Sarv Kd 19Council of the Seven Hundred

Exposition of the Sutta on the Council of the Seven Hundred (Sattasata)

Background

The Sutta on the Council of the Seven Hundred (Sattasata) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Samantapāsādikā, and belongs to the disciplinary texts concerning the organization of great assemblies of the Sangha. It is not an independent sutta but a chapter from the Vinaya Piṭaka, reflecting important historical events in early Buddhist history.

The Council of the Seven Hundred was held in the fourth century BCE, about 236 years after the Buddha’s nirvana. It was the third of the three great councils (trisaṅgīti) organized by the Sangha to unify and verify the Dharma (Dhamma) and Vinaya. The council was held under the patronage of King Aśoka, the great Dharma-protecting king of the Maurya Empire.

Main Content

The Sattasata text recounts the gathering of seven hundred monks from throughout the empire of Aśoka to conduct a great council for the purpose of “healing” divisions in the Sangha. By this time, Buddhism had undergone several centuries of development, and some groups of monks had begun to hold different understandings and practices regarding the Dharma and Vinaya. This division was called “bheda,” a split that threatened the unity of the community.

King Aśoka, a deeply devoted Buddhist disciple, gave maximum support to this council. The most renowned monks, especially those of highest wisdom and virtue, were gathered to discuss, compare, and reaffirm the teachings. The council focused not only on reciting the discourses (Sutta), but also on verifying the entire Vinaya Piṭaka to ensure that the rules of practice were preserved intact.

Practical Meaning

The Sattasata text carries many profound lessons. First, it demonstrates that the Sangha, the community of accomplished practitioners, has the responsibility to protect and transmit the Dharma.