Elder Revata was one of the Elders who took a prominent part in the Second Buddhist Council. His other name was Soreyya Revata. He lived in Soreyya, and, on discovering (by means of his divine ear) that the orthodox monks, led by Sambhūta Sānavāsī and Yasa Kākandakaputta, were anxious to consult him, Revata left Soreyya, and, traveling through

Sankassa Sankissa (also Sankasia, Sankassa and Sankasya) was an ancient city in India. The city came into prominence at the time of Gautama Buddha. According to a Buddhist source, it was thirty leagues from Savatthi.''Dhammapadatthakathā'', iii, 224 Af ...

, Kannakujja,

Udumbara ''Ficus racemosa'', the cluster fig, red river fig or gular, is a species of plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to Australia and tropical Asia. It is a fast-growing plant with large, very rough leaves, usually attaining the size of a lar ...

and Aggalapura, reached Sahajāti. There the monks met Elder Revata and consulted him regarding the "Ten Points which were practiced by Vajjiputian monks." #Storing salt in a horn. #Eating after midday. #Eating once and then going again to a village for

alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of virtue or Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving, and it is a widespread p ...

. #Holding the

Uposatha The Uposatha ( sa, Upavasatha) is a Buddhist day of observance, in existence from the Buddha's time (600 BCE), and still being kept today by Buddhist practitioners. The Buddha taught that the Uposatha day is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind ...

Ceremony with monks dwelling in the same locality. #Carrying out official acts when the assembly was incomplete. #Following a certain practice because it was done by one's tutor or teacher. #Eating sour milk after one had his midday meal. #Consuming strong drink before it had been fermented. #Using a rug which was not the proper size. #Using gold and silver. He enquired into these, and, after condemning them as wrong, decided to end the dispute. The Vajjiputtakas, too, had tried to win Revata over to their side, but on failing to do so, persuaded Revata's pupil, Uttara, to accept robes, etc., from them, and speak to his teacher on their behalf. Uttara did this, but was dismissed by Revata as an unworthy pupil. Revata suggested that the dispute should be settled in Vesāli, and the monks having agreed, he visited Sabbakāmī, who was the oldest monk then living and a pupil of

Ānanda Ānanda (5th4th century BCE) was the primary attendant of the Buddha and one of his ten principal disciples. Among the Buddha's many disciples, Ānanda stood out for having the best memory. Most of the texts of the early Buddhist '' Sutta-Pi� ...

. Revata himself was a pupil of Ānanda and had seen the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

during the night, and talked to him on matters of doctrine. During the conversation, Sānavāsī arrived and questioned Sabbakāmī regarding the Ten Points, but the latter refused to express an opinion in private. On Revata's suggestion, a jury of eight, four from either side, was appointed to go into the question. Revata himself was a member of this jury, and he it was who questioned Sabbakāmī during the meeting, held in Vālikārāma, regarding the Ten Points. All the Ten Points were declared to be wrong, and, at the end of the questions, seven hundred monks – chosen from one hundred and twelve thousand, at the head of whom was Revata – held a recital of the

Dhamma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for ''d ...

, which recital therefore came to be called Sattasatī ("Seven Hundred"). This recital lasted for eight months. It gives an account of this Council, which account differs in numerous details. In both accounts it is Revata who takes the most prominent part in settling the dispute. The introduces Kālāsoka as the patron of the Second Council. it would appear from the Dpv. account that the

heretics Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

refused to accept the decision of Revata's Council and separated off, to the number of ten thousand, forming a new body called the Mahāsanghikas.

Notes

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References

*Tr.Horner,IB.The Book of the Discipline vol-v (Culavagga)London:Luzac& Company Ltd,1952.

External links

Account of the Second Council from the Mahavamsa
Buddhist monks