Jain And Buddhist Councils

Exam-Oriented Q&A

Q1: Which council first divided the Jain canon into Angas?
Answer: The First Jain Council at Pataliputra around 300 BCE under Sthulabhadra.

Q2: Where were the Second Jain Councils held?
Answer: Simultaneously at Mathura (presided by Skandila) and Vallabhi (presided by Nagarjuna).

Q3: Who presided over the council that committed the Jain Agamas to writing?
Answer: Devarddhigani Kshamashramana at the Third Jain Council in Vallabhi.

Q4: What was the main objective of the First Buddhist Council?
Answer: To preserve the Buddha’s teachings by reciting the Sutta Pitaka (Ananda) and Vinaya Pitaka (Upāli) intact.

Q5: Which dispute led to a schism at the Second Buddhist Council?
Answer: The “Ten Points” concerning relaxed disciplinary rules for monks.

Q6: Under whose patronage and leadership was the Third Buddhist Council held?
Answer: Under Emperor Ashoka’s patronage, presided by Moggalliputta Tissa at Pāṭaliputra.

Q7: What distinguished the Fourth Buddhist Council from earlier ones?
Answer: It translated key canon texts into Sanskrit and formally recognized emerging Mahāyāna sutras.