First Jain council
Topic: Buddhism, Jainism and Heterodox Traditions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The first Jaina council was a meeting of Jaina monks held at Pāṭaliputra (modern Patna) in c. the third century BCE. Sthūlabhadra presided over it. Jaina scriptures were then passed on by memory, and tradition says they were being forgotten after a long famine in Magadha. The council gathered the teachings and compiled the twelve Aṅgas, the main sacred texts.
Example
According to tradition, a twelve-year famine struck Magadha in the time of Chandragupta Maurya. Bhadrabāhu led many monks south to Karnataka, while Sthūlabhadra stayed behind in Magadha. The monks who stayed met at Pāṭaliputra to put the Aṅgas together. Disagreements between the two groups later helped cause the split into Śhvetāmbaras and Digambaras.
Don't confuse with
- Second Jaina council (Vallabhī): it was held in Gujarat in the fifth century CE, where the Śhvetāmbara canon was finally written down. The first council only compiled the texts, which were still passed on orally.
- Buddhist council at Vesāli: this was a meeting of Buddhist elders after the Buddha's death to compile his teachings. It was not a Jaina council.
Related concepts
- Jainism
- Tirthankara
- Rishabhanatha
- Parshvanatha
- Mahavira
- Kevala jnana
- Ahimsa
- Karma
- Five vows of Jainism
- Aparigraha