Page:History of India Vol 1.djvu/380



HISTORY OF BUDDHISM

E are told in the Chullavagga that, on the death of Gautama, the venerable Mahakasyapa proposed, "Let us chant together the Dhamma and the Vinaya." The proposal was accepted, and 499 Arhats were selected for the purpose; and Ananda, the faithful friend and follower of Gautama, completed the number five hundred.

This was the Council of Rajagriha held in the year of Gautama 's death, presumably 487, to settle the sacred text and, by chanting it together, to fix it on the memory.

A century after the death of Gautama, according to tradition, the Bhikkhus of Vaisali promulgated ten theses, which permitted, among other things, the use of unfermented liquor, and the receipt of gold and silver by Bhikkhus, or monks.

Yasa, the son of Kakandaka, a venerable Bhikkhu, protested against these licenses, and convoked a great Rh