates repeating from memory, but adds what are called the ‘fruits of a sāmañña’, that refer to the four steps of entering into the experience of nibbāna. The differences between these different steps are explained as the removal, elimination and leaving behind of at least three of the ten ‘fetters’, first the ‘lower’ ones (orambhāgiyānaṃ saṃyojanānaṃ) and then the ‘higher’ ones (uddhambhāgiya saṃyojanānaṃ).³

While uniformity up to the second council had been maintained amongst the Bhikkhus, the Mahāvaṃsapāḷi refers to them as Theravādo.⁴

… Yā mahākassapādīhi, mahātherehi ādito;
katā saddhamma saṅgīti, theriyāti pavuccati.
Ekova theravādo so, ādivassasate⁵ ahu;⁶
aññācariyavādātu,⁷ tato oraṃ ajāyisuṃ⁸…

According to the Mahāvaṃsapāḷi, the ‘true Dhamma’, that was arranged in the beginning by Mahākassapa and other great Theras, was called ‘That of the Theras’ (Theravāda). The Theravādins, also called ‘southern Buddhists’ as they dwelled in the south of India, remained united for the first one hundred years, after that teachings of other teachers were produced. The first great split after the second council was the base for further separations, divisions, partitions and disconnections.⁹

The Mahāsaṅgitas resided in the beginning mainly around Vesāli and continued to maintain their doctrine which they translated into Sanskrit. It is said that soon further fractions amongst the Mahāsaṅgitas arose. But also the Theravādins, then called ‘orthodox Bhikkhus’, who maintained their oral tradition in Pāli are described of having divided into different groups. From all is reported that they moved to various places to spread the teaching. The tradition of wandering monks slowly shifted into permanent residences around certain monasteries and areas and the schools were partly named according to the place of their residence.¹⁰

The Mahāvaṃsapāḷi presents the picture at the time of King Asoka by summarizing:

… Theravādena saha te, honti dvādasimepi ca;
pubbe vuttachavādā ca, iti aṭṭhārasā khilā.
Sattarasāpi dutiye, jātā vasassate iti;
aññācariyavādā tu, tato oramajāyisuṃ.¹¹ …

… Together with those from the Theravādins they are twelve,
With those mentioned previously they make up eighteen.
So in the second century arose seventeen groups,
And even more teachings of other teachers arose afterwards. …

By this time¹² King Asoka had met the pious and tranquil Bhikkhu Nigrodha who had preached to him on request the Appamādavagga:

… sambuddhadesitaṃ dhammaṃ, sāmaṇeramapucchitaṃ.
Tassappamādavaggaṃ so, sāmaṇero abhāsatha;
taṃ sutvā bhūmipālo so, pasanno jinasāsane. …¹³

Here the devotion of the ‘Master of the earth’ (bhūmipālo) in the ‘Sāsana of the Conqueror’ (pasanno jinasāsane) deepened and his support for the spread of the Dhamma increased. He made use of his enormous wealth to build many pagodas and vihāras and to subsidize the Bhikkhus generously. This was the time when more and more ‘unworthy’, disreputable heretics of different sects seem to have entered the Saṅgha by donning robes in order to gain their revenue. The Dīpavaṃsa and the Saddhammasaṅgaha describe the scene as such:

… vihīna lābhasakkara hutvā antamaso ghāsacchādanam¹⁴ pi alabhantā lābhasakkāraṃ¹⁵ patthayamānā sayam eva muṇḍe¹⁶ katva kāsāyāni acchādetvā vihāresu vicaranta uposathādhikammaṃ pi pavisanti. …

… 228 years after the passing away of the Sammasaṃbuddha all heretics being deprived of honour and patronage so they didn’t get enough to eat and tried to receive the coveted honour and patronage, cut off their hair, dressed themselves in yellow robes, went about the monasteries and even entered the assemblies during the Uposatha times. …

Therefore the foremost and fully enlightened Thera Moggaliputta Tissa decided to depart from his disciples to stay all by himself in solitude during the next seven years further up the Gaṅga at the Ahogaṅga-mountain:

… Uddhaṃ gaṅgāya ekova, ahogaṅgamhi pabbate;
vihāsi sattavassāni, vivekamanubrūhayaṃ.¹⁷ …¹⁸

and no further Uposatha ceremony was held as the number of unworthy, unruly (dubbaccattā) monks had increased:

… Titthiyānaṃ bahucattā ca, dubbaccattā ca bhikkhavo;
tesaṃ kātuṃ na sakkhiṃsu, dhammena paṭisedhanaṃ.¹⁹
Teneva jambudīpamhi, sabbārāmesu bhikkhavo;
sattavassāni nākaṃsu, uposatha pavāraṇaṃ …

