Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pat Macpherson, Sheldon S., Crystal Quintero, Wisdom Quarterly translation of the Assalāyana Sutra (MN 93) based on Ven. Thanissaro (Geoffrey DeGraff)
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| The Buddha, a magnificent statue in Theravada Thailand (Baddoguy/flickr.com). |
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| Pythia inspired by pneuma (Collier) |
Moses, that Bible guy played by Charleton Heston, was from Egypt? Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, known by the acronym the “Rambam,” 1135-1204, was a codifier, philosopher, communal leader, and court physician to Sultan Saladin of Egypt and the author of a commentary on the Mishnah, the Book of Mitzvot, Mishneh Torah, the Guide to the Perplexed, and many other works) calls Moses "the most perfect human being," and the sages of the Talmud said that "the Divine Presence spoke from his throat.
Moses sees bush burning on hill.
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The Sutra
Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One (the Buddha) was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, in the generous multimillionaire's monastery. On that occasion 500 Brahmins from various provinces were visiting Savatthi on business. And the thought occurred to them, "This wandering ascetic Gautama [the Buddha] prescribes purification for all four castes. Now who is able to dispute with him on this matter?"
On that occasion the Brahmin student Assalayana was staying in Savatthi. Young, with head shaved, 16 years old, Assalayana was a master of the Three Vedas with their vocabularies, liturgy, phonology, etymology, and histories. Skilled in philology and grammar, he was fully versed in cosmology and in the marks of a great man.
The thought occurred to the Brahmins, "This Brahmin-student Assalayana is staying in Savatthi... He is able to dispute with the wandering ascetic Gautama on this matter."
So the Brahmins went to the Brahmin-student Assalayana and said to him, "Master Assalayana, this wandering ascetic Gautama prescribes purification for all four castes. Come and dispute with him on this matter."
The Brahmin-student Assalayana said to the Brahmins: "Sirs, the wandering ascetic Gautama is one who speaks Dharma. And those who speak Dharma are hard to dispute with. I cannot dispute with him on this matter."
A second and a third time the Brahmins asked him adding, "You have lived the life of a wanderer. Do not be defeated without being defeated in battle."
When this was said, the Brahmin-student Assalayana said to the Brahmins: "Sirs, apparently, I do not get leave from you (to avoid the matter), so at your bidding I will go."
A Question of Race
The Brahmin-student Assalayana then went with a large group of Brahmins to the Blessed One, exchanged courteous greetings with him, and sat respectfully to one side. Sitting there he said:
"Master Gautama, the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste; every other caste is inferior. Only Brahmins are the fair caste; every other caste is dark. Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma [the supreme creator God of the Brahmins]: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.' What does Master Gautama have to say with regard to that?"
"But, Assalayana, the Brahmins' Brahmin-women are plainly seen having their periods, becoming pregnant, giving birth, and nursing. Yet the Brahmins, being born through the birth canal, say: 'Brahmins are the superior caste; every other caste is inferior. Only Brahmins are the fair caste; every other caste is dark. Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
Upward mobility
"What do you think, Assalayana? Have you heard that in Yona* (Bactria) and Kamboja (Kambojaka) and other outlying territories [in Central Asia/Scythia west of their location in Savatthi near the Kingdom of Magadha] there are only two 'castes' -- masters and slaves -- and that having been a master one (can) become a slave, and that having been a slave one (can) become a master?"
"Yes, Master Gautama..."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says sp, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
Virtue
"What do you think, Assalayana? Is it only a noble warrior [kshatriya caste member] who -- taking life, taking what is not given (stealing), taking advantage (engaging in sexual misconduct), taking liberties with the truth (perjury/telling lies), speaking divisively, speaking harshly, engaging in chatter, being greedy, bearing thoughts of ill will, and holding wrong views [these are collectively known as the Ten Courses of Unwholesome Conduct] -- on the breakup of the body, after death, reappears in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, even in hell, and not a Brahmin?
