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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.

To be Continued next week

බිනර පුර පසළොස්වක

බිනර පුර පසළොස්වක පෝය සැප්තැම්බර් 26 වන දා බදාදා පූර්ව භාග 04.28 ට ලබයි.
27 වන දා බ‍්‍රහස්පතින්දා පූර්ව භාග 01.14 දක්වා
පෝය පවතී.
සිල් සමාදන්වීම සැප්තැම්බර් 26 වන දා බදාදාය.

මීළඟ පෝය ඔක්තෝබර්
03 වන දා බදාදාය
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Second Quarterඅව අටවක

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