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(between the 455th and 466th years of the Buddha) [Mahāvaṃsa, chapter 33, verse 78], at that time, those elders, together with the elders who had returned from Jambudīpa, purified the Tepiṭaka, and found not a single letter that was inconsistent. [A. Ni. Aṭṭha. 1.1.130; Vibha. Aṭṭha. 810]. And also the Mahāniddesa, which at that time was mastered by only one immoral bhikkhu, was caused to be learned by Mahārakkhita Thera from him by Mahātipiṭaka Thera. they were protected. Thus, even in a time of great difficulty, oppressed by the calamities of famine and unrest in the country, they diligently upheld the Dhamma and Vinaya. The king built a monastery called Abhayagiri and gave it to Mahātissatthera, who had previously rendered him service. But that elder, being much involved with families, was expelled by the bhikkhus of the Mahāvihāra who performed the act of banishment. Then his disciple, the elder named Bahalamassutissa, opposed that act, and so the Saṅgha performed the act of suspension on him. He, being angry with the residents of the Mahāvihāra, went to the Abhayagiri monastery and, joining with that Mahātissatthera, lived there leading a separate group. And those two elders did not return to the Mahāvihāra. From that time onwards, two sects arose in the island of Sihala: the Mahāvihāra residents and the Abhayagiri residents. This was the first cause of the decline of the Sāsana in the island of Sihala. The Origin of the Dhammaruci Sect At that time, the king, being especially pleased with the bhikkhus of Abhayagiri, honored and supported them with the four requisites. Royal ministers and other prominent people also built many monasteries in that park and elsewhere and gave them to them. Thus, the bhikkhus of Abhayagiri were respected, honored, and revered by many prominent people. Furthermore, the Abhayagiri residents, such as Bahalamassutissatthera, accepted a new Piṭaka, translated into Sanskrit, which was the Dhamma and Vinaya of the Dhammaruci sect, belonging to the Vajji-puttaka group, who had come from the Indiya country. Because of this, they also became known as Dhammarucikas. This was the second cause of the decline of the Sāsana in the island of Sihala. The Inscription of the Three Piṭakas into Books However, the residents of the Mahāvihāra accepted only the ancient, pure Piṭaka, established in the Pāli language, and preserved it by oral recitation. At that time, But the Elders, seeing the decline of mindfulness and wisdom in later people, from the time of the Buddha up to that time, began to inscribe into books the Three Piṭakas with commentaries, which had been brought by oral tradition. And as they began, dwelling in the Aloka Cave in the town of Mātula (now called Mātale) in the Malayadesa region, at a distance of sixty-eight miles from the city of Anurādhapura, they performed that work of inscribing into books, having taken the protection of a certain local provincial ruler [Mahāvaṃsa 33, verses 100-101]. By this it is known: "At that time, the Elders dwelling in the Mahāvihāra, having not received help from kings or great ministers, by their own strength alone, performed the work of inscribing the Three Piṭakas into books," and, "That was done just as, seeing the decline of mindfulness and wisdom in later people, so too, seeing its difficulty to be preserved in times afflicted by famine, national unrest, and other dangers," and also, "It was done so that it would not be confused with the accepted sectarian doctrines of the Abhayagiri dwellers." Thus, the Elders dwelling in the Mahāvihāra, so that the pure Theravāda Piṭaka would not be mixed with other sects, just as before, in the Pāli language itself, even after inscribing it into books, they preserved it well. If indeed at that time the Three Piṭakas had not been inscribed into books, in later times, suttas coming from other sects, saying "These are not ours," it would not have been easy to reject them. But since at that time the Three Piṭakas with commentaries were inscribed into books, for that very reason, in future times, suttas coming from other sects, by comparing them with those books, it is easy to reject them. Thus, indeed, during the reign of King Bhātiya (524-552 BE), for those dwelling in the Mahāvihāra, with those dwelling in Abhayagiri, a dispute arose concerning the Vinaya. At that time, the king sent a minister of Brahmin caste, named Dīghakārāyana, to the Elders. He, having heard the suttas of both, gave a decision [Pārā. Aṭṭha. 