"Is it only a merchant [caste member]...? Is it only a worker [caste member] who -- taking life, taking what is not given, taking sexual advantage, taking liberties with the truth, speaking harshly, engaging in idle chatter, being greedy, bearing thoughts of ill will, and holding wrong views -- on the breakup of the body, after death, reappears in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, even in hell, and not a Brahmin?"
"No, Master Gautama. Even a noble warrior... Even a Brahmin... Even a merchant... Even a worker... (Members of) all four castes -- if they take life, steal, engage in sexual misconduct, tell lies, speak divisively, speak harshly, engage in idle chatter, are greedy, bear thoughts of ill will, or hold wrong views -- on the breakup of the body, after death, reappear in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, even in hell."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"What do you think, Assalayana? Is it only a Brahmin who -- refraining from taking life, stealing, sexual misconduct, perjury, speaking divisively, harshly, idly, from being greedy, bearing thoughts of ill-will, or from holding wrong views -- on the breakup of the body, after death, reappears in a good destination, a heavenly world, and not a noble warrior, not a merchant, not a worker?"
"No, Master Gautama. Even a noble warrior... Even a Brahmin... Even a merchant... Even a worker... (Members of) all four castes -- if they refrain from taking life...wrong views -- on the breakup of the body, after death, reappear in a good destination, a heavenly world."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"What do you think, Assalayana? Is it only a Brahmin who is capable of developing in any direction a heart of good will -- free from animosity, free from ill will -- and not a noble warrior, not a merchant, not a worker?"
"No, Master Gautama. Even a noble warrior... Even a Brahmin... Even a merchant... Even a worker... (Members of) all four castes are capable of developing in any direction a heart of good will -- free from animosity, free from ill will."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"What do you think, Assalayana? Is it only a Brahmin who is capable of taking a loofah and bath powder, going to a river, and scrubbing off dust and grime, and not a noble warrior, not a merchant, not a worker?"
"No, Master Gautama. Even a noble warrior... Even a Brahmin... Even a merchant... Even a worker... (Members of) all four castes are capable of taking a loofah and bath powder, going to a river, and scrubbing off dust and grime."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"And 'Come, masters. Those of you born in an outcast clan, a trapper clan, a wicker workers' clan, a cartwrights' clan, or a scavengers' clan, take an upper fire-stick from a dog's drinking trough, a pig's trough, from a rubbish heap, or of castor-oil wood, produce fire, and make heat appear.'
"What do you think, Assalayana, would the fire made by those born in a noble warrior clan, a Brahmin clan, or a royal clan -- who had produced fire and made heat appear by taking an upper fire-stick of sal wood, salala wood, sandalwood, or padumaka wood -- be the only one with flame, color, and radiance, able to do whatever a fire might be used for?
"And would the fire made by those born in an outcast clan, a trapper clan, a wicker workers' clan, a cartwrights' clan, or a scavengers' clan -- who had produced fire and made heat appear by taking an upper fire-stick from a dog's drinking trough, a pig's trough, from a rubbish heap, or of castor-oil wood -- be without flame, color, and radiance, unable to do what a fire might be used for?"
"No, Master Gautama. The fire made by those born in a noble warrior clan, a Brahmin clan, or a royal clan... would have flame, color, and radiance, able to do whatever a fire might be used for. And the fire made by those born in an outcast clan, a trapper clan, a wicker workers' clan, a cartwrights' clan, or a scavengers' clan... would have flame, color, and radiance, able to do whatever a fire might be used for. For ALL fire has flame, color, and radiance, and is able to do whatever a fire might be used for."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose a noble warrior youth were to cohabit with a Brahmin maiden, and from their cohabitation a son were born. Would the son born from the noble warrior youth and Brahmin maiden be like the father and like the mother? Should it be called a noble warrior and a Brahmin?"
"Yes, Master Gautama..."
