Mahākassapa Thera was a 12th-century Sri Lankan forest monk and an abbot of Dimbulagala Raja Maha Vihara, a forest monastery outside of Polonnaruwa. [1] Mahākassapa who was well versed in Vinaya, presided over the Buddhist council convened by King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186) whose main goal was to reorganize, reform and unify the Sangha. [2] An inscription at Gal Vihara states that with Mahākassapa's advice, the council expelled hundreds of corrupt monks and unified the Sangha under one single monastic Nikaya, the Mahavihara sect. [3] Mahākassapa also wrote several works on Vinaya.
References
- ^ Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera; Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, Volume 4, Issue 4 Government of Ceylon, 1989
- ^ Richard H. Robinson, Willard L. Johnson, Ṭhānissaro (Bhikkhu.), Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction, p 151.
- ^ Chandra Richard De Silva; Sri Lanka, a history, p 80
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