2.384]. And similarly, during the reign of King Vohārakatissa (758-780 BE), and during the reign of King Goṭhābhaya (797- 810 BE) The Theravādins, comparing with the Dhamma-Vinaya recorded in books, rejected false doctrines. [Nikāyasaṅgaha, p. 12] Origin of False Doctrines This, from the very beginning, is the origin of false doctrines, which are defilements of the Dispensation. Indeed, in King Asoka's time, other sectarians, who had been disrobed and expelled, finding no footing in the Buddha's Dispensation, overcome by anger, departed from Pāṭaliputta, assembled in Nālandā near Rājagaha, and deliberated thus: "To prevent the masses from understanding the Buddha's Dispensation, the Dhamma-Vinaya of the Sakyans must be destroyed. But this cannot be done by those who do not know their tradition. Therefore, by whatever means, we must ordain there again." Having deliberated thus, they came back. Unable to enter among the pure Theravādins, they approached the other seventeen sects, such as the Mahāsaṅghikas. Without revealing their sectarian identity, they ordained, learned the Three Piṭakas, and then distorted them. From there, they went to Kosambī, devised a plan to destroy the Dhamma-Vinaya, and in the 253rd Buddhist Era, while residing in six places, they produced nine new sects: (1) Hemavatika, (2) Rājagirika, (3) Siddhatthika, (4) Pubbaseliya, (5) Aparaseliya, (6) Vājiriya, (7) Vetulla, (8) Andhaka, (9) Aññamahāsaṅghika. [Nikāyasaṅgaha, p. 9] Their names and doctrines are indeed found in the Kathāvatthu Commentary. Among these, the Hemavatikas, presenting a counterfeit of the true Dhamma as if spoken by the Buddha, (1) made a text called Vaṇṇapiṭaka. The Rājagirikās (2) the Aṅgulimāla Piṭaka, The Siddhatthikas (3) the Secret Vessantara, The Pubbaseliyas (4) the Roar of Raṭṭhapāla, The Aparaseliyas (5) the Roar of Āḷavaka, The Vājiriyas, residents of Vajirapabbata, (6) made a text called the Secret Vinaya. All of them, also many Tantra texts like Māyājālatanta and Samājatanta, and Marīcikappa, Herambhakappa, and others. many books of the eons they made. But the Vetullavādins (7) made the Vetulla Piṭaka. And the Andhakas (8) made books like the Ratanakūṭa, And other Mahāsaṅghikas (9) made suttantas like the Akkharasāriya [in Nikāyasaṅgaha, p. 9]. Among these counterfeit good teachings, the Vetullavāda, the Vājiriyavāda, and the Ratanakūṭa Satta—only these three reached the island of Laṅkā. But the others, like the Vaṇṇapiṭaka, remained in Jambudīpa, as stated in the Nikāyasaṅgaha. However, a trace of the Vaṇṇapiṭaka and others having reached the island of Laṅkā is indeed seen. Thus, in the Samantapāsādikā Vinaya Commentary (p. 3, 9), “The Vaṇṇapiṭaka, the Aṅgulimāla Piṭaka, the Raṭṭhapāla-gajjita, the Āḷavaka-gajjita, the Gūḷhamagga, the Gūḷhavessantara, the Gūḷhavinaya, and the Vedalla Piṭaka [here it should be understood that ‘vepulla, vedalla, and vetulla’ mean one and the same thing, the name of the Bodhisatta Piṭaka. Thus, it is said by the teacher Asaṅga in the Mahāyāna text called Abhidhammasamuccaya (p. 79): ‘What is Vepulla? It is a discourse associated with the Bodhisatta Piṭaka. What is called Vepulla is also called Vedalla, and also called Vetulla. Why is it called Vepulla? Because it is established for the welfare and happiness of all beings, and because it teaches profound and noble doctrines. Why is it called Vedalla? Because it shatters all obscurations. Why is it called Vetulla? Because there is no comparison of its doctrines’] are indeed not the words of the Buddha,” it is said. And in the Sāratthappakāsinī Saṃyutta Commentary (p. 2, 186), “The Gūḷhavinaya, the Gūḷhavessantara, the Gūḷhamahosadha, the Vaṇṇapiṭaka, the Aṅgulimāla Piṭaka, the Raṭṭhapāla-gajjita, the Āḷavaka-gajjita, and the Vedalla Piṭaka are called counterfeit good teachings, not the words of the Buddha”— Their rejection is seen. For it would not have been possible for the Sinhalese commentary teachers to reject them without having heard them and without knowing their meaning, nor would that word of rejection have been from the Jambudīpa commentary teachers. to be, because they were not present at the time of Mahā Mahinda Thera's journey to the island of Sihala. Therefore, it should be understood that these and other Mahayana Pitakas mostly arrived in the island of Sihala at that time. Among them, the arrival of the Pitakas of the Dhammaruci Nikaya, which belonged to the Vajji-puttaka group, has been mentioned previously. The arrival of others should be understood as follows. The First Suppression of the Vetulla Doctrine During the reign of King Voharika Tissa (758-780 BE), the Dhammaruci Nikayikas residing at Abhayagiri, accepting the Vetulla Pitaka composed by Vetulla-vadi Brahmins disguised as bhikkhus for the destruction of the Sasana, as mentioned before, presented it as "this is spoken by the Buddha." The Theravadins residing at Mahavihara, comparing it with the Dhamma and Vinaya, rejected it as an unrighteous doctrine. Hearing this, the king sent Kapila, a minister skilled in all sciences, to conduct an inquiry. Having learned that it was not spoken by the Buddha, he burned all the Vetulla books, suppressed the wicked bhikkhus who held those views, and illuminated the Buddha's Sasana [Nikayasangaha, p. 12]. This is stated in the Mahavamsa: 36-41. "Having crushed the Vetulla doctrine, And suppressed the wicked, He, with minister Kapila, Illuminated the Sasana."