The time of the death of Sakya-muni, like most Oriental dates, is uncertain.  The Northern Buddhists, in Thibet, Nepaul, etc., vary greatly among themselves.  The Chinese Buddhists are not more certain.  Lassen, therefore, with most of the scholars, accepts as authentic the period upon which all the authorities of the South, especially of Ceylon, agree, which is B.C. 543.  Lately Westergaard has written a monograph on the subject, in which, by a labored argument, he places the date about two hundred years later.  Whether he will convince his brother savans remains to be seen.

Immediately after the death of Sakya-muni a general council of his most eminent disciples was called, to fix the doctrine and discipline of the church.  The legend runs that three of the disciples were selected to recite from memory what the sage had taught.  The first was appointed to repeat his teaching upon discipline; “for discipline,” said they, “is the soul of the law.”  Whereupon Upali, mounting the pulpit, repeated all of the precepts concerning morals and the ritual.  Then Ananda was chosen to give his master’s discourses concerning faith or doctrine.  Finally, Kasyapa announced the philosophy and metaphysics of the system.  The council sat during seven months, and the threefold division of the sacred Scriptures of Buddhism was the result of their work; for Sakya-muni wrote nothing himself.  He taught by conversation only.

The second general council was called to correct certain abuses which had begun to creep in.  It was held about a hundred years after the teacher’s death.  A great fraternity of monks proposed to relax the conventual discipline, by allowing greater liberty in taking food, in drinking intoxicating liquor, and taking gold and silver if offered in alms.  The schismatic monks were degraded, to the number of ten thousand, but formed a new sect.  The third council, held during the reign of the great Buddhist Emperor Asoka, was called on account of heretics, who, to the number of sixty thousand, were degraded and expelled.  After this, missionaries were despatched to preach the word in different lands.  The names and success of these missionaries are recorded in the Mahawanso, or Sacred History, translated by Mr. George Turnour from the Singhalese.  But what is remarkable is, that the relics of some of them have been recently found in the Sanchi topes, and in other sacred buildings, contained in caskets, with their names inscribed on them.  These inscribed names correspond with those given to the same missionaries in the historical books of Ceylon.  For example, according to the Mahawanso, two missionaries, one named Kassapo (or Kasyapa), and the other called Majjhima (or Madhyama), went to preach in the region of the Himalayan Mountains.  They journeyed, preached, suffered, and toiled, side by side, so the ancient history informs us,—­a history composed in Ceylon in the fifth century of our era, with the aid of works still more ancient;[104]