"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose there were a Brahmin youth who were to cohabit with a noble warrior maiden, and from their cohabitation a son were born. Would the son born from the Brahmin youth and noble warrior maiden be like the father and like the mother? Should it be called a noble warrior and a Brahmin?"
"Yes, Master Gautama..."
"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose a mare were to mate with a donkey, and from their mating a foal were born. Would the foal born from the mare and the donkey be like the father and like the mother? Should it be called a horse and a donkey?"
"Master Gautama, from the mixed breeding it would be a 'mule.' Here I see that it [the mixed breeding] makes a difference, but there [in the previous two cases] I do not see that it makes a difference."
"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose there were two Brahmin-student brothers, born of the same mother -- one learned and initiated, the other unlearned and uninitiated. Which of the two would the Brahmins serve first at a funeral feast, or a milk-rice offering, a sacrifice, or a feast for guests?"
"The Brahmin student who was learned and initiated, Master Gautama... For what great fruit would there be for what is given to one who is unlearned and uninitiated?"
"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose there were two Brahmin-student brothers, born of the same mother -- one learned and initiated (but) unvirtuous and of unwholesome character, the other unlearned and uninitiated, (but) virtuous and of fine character. Which of the two would the Brahmins serve first at a funeral feast, or a milk-rice offering, a sacrifice, or a feast for guests?"
"The Brahmin student who was unlearned and uninitiated (but) virtuous and of fine character, Master Gautama... For what great fruit would there be for what is given to one who is unvirtuous and of unwholesome character?"
[Aha!] "First, Assalayana, you went by birth. Then, having gone by birth, you went by mantras. Then, having gone by mantras, setting both of them aside, you have come around to the purity of the four castes that I prescribe."
When this was said, the Brahmin student Assalayana sat silent, abashed, his shoulders drooping, his head down, brooding, at a loss for words.
Then the Blessed One -- seeing that the Brahmin student Assalayana was sitting silent, abashed, his shoulders drooping, his head down, brooding, at a loss for words -- said to him:
"Then the seer Devala the Dark heard, 'This wrong view has arisen in the seven Brahmin seers as they are consulting together in leaf huts in the wilderness: 'Brahmins are the superior caste; every other caste is inferior... Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'
"So arranging his hair and beard, putting on crimson garments, wearing multi-layered sandals, and carrying a staff made of gold, he appeared in the courtyard of the seven Brahmin seers. Then he walked back and forth in the courtyard of the seven Brahmin seers saying, "Well, now, where have these masters, the Brahmin seers, gone? Well, now, where have these masters, the Brahmin seers, gone?"
"Then the seven Brahmin seers said to the seer Devala the Dark, 'Now who is this walking back and forth in the courtyard of the seven Brahmin seers like a village lout saying, "Well, now, where have these masters, the Brahmin seers, gone? Well, now, where have these masters, the Brahmin seers, gone?" Let's curse him!'
"So the seven Brahmin seers cursed the seer Devala the Dark: "Be ashes, dribble-spit*! Be ashes, dribble-spit! Be ashes, dribble-spit!"'
"'Masters, your asceticism is not in vain, and your supreme-life [of ascetic restraint is] not fruitless. Please, masters, abandon your hatred toward me.'
"'We abandon our hatred toward you, master. Who are you?'
"'Have you heard of the seer Devala the Dark?'
"'Yes, master.'
"'I am he.'
"Then the seven Brahmin seers approached him to bow respectfully before him, and he said to them, 'I have heard that this wrong view has arisen in the seven Brahmin seers as they are consulting together in leaf huts in the wilderness: "Brahmins are the superior caste; every other caste is inferior... Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma."'
"That is so, master.'
"'But do you know, masters, if the mother who bore you went only with a Brahmin and not with a non-Brahmin?'
"'No, master.'
"'And do you know if the mothers of the mother who bore you -- back seven generations of mothers -- went only with Brahmins and not with non-Brahmins?'