… Because the great number of disruptive monks were
Unmanageable and could not be restrained by the Dhamma,
The Bhikkhus did not perform the ceremony of Uposatha,
Nor that of Pavāraṇā²⁰ for seven years in any of the parks of Jambudīpa.²¹ …

When this came to the attention of King Asoka, he tried to improve the situation by instructing his minister to go to the splendid Asokārāma and take care that the ceremony of Uposatha be carried out:

… Taṃ sutvā mahārājā, dhammāsoko mahāyaso;
ekaṃ amaccaṃ pesesi, asokārāmamuttamaṃ.
Gantvādhikaraṇaṃ²² etaṃ, vupasamma uposathaṃ;
kārehi bhikkhusaṅghena, pamārāme tuvaṃ iti. …

The Bhikkhus refused to hold the ceremony in this kind of false and deceitful company.  Finally the King called upon the remote living Thera Moggaliputta Tissa’s counsel and then adhered to his proposition to rid the Saṅgha of all heretical monks. The King arranged an assembly of Bhikkhus in their full number: kāresi bhikkhusaṅghassa, sannipātamasesato — and himself questioned the monks thus gathered about the teachings of the Buddha with the Thera Moggaliputta Tissa checking on the replies.

… Kiṃvādī sugato bhante, iti pucchi mahīpati;
te sassatādikaṃ diṭṭhiṃ,²³ byākariṃsu yathāsakaṃ.
Te micchādiṭṭhike sabbe, rājā uppabbājāpayī.²⁴ …

All those who expressed wrong views were thus exposed and expelled from the Saṅgha. In this way the Bhikkhu Saṅgha was purified and cleansed of spurious heretics who proclaimed and held wrong views. King Asoka got thrilled once he found out about those who held right views and confirmed with Thera Moggaliputta Tissa that their replies were in conformity with the teaching of the Buddha:

… Apucchi dhammike bhikkhū, kiṃvādī sugato iti;
vibhajjavādī²⁵ tāhaṃsu, taṃ theraṃ pucchi bhūpati,
vibhajjavādī sambuddho, hoti bhante’ti āha so. …

So it happened that after that questioning during the seventeenth year of the reign of King Asoka under his protection the Third Council was initiated. Thera Moggaliputta Tissa headed the proceedings during the next nine months at the Asokārāma and chose one thousand monks with higher achievements of the six higher knowledges, well versed in the Tipiṭaka for the traditional recitation and compilation of the Dhamma and the Vinaya (akā saddhamma saṅgahaṃ):

… Thero aneka saṅkhamhā, bhikkhusaṅghā visārade;²⁶
chaḷabhiññe²⁷ tepiṭake, pabhinnapaṭisambhide.²⁸
Bhikkhusahassaṃ uccini,²⁹ kātuṃ³⁰ saddhammaṃ saṅgahaṃ;
tehi asokārāmamhi, akā³¹ saddhamma saṅgahaṃ. …

The Elder Moggaliputta Tissa, in order to refute a number of heresies and to ensure the Dhamma was kept pure, compiled a book during the council called the Kathāvatthu.³² This book consists of twenty-three chapters, and is a collection of discussion (kathā) and refutations of the heretical views held by various sects on philosophical topics:

… Mahākassapatthero ca, yasatthero ca kārayuṃ;
yathā te dhamma saṅgītiṃ, tissattheropi taṃ tathā.
Tathāvatthuppakaraṇaṃ,³³ paravādappamaddanaṃ;³⁴
abhāsi tissatthero ca, tasmiṃ saṅgīti maṇḍale.
Evaṃ bhikkhusahassena, rakkhāyasoka rājino;
ayaṃ navahi māsehi, dhamma saṅgīti niṭṭhitā. …

Thus the Third Council, to which thousand Bhikkhus contributed and held under the protection of King Asoka terminated after nine months. For the generations thereafter and of today the most significant achievement of this Third Council was one which was to bear fruit for centuries to come. Again it is said that the great earth approved of the upkeep of the Dhamma by giving a sign at the conclusion of this significant event (saṅgīti pariyosāne, akammittha mahāmahī). It was King Asoka’s errand of sending forth fully enlightened well versed Theras as ‘messengers of the Dhamma’ (dhammadūtas) to the neighbouring countries to spread the Dhamma beyond the limits of India. For this mission India later was known to be Visvaguru, the ‘teacher of the world’.³⁵

Understanding this wholesome decision and the immeasurable benefits millions of beings derived thereof one can easily understand the benevolent wish of the great Sayagi U Ba Khin to pay back the debt of gratitude towards India.³⁶