Question

Buddhism split up into the Hinayana and Mahayana sects at the Buddhist council held during the reign of:
A. Harsha
B. Kanishka
C. Ashoka
D. Chandragupta Maurya

Answer 1

Hint:
> This emperor belongs to the Kushan dynasty in the second century.
> This ruler is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements.
> Both a descendant of Kujula Kadphises as well as the founder of the Kushan empire.

Complete answer:
In order to settle disciplinary as well as doctrinal disputes, and also to revise and correct the contents of the sutras, Buddhist councils have been held on a periodic basis. The accounts and details of all of these councils are recorded in the various Buddhist texts as having started immediately after the death of the Buddha and continued in the modern period.

The early councils—for which, there is no documentary evidence beyond the sutras—are considered to be canonical events in any Buddhist tradition. However, the historicity and specificities of these councils continue to remain as a matter of dispute in modern Buddhist studies. A total of six Buddhist councils have been created.

The Fourth Buddhist Council was held in Kundalvana, Kashmir during 72 AD and was conducted under the patronage of Kushan King Kanishka. The president of the council was Vasumitra, with Asvaghosa as his successor. This council split Buddhism into two Mahayana and Hinayana sects.

The given options are as follows:

Buddhism did not split up into the Hinayana and Mahayana sects at the Buddhist council held during the reign of Harsha. Thus, Option A is incorrect.

Buddhism split up into the Hinayana and Mahayana sects at the Buddhist council held during the reign of Kanishka in AD 72. Thus Option B is correct.

Buddhism did not split up into the Hinayana and Mahayana sects at the Buddhist council held during the reign of Ashoka. Thus Option C is also incorrect.

Buddhism did not split up into the Hinayana and Mahayana sects at the Buddhist council held during the reign of the Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. Thus Option D is incorrect.

Therefore the correct answer is B

Note
The importance of the First Council of Buddhism is that 500 senior monks have adopted Vinaya-Pitaka and Sutta-Pitaka as the correct or accepted teaching of the Buddha which was to be recognised and continued by generations of nuns and monks to come.
The conquest and patronage of Buddhism by the great ruler of Kanishkha played an important role in the construction of the Silk Road and also in the transmission of Mahayana Buddhism from Gandhara to China through the Karakoram range.
The Sixth Buddhist Council was held in Kaba Aye, Yangon, Burma, in 1954. It was kept under the patronage of the Burmese government and presided over by Prime Minister U Nu. The Council marked 2,500 years of Buddhism.