Mahakashyapa

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Mahakashyapa (Skt. Mahākāśyapa; Tib. འོད་སྲུང་ཆེན་པོ་, Ösung Chenpo, Wyl. 'od srung chen po) — one of the principle disciples of Buddha Shakyamuni and the first of the seven patriarchs who upheld the Dharma and succeeded to the Buddha as heads of the Buddhist community. He was responsible for holding the first Buddhist council in Rajagriha. It is said he attained the state of an arhat only eight days after his first encounter with the Buddha. Mahakashyapa was known as the foremost of the Buddha's disciples in terms of ascetic discipline.

Further Reading

  • The Hundred Deeds, Part 6, 'A Story about Kāśyapa'
  • Nyanaponika Thera, The Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy (Wisdom Publications, 2003).
  • Ways of Enlightenment; Buddhist Studies at Nyingma Institute, pages 38-40. Dharma Publishing
  • Dudjom Rinpoche, The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, The Patriarchs of the Teachings, pp.432-439. Published by Wisdom Publications