The Buddha advocates racial,
religious and language pluralism
by
Rohan L. Jayetilleke
In the Indian society in which the Buddha was born in
the 6th century BC there was a four-tiered case
hierarchy (Catubbannovaggo) namely, Khattiya (rulers and
nobility), Brahamana (priests, inter-mediaries between
man and gods), Vessa (merchants and trade and commerce
entrepreneurs and chiefs of guilds) and Sudra
(dark-skinned, non-Aryan lower or servant class). This
Vedic caste-system was the Indian version of racism and
class - distinction based on birth, with no upward
mobility for the merchant and servant class. This
birth-based hierarchy establishing a divisive tradition
and an exploitative social stratification the Buddha
totally rejected by the Buddha as it is spiritually and
morally retrogressive socially unjust and indispensable,
as it imposes blind acceptance and superstitious
adherence on the populace. The Buddha advocated progress
at all levels of human evolution depending on right and
clear independent thinking and on right ethical conduct.
In order to reach this objective after a six year long
arduous study by himself, the Buddha laid out the Four
Noble Truths (Truth of Suffering, Cause of Suffering,
Cessation of Suffering and the Path Leading to the
Cessation of Suffering, deathlessness or Nibbana), which
had to be traversed through the middle path of deviating
from sensuality and self-mortification, the Noble Eight
Fold Path (Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech,
Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right
Mindfulness, and Right Concentration). Thus the first
discourse of the Buddha Dhammacakkapavattana-sutta
(Rolling the Wheel of Righteousness) to his first
disciples, his erstwhile associates (Kondanna, Baddhiya,
Vappa, Mahanama and Assaji of Uruvela - modern
Dhungeswari of Eastern Champaran district of Bihar
State, still one of the most impoverished areas of
India) was neither a religion nor a philosophy but a way
of living, that could be adopted by any person, without
labelling himself as a Buddhist.
His second discourse was Anattalakkhana-sutta (The
discourse on the Not-Self Characteristic. These two
discourses produced the first sixty disciples of the
Buddha All Arahants (Noblemen morally). He addressed
these first sixty Arahants thus: �Bhikkhus, I am free
from all shackles whether human or divine. You too are
free from all shackles whether human and divine. Go now
and wander for the welfare and happiness of many, out of
compassion for the world, for the benefit, welfare and
happiness of gods and men. Teach the Dhamma that is good
in the beginning, good in the middle and good in the
end, with the meaning and the letter. Explain a holy
life that is utterly perfect and pure. There are beings
with little dust on their eyes who will be lost through
not hearing the Dhamma. Some will understand the Dhamma.
I shall go to Uruvela, Senanigama, to teach the Dhamma�
(Vinaya Mahavagga 1:7-20). Thus it is seen there was no
conversions and Buddha treated all human beings on an
equal footing. There were no castes, clans, or tribal
divides among his disciples and the laity.
In the Vedic society of the Buddha�s time, (Buddha as
Prince Siddhartha studied rights and duties of a king,
archery and other royal arts from the Brahamin
Vishwamitra) there were four stages of life of a layman.
The first stage Brahmacariya (studentship). Gruhastha
(household life of marriage and supporting a family)
Vanapravastha (entry to forest for meditative practices)
and Sannasi (wandering ascetic). Thus the Buddha
honoured the first two stages and entered upon the third
stage as a recluse. Thus the common acceptance that
Prince Siddhartha renounced household life having seen
an old man, sick man, dead body and a recluse, are later
interpolations, as a Bodhisatva aeons upon aeons he
wandered through the cycles of existences perfecting the
ten Perfections (Paramitas) of generosity (dana), Virtue
(sila), Renunciation (nekhamma), Wisdom panna), effort (viriya),
Forbearance (kshanti), Truthfulness (sacca), Reseusions
(adhitthana) Universal Love (metta) and Equanimity (upekkha),
to reach the final goal of supermundane spiritual
maturity, Buddhahood.
The Sakyans royal dynasty of Kapilavastu was the
highest. In order to bring about an equality among the
bhikkhus who hailed from various clans, races and
traditions as one without any divides, the Buddha said,�
Again, just as all the great rivers, the Ganges the
Yamuna, the Aciravati, the Sarabhu and the Mahi, give up
their former names and identities when they reach the
great ocean, and they come to be reckoned one with the
great ocean itself, so too there are these four castes,
- the noble warrior-noble khsttiyas, the brahaman
priests, the bugrgess vessas and the plebeian suddas -
and when they have gone forth from the house life into
homelessness, in the Dhamma and Discipline (Vinaya)
declared by the Blessed One, they give up their former
name and clan and come to be reckoned one with the
bhikkhus who are sons of the Sakyans, Sakkya-Putta� (Vinaya
Culavagga 9;1, Udana 5;5 and Anguttara Nikaya 8:20_).
The Buddha preached his Dhamma in Magadhi, the language
of the people of Magadhadesa (Middle Land, present Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar). This language later came to be known
as Pali (Sinhala meaning �pela� or line). The Buddha did
not walk through the entire India as there were various
languages. Even presently there are 998 dialects in
India. There were two bhikkhus called Yamelu and Tekula
living at Savatthi, and they were brothers. They were of
brahaman stick, and they had fine voices and delivery.
They asked the Blessed One: �Lord, now the bhikkhus are
of various names, of various races, variously born,
having gone forth from various clans. They spoil the
word of the Blessed One by using their own language. Let
us render the words of the Buddha into classical metre
(poetry)�.
The Buddha, the Blessed One, rebuked them.� Misguided
men (Moghapurisa), how can you say, �Let us render the
words of the Buddha into classical metre�? This will not
rouse faith in the faithless or increase faith (sardha)
in the faithful, rather it will keep the faithless
without faith and harm some of the faithful�. Having
rebuked them and given a talk on the Dhamma, he
addressed the bhikkhus thus: �Bhikkhus, the word of the
Buddha is not to be rendered into classical metre.
Whoever does so commits an offence of wrongdoing. I
allow the words of the Buddha to be learnt in one�s own
language� (Vinaya Culavagga 5: 33). Herein arises, the
question, whether �kavibana� Bodhipuja kavi (poetical
discourses and poetical works of Bodhipuja) are
completely in conflict with the Buddha�s order. Thus it
is not surprising the bhikkhu who organized Bodhipuja
kavi system was short lived, as he was committing a
great offence as discoursed by the Buddha.
In the Vedic society, the male dominated the society.
The Vedic ritual of �upanayana� the wearing of the
thread of second birth was restricted to males only.
Women were at a very low ebb. In order to equalize males
and females the Buddha said,� �A woman child, O Lord of
men may prove, even better offspring than a male; for
she may grow up wise and virtuous, Her husband�s mother
reverencing in true wife. The boy that she may bear may
do great deeds, and rule great realms, year, such a son,
of noble wife becomes his country�s guide� (Samyutta
Nikaya 1:86).
The Buddha had great regard for his former teachers as
Prince Siddartha and also later after being the Buddha
to the contemporary teachers of other religious sects.
පසෙලාස්වක
අව අටවක
අමාවක
පුර අටවක