ordination of women; monastic code; prophecy; First Council; disappearance of the dharma
摘要
At the First Council, held shortly after the Buddha’s passage into nirvāṇa, Ānanda was charged with several crimes, including failing to ask the Buddha what he meant “minor rules,” encouraging the Buddha to ordain women, and failing to ask the Buddha to extend his lifespan. This essay examines each of these charges, asking whether their historical analysis might provide an avenue for the continuing evolution of the dharma.
