Summary history
The first classic series
Three months after the death of the Buddha, Ajata Shatru, King of India's Magadha, held a collection. The location is Qiye Cave in Haradja, Southern Buddhism. The leading monks are Mahakasyapa (Buddha Sakyamuni), Ananda (Buddha Ananda) and Mahakasyapa (Buddha Yobo). They selected 500 Upali Han from Buddhist groups to repeat what the Buddha said. Ananda, who spent the longest time with the Buddha, restated the Buddhist scriptures, and Youbo Waizun, who followed the precepts first, restated Tara. After they finished the restatement, the arhats began to check whether the meaning of the words was wrong, then restated and checked each word and paragraph together. Every Allahan reads like this, checks like this, and keeps every word in his mind. Only when a paragraph is checked and verified by all Allahan, will it be adopted by the General Assembly. This also includes where each paragraph is, when, what situation, and who the Buddha said to.
The second classic series
One hundred years after the extinction of the Buddha (in India), because Vajjian (Waji) monks did not respect the precepts, for example, asking for money or even begging for a dime when going to a temple for practice, all of them violated the precepts of the monks. These behaviors were seen by the monk group Yasa Biku. He always points out ten violations of discipline: use things with salt and salt when necessary; Eat in the afternoon; Eating in the second village that day violated the eating discipline (overeating); But he participated in Wubosatha (transliteration of Pali uposatha) in different parts of the same parish more than once. To gain illegitimate rights from the public. Give priority to habitual behavior. After dinner, use milk slurry, drink fermented juice that has not yet been fermented, sit on a cloth without a brim and collect gold and silver. These Vajjian Biku objected to Yasa's accusation and asked him to apologize to those who prohibited him from listening to Waki Biku. Asa protected his views and won people's support. This made Wakibiku even more angry and drove Yasa out of the monk group. Yasa then went to Kausambi and wrote a letter to the two generations in the west and the Biku people in the south. Yasa went to Ganga Mountain in Joni Aho to find the great Allahan Sambuta Sanavasi, told him the seriousness of the matter and asked him how to deal with it. At the same time, 60 arhats from the west and 80 arhats from the two generations and the south gathered in Ganga Mountain, Joni Aho. They elected Revata of Sahajati as the representative to deal with the problem of Wajijian Biku people, and Revata suggested solving it on the spot. So 700 Allahan held a rally in Visalli (Visa went out of town). It was the time of King carazo. The exact location is Walikarama, in the city of Visha in the 11th year of King Ka of carazo. Allahan Sabakami is the host of the meeting. After the meeting, they declared that the behavior of Wakibiku people was against discipline and was not allowed. According to Dipavamsa's records, the Biku people of the Waki nationality opposed the decision of the conference and held their own gathering, called Mahasangiti (the gathering of the popular department). Later, Waki monks broke away from the Elders' Department (Hinayana) and formed their own group, called Mahasanga (Monks' Group of the Mass Department), and they called themselves Mahasanghikas (Monks' Group of the Mass Department). So at this time, the whole Buddhist monk group was divided into two factions, one was the Presbyterian Department of primitive Buddhism or Hinayana, and the other was the newly established monk group. This collection also restates and compares the classics in the way of the first meeting.
The third classic series
In the 234th year after the death of Buddha, a rally was held in Patiriputa, India, in the time of Ashoka. Ashoka believed in Buddhism, and many pagans were attracted to join Buddhism in order to gain the support of Ashoka. Although they joined Buddhism, they still insisted on their own ideas and even described their ideas as those of the Buddha. The monks of primitive Buddhism then separated from them and refused to chant with them. So I haven't recited a spell in Patiliputta for about seven years. The number of heretics in local Buddhism has greatly exceeded the number of orthodox monks, so Ashoka asked orthodox monks to chant spells with heretics, but it was rejected. King Ashoka (Ashoka) was very troubled by this matter, so he sent a special envoy to Gunga Mountain, Joni Aho, asking Southern Buddhism MoGegal Putatiza of Arahan to relieve his domestic predicament. After several failures, Mogali Putatisa finally acquiesced. He took a boat to Patiriputa to meet Ahsoka. According to historical records, Ashoka knelt in the river and held out his right hand to show his admiration for Abraham. King Ashoka asked Mughal Tissa to show his magical power to prove that he was a Arahan, and he agreed, causing an earthquake in front of King Ashoka. This further increased Ashoka's trust in Tissa. At the suggestion of Mogaripta Tissa, Ashoka held the third exhibition of classic works. With the help of King Ashoka, 60,000 pagan monks were expelled from the monk group. Moggalputtatissa then selected 65,438+0,000 arhats to integrate Buddhism. It took Allahan nine months to finally complete the classic integration. In the third classic collection, Mogalipta Tissa wrote Kathavathupakarana (controversial point) to overthrow the wrong ideas and concepts added by pagans in Buddhism and so on. (At this time, there were 18 sects of Buddhist paganism. After the third classic, Ashoka sent missionaries to spread Buddhism everywhere. This episode is repeated and more classic in the form of the first meeting.
