Buddhist Schools — Landmark Events

Landmark Events

The Second Buddhist Council (Vaishali)

c. 383 BCE

This council is considered the first major schism in the Buddhist Sangha. It addressed ten points of monastic discipline (the 'Ten Points of Vaishali') which were deemed lax by…

The Fourth Buddhist Council (Kashmir, under Kanishka)

c. 1st-2nd Century CE

While its historicity is debated by Theravadins, this council, primarily patronized by the Kushan emperor Kanishka, is significant for the Sarvastivada school. It led to the…

Nagarjuna's Formulation of Madhyamika Philosophy

c. 2nd-3rd Century CE

Nagarjuna's philosophical contributions, particularly his doctrine of Shunyata (emptiness) and dependent origination (pratityasamutpada) as articulated in the…