The Fourth Buddhist Council， held in Ka/smi^ra 迦湿弥罗国during the first century BCE. This council seems to have been the conference of a particular school， the Sarva^stiva^dins 说一切有部， rather than a general council. It is thought to have been initiated from the interests of the Buddhist king Kanis!ka 迦腻色迦王， for the purpose of clarifying the Sarva^stiva^din Abhidharma. Following the suggestion of the Sarva^stiva^din scholar Pa^r/sva 胁尊者， invitations were sent to all the learned Buddhists of the time， from whom 499 were finally chosen to attend the conference.Great debates were held on various aspects of Buddhist doctrine， and especially on the Abhidharma.The conference chairperson was Vasumitra世友 （said to be assisted by A/svaghos!a马鸣）， who is said to have supervised the writing of the Maha^vibha^s!a^， a commentary on the Abhidharma.