The fourth classic series
The fourth gathering took place in 29 BC in Tambapanni (Sri Lanka) under King Vattagamani. Mainly because there were not many monks who could record all the classics in their minds like Abraham Mahinda at that time, they decided to record the classics in words and save them for future generations. Vattagamani supported this idea, so he held the fourth collection and recorded the classics in writing. Always dictate before writing, which inevitably makes people suspicious. But this is the origin of the classics in history. At that time, there were frequent civil strife in Sri Lanka. At this time, many monks returned to South India to take refuge. Until the end of the civil strife, they returned to Sri Lanka to compare the classics with other monks, and found that all the restated classics were correct, thus verifying that the classics in their minds were accurate. This tradition of dictation and memory has never changed since the death of the Buddha. Every day, monks will repeat it and compare the correctness of the classics with each other. If there is any deviation, they will ask their elders for correct words. So the classics will be kept in the memories of countless monks, who will repeat and compare them every day to ensure the correctness of the classics. In order to ensure the correctness of the classics in the future, they decided to write them down in words. Maharakkhita, the great Arahan, and 500 Arahan restated and compared the classics in the way of the first meeting, and wrote them on the leaves (leaves). It was in a cave called Aloka lena. The conference ended successfully, and the classics were correctly recorded and carefully preserved. Since then, Ye Shu has spread and appeared in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
The fifth classic series
The fifth congress took place in 187 1 year, in the era of Mindong, the king of Myanmar, in Mandalay. Its purpose is to reiterate, verify and compare the classics to ensure that everything is correct. Led by three Arahan leaders, namely Mahayana Jagarabhivamsa, Narindabhidaja and Mahayana Sumangalasami. There are 2400 monks among them. The whole assembly lasted for five months, and the method was as rigorous as the first assembly. In this collection, Mindo wrote all the scriptures on 729 pieces of marble and built them into stupas, becoming the "biggest book" in the world. Each marble is 5 inches high, 5.5 feet long and 3.5 feet wide. The pagoda is called Kuthodaw Pagoda (the ancient capital of Myanmar): [the largest book] (the largest book in the world).
The sixth classic series
The sixth congress was held in Yangon, Myanmar on 1954 and hosted by the Myanmar government. Maha Passana Guha was built under the leadership of U Nu Nu, the Prime Minister of Myanmar, and its shape is very similar to Satta Panni Cave (seven-leaf cave) first assembled in India. After the cave was completed, the conference was held in May 17 and 1954. Just like the previous collection, the purpose of this collection is to restate and verify the classics. 2,500 elders and monks from eight different countries gathered here at the same time. These eight countries are Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Nepal. Mahasiado, a great Arahan in modern Myanmar, was in charge of the classic questions, and Bhandata Vicittasarabhivamsa answered all the questions. Since then, classics have been written in the languages of seven countries (except India). The whole process lasted for two years, including various comparisons, verifications and investigations, and was finally completed in May 2500, A.D. 1956. This classic integration is recognized as the most correct and reliable classic in history. And was certified as a Buddhist classic of the Buddha. In the sixth episode, Maha Hashi plays Maha Kaya, and Sanzang master Ming Kun plays Ananda, and collects the Five Classics (Five Classics and Five Notes) one by one through question and answer ... all by reciting. At that time, the participants of * * * came from Thailand, Laos, Ceylon, Cambodia, etc ... The monks and elders of the five major Buddhist countries, journalists and religious researchers from all over the world on the sidelines, etc ... At the beginning of the collection, the venerable Maha Bridge said to the elders: Dear monks, venerable Maha Bridge, you are knowledgeable, you can announce with the Buddha (Maha Bridge claims to be the venerable Maha Bridge)
[Edit this paragraph] Southern Buddhism, China
