Buddhist Sangha organised three grand conventions. The first was held during the life time of Buddha himself in the Emperor’s palace. Emperor Ajatshatru bore the entire expenses of the event. It was attended by hundred of thousands of monks, nuns and other faithfuls. The year was 487 B.C.
The second convention was held at Vaishali exactly a hundred years later i.e. in 387 B.C.
The third was held in 251 B.C. in Patliputra under the aegis of Emperor Ashoka. The main aim of the convention was to settle the internal differences and fends plaguing the Sangha once for all. The messengers of Ashoka went all over the land and collected hundreds of thousands of Buddhists to take part in it.
On the seventh day, Emperor Ashoka arrived at Ashokarama temple specially created for the occasion. All the faithfuls were ordered to assemble there. Ashoka was accompanied by his own guru Thero Tiss (Upgupta).
Ashoka asked the monks, ‘‘What was the faith of benevolent Lord Buddha?’’
It was done to identify the leaders of the imposters. The leading figures were specially invited there. The leading monks replied according to their own understanding of Buddha. It took little time for Ashoka and Thero Tiss to identify the ring leaders of the imposter mobs. The imposter gurus and their mobs were at once expelled from the Sangha. They numbered 60,000.
After the expulsions Ashoka repeated his question to the remaining monks, ‘‘What is the basic principle of benevolent Lord Buddha?’’
‘‘Truthfulness,’’ the true ones said in one voice. Emperor Ashoka looked at Thero Tiss. The guru nodded his head in approval.
It pleased Ashoka. He announced, ‘‘Sangha is now cleansed of the evil elements. Now we can again celebrate ‘Uposya’. Uposya was a festival of worships celebrated by original Buddhists.
Emperor declared that Sangha would get state protection. Then he went to his palace. Sangha was again a united body and it happily celebrated the traditional ‘Uposya’.
Later, Guru Thero Tiss hold a grand meeting and selecting 1000 learned ones who had sublime knowledge of Buddhist principles to form Dharma Sabha to be presided by Guru Thero Tiss.
Guru addressed the Sabha and put at rest all the controversial issues and debates by providing the authentic explanations.
The convention was held in the 17th year after the coronation of the favoured one of the gods Priyadarshi king Ashoka, in the 9th month, eruditely presided over by 72 year old Guru Thero Tiss for the revival of the true Buddhist values and traditions.
Buddhism was again a clear spiritual force. Till then the faith only attracted royal families and upper classes of the society. But after the 3rd convention it began to attract common folk who had already grown respect for that faith due to the messages of Ashoka.
Emperor Ashoka was so committed to the Buddhism that he gave away everything he had for its cause. He even surrendered his son and the daughter to Sangha. The two went to Sri Lanka as Buddhist monk and nun to preach the faith the island country soon fell into the fold of Sangha. Ashoka sent bands of preachers to far off lands to preach Buddhism. Thus, Buddhism spread to China, Japan, South-East countries and far down Java, Sumatra and Indonesia.
Emperor Ashoka won for India half of the globe to make it the only country to conquer lands through spiritual power without sending out even a soldier.
