What anomosity? (On Mr. Malaiya's comments)

[Guest guest]

> The rejection of the varNa system and the hierarchy by Buddha

> is explained by Ambedkar.

> http://www.ahrchk.net/pub/mainfile.php/demo_and_hope/100/

 

Ambedkar's words is to be taken with a BIG pinch of salt as he had a

huge chip on his shoulder and a particular axe to grind.

 

With regards the attitude of the Buddha towards the varna systems all

these points should be borne in mind :

 

· In the Ambatta Sutta we find the Buddha scorned as a lower caste

kshatriya by a Brahmin. The Buddha in response points out to the

Brahmin that while the Brahmin was born of a wedlock between a

Brahmin and a lower caste woman, the Buddha's ancestors resorted even

to incest to preserve the purity of the race of the Saakhyaas! Thus

the Buddha declares himself to be superior to the Brahmin.

 

· The practical implication of the doctrine of karma itself is that

one is born in a higher caste due to the virtues of past lives. The

Buddha himself admits that to be born as a Brahmin in a spiritually

conducive environment reflects a life of dharma lived in past lives.

 

· Nowhere in the dialogues of the Buddha do we find him declaring all

castes to be equal - nor is it supposed to be so even after they join

the Buddhist order. In the Nikhaayas we find brahmin disciples of the

Buddha addressed as brahmins even after they have joined the sangha.

 

· Even after the Buddha, his followers in many instances have harped

on his "royal" birth to assert the validity of their religion - quite

like Jainism it is a regular practice in Buddhist literature to

assert the superiority of the kshatriya caste over the Brahmin caste.

 

· The Jaatakaas too assert that the Buddha in all his past and future

existences will be born only as a Brahmin or a kshatriya and never in

a caste lower than these two. Even the future Buddha-to-be -

Maitreya - is to be born a brahmin.

[Guest guest]

>In the Ambatta Sutta we find the Buddha scorned as a lower caste

>kshatriya by a Brahmin. The Buddha in response points out to the

>Brahmin that while the Brahmin was born of a wedlock between a

>Brahmin and a lower caste woman, the Buddha's ancestors resorted

>even to incest to preserve the purity of the race of the

>Saakhyaas! Thus the Buddha declares himself to be superior to

>the Brahmin.

 

See earlier posting,

INDOLOGY/message/210

 

The ancient Tamil religion employed priests who are

called am-taNan, am-paTTan, am-paNavan. Nowadays, amtaNan

is taken as brahmins. But, studying the ancient sangam texts

reveals that the term "antaNan2" does not refer to Veda chanting

priests all the time.

CTamil/message/632

CTamil/message/611

 

Regards,

N. Ganesan