Yunnan Dai Buddhism and other minority Buddhism belong to the Pali language family, that is, Southern Buddhism, which has different development and characteristics from the northern Hinayana Buddhism. There are relatively complete versions of Hinayana Sutra and Sanzang in China. Fa Xian, a monk, went to Shizi country (now Sri Lanka) to copy scriptures, but it is impossible to verify whether the original version of Zaagama translated with him is Pali. In the Southern Dynasties, Qi Yongming's Interpretation of Pipa Sand (489) and DuDu's Interpretation of Taoism (5 15) both originated in the south. China legalists' four-division method of law collection department is also in the same system as the southern spread. When explaining the meaning of law, practitioners often cite the theory of "understanding the law of Viposha". China's precepts of becoming a monk were originally taught by more than ten people, including Buddhist monk Bhikuni Tiesaro. Therefore, the precepts of the Han dynasty have a deep origin with the spread to the south. There are also many similarities in doctrine. In Sanzang's Biography to the South, Xiao Buben's journey to Tibet is a collection of all kinds of paramita deeds, acknowledging that Buddhism and Taoism are different from smelling Taoism and are the first of Mahayana theories. In particular, the idea of "pure mind, infected by guest dust" is also in line with the basic idea of "containing the same life truth and preventing guest dust" in the early Zen of Nantianzhu. Modern research has found that Dharma's view of face and wall may be related to the application of the theory of spreading south from place to place. It can be seen that there is a profound and complicated relationship between Bali Buddhism in the south and Mahayana Buddhism in the Han Dynasty. Bali, a sect of Buddhism spread to the south, has historical data. In the middle of the 7th century, it was introduced from Myanmar to the Dai area in Yunnan, China. At first, there was no pagoda temple, and the classics were just passed down from mouth to mouth. 1 1 Around the century, Buddhism disappeared because of the spread of war and people's flight. After the war subsided, Buddhism spread from Mengrun (now Qingbian, Thailand) to Xishuangbanna via Jingdong, Myanmar, and then to the Buddhist scriptures written by Tairun. This is the Runpai Buddhism in the Dai area now. In addition, another Myanmar Baizhuang Buddhism was introduced to Dehong Prefecture and other places. It was not until the second year of Jingyan in the Southern Song Dynasty (1277) that the Dai language was created that the Bayeux Sutra was carved. In the third year of Ming Dynasty (1569), when Princess Jinlian of Myanmar married the 19th Xuanwei ambassador, the king of Myanmar sent a monk group to preach with Sanzang classics and Buddha statues. At first, a large number of pagodas and temples were built in Jinghong area, and many Burmese monks spread Buddhism to Dehong, Gengma, Menglian and other places, and then left-leaning Buddhism prevailed among Dai people in these areas. The classic content is the same as that of Sanzang of the Pali language family in the south, but the arrangement is slightly different. Sanzang ancient books include transliteration and annotation of Pali in Dai language, some important translations of Dai language, and a large number of works in Dai language and Brown language, including astronomy, calendar, medicine, history, poetry, legends and Buddhist stories. At present, Buddhism in Yunnan can be divided into four schools by name: Runrun School, Baizhuang School, Duolie School, Zuodi School and Babu School. Dai boys must become monks at school age, study cultural knowledge in monasteries, and return to the secular world when they are close to adulthood. Individuals who are considered outstanding can continue to study in the temple and gradually become formal monks according to their level of becoming monks. Generally speaking, the monk group can be divided into Pa (Misha), Du (Monk), (Elder Du Tong), (Elder Samoan Sect), Sinhalepo (Elder Monk King and Master, this monk group has been vacant for a long time), Pa Zhaohu (Elder Buddhist) and (Elder Monk). Or increase the Pano (Walking Boy) level before Pa and the Dulong (Sandu) level to ten after du. Promotion from Grade 5 or above is very strict, and the last two grades are only awarded to the Dai and Bulang nationalities in Xishuangbanna, becoming the highest religious leader in the region.