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on to a select committee comprising four members from the
warring groups. These groups finally upheld the ten points
against the Vrli monks, who however did not accept the
decision. This resulted in the secession of a large number
of monks from the original group and termed themselves as
the Mahasanghikas, members of a large group which perhaps
claimed superiority in numbers or in its eagerness in reform-
ing the existing state of affairs of the Buddhist organisa-
tions and improving upon the conservative attitude of the
orthodox group of monks who called themselves Sthavirav盲dins
or Theravadins.
During the second and the third centuries after the
death of the Buddha, new subdivisions in the Buddhist order
gradually came into being. There arose as many as eighteen
sects out of the original two groups, Mahasanghikas and
Sthavirav膩dins, by the time of Third Council. This Third
Council, took place during the reign of A艣oka at Pataliputra.
As the records of the Sarvastiv膩da of Jalandhar reveals,
this council took place at Jalandhar during the reign of
Ka峁噄ska, who became a patron of the group, Sthavirav盲dins
that spread far and wide in northern India.
While thus various sects were coming into being,
there developed another cult, Mahay膩nism, in the early
centuries of the Christan era. N膩garjuna and Maitreyan膩th
had been the earliest exponent of its philosophy.
The Mah膩y膩nists claim that they had received their
doctrines and philosophy directly from the Great Master who