Aspirant Academy
ENHI

RAS question

The Fourth Buddhist Council was held in Kashmir under King Kanishka. Who presided over it?

Correct answer: (A) Vasumitra.

Vasumitra presided over the Fourth Buddhist Council held in Kashmir under King Kanishka.

  1. (A)

    Vasumitra

  2. (B)

    Moggaliputta Tissa

  3. (C)

    Ashvaghosha

  4. (D)

    Nagarjuna

Explanation

The answer is Vasumitra because the Kashmir council under Kanishka is specifically linked with his presidency. The Fourth Buddhist Council was held at Kundalvana in Kashmir around 72 CE, under Kanishka, with Vasumitra presiding and Ashvaghosha as vice-chairman. The EBSCO account identifies the council as held in Kashmir under King Kanishka and states that Vasumitra, from the Sarvastivadin school, became president. Under his leadership, the council members prepared commentaries on the Tipitaka, while the wider significance of the council lies in its association with the rise of Mahayana Buddhism and the formal division from Hinayana in the exam tradition.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (B) Moggaliputta Tissa belongs to the Third Buddhist Council, so choosing him confuses the Ashokan council with Kanishka's Kashmir council.
  • (C) Ashvaghosha is linked with the Fourth Buddhist Council, but he served as vice-chairman, not president.
  • (D) Nagarjuna was an important Mahayana philosopher, but he is not identified as the president of Kanishka's Fourth Buddhist Council.

Concept

This tests the Buddhist councils within ancient Indian history: patron, venue, presiding scholar and doctrinal outcome. RAS repeats it because these councils connect political patronage, Buddhist textual traditions and the Hinayana-Mahayana division in one compact factual frame.

Source

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