Except where otherwise noted, all factual information in this essay is garnered from the PÄḷi Suttas and their companion-piece, the Vinaya. In these texts we find accounts of the first months following the Buddha’s awakening (Khandhaka I, MahÄvagga, Vinaya), of the final months before his decease (Sutta 16, DÄ«gha NikÄya), of the events leading up to the First and Second Councils, together with an account of those Councils (Khandhakas XI and XIi, Cullavagga, Vinaya), and, scattered through the texts, incidental information and clues about the middle period of the Buddha’s ministry. Considerable additional information is available in texts of later date, such as the Classical Commentaries.
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