"'No, master.'
"'And do you know if the father who sired you went only with a Brahmin woman and not with a non-Brahmin woman?'
"'No, master.'
"'And do you know if the fathers of the father who sired you -- back seven generations of fathers -- went only with Brahmin women and not with non-Brahmin women?'
"'No, master.'
"'Do you know how there is the descent of an embryo?'
"'Yes, master, we know how there is the descent of an embryo: The mother and father come together, the mother is fertile, and a gandhabba [gandharva, the spirit, ghost, the "being about to be reborn"] is standing present. The coming together of these three is the descent of the embryo.'
"'But do you know for sure whether the gandhabba is a noble warrior, a Brahmin, a merchant, or a worker?'
"'No, master.'
"'That being the case, do you know who you are?'
"'That being the case, master, we do not know who we are.'
"Now, Assalayana, if those seven Brahmin seers could not defend their own birth-statement when interrogated, pressed, and refuted by the seer Devala the Dark, how can you now defend your own birth-statement when interrogated, pressed, and refuted by me -- you, their lineage holder, but not (the equal of) Punna, their ladle holder?"
When this was said, the Brahmin student Assalayana said to the Blessed One:
"Magnificent, Master Gautama, magnificent! It is just as if one were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see what was there to see (forms). In just the same way has Master Gautama -- through many lines of reasoning -- made the Dharma (the truth) clear to me. I go to Master Gautama for guidance, to the Dharma, and to the Sangha [of noble disciples, i.e., those who have verified the truth the Buddha expounds, which is the Dharma]. May Master Gautama remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for guidance from this day forward, for life."
NOTES
*Yonā, Yavanā, Yonakā:
a country and its people, probably the Pāli equivalent for Ionians, the Bactrian Greeks. The Yonas are mentioned along with the Kambojas in Rock Edicts v. and xii of Buddhist Emperor Asoka as a subject people, forming a frontier district of his empire. The country was converted by the Thera Mahārakkhita, who was sent there after the Third Council (Mhv.xii.5; Dpv.viii.9; Sp.i.67).
In the time of Milinda the capital of the Yona country was Sāgala (Mil.1). It is said (Mhv.xxix.39) that at the foundation ceremony of the "Great Reliquary Shrine (Mahā Stūpa), 30,000 monastics, under Yona Mahādhammarakkhita, came from Alasandā (Alexandria) in the Yona country. Alasandā was evidently the headquarters of the Buddhist monastics at that time. Alasandā is generally identified (see, e.g., Geiger, Mhv. Trs. 194, n.3) with the Alexandria founded by the Macedonian king (Alexander) in the country of the Paropanisadae near Kābul, Afghanistan.
In the Assalāyana Sutra (M.ii.149), Yona and Kamboja are mentioned as places in which there were only two castes/classes of people, masters and slaves, and the master could become a slave and vice versa. The Commentary (MA.ii.784) explains this by saying that supposing a Brahmin goes there and dies, his children might consort with slaves, in which case their children would be slaves. In later times, the name Yavanā or Yonā seems to have included all westerners living in India and especially those of Arabian origin (Cv.Trs.ii.87, n.1). Yonaka statues, holding lamps, were among the decorations used by the Sākiyans of Kapilavatthu, the Buddha's family clan in one of their capitals [likely Bamiyan, Afghanistan] (MA.ii.575). The language of the Yavanas is classed with the Milakkhabhāsā (e.g., DA.i.276; VibhA.388).
The Anguttara Commentary (AA.i.51) records that from the time of Kassapa Buddha the Yonakas went about clad in white robes because of the memory of the pre-Shakyamuni Buddhist religion which was once prevalent there. The followers of the historical Gautama Buddha also wore white.
Aryans?
People referred to as "Aryans," in ancient times and now, relate most people now called "Iranians." Why would this be so as, of course, the word originally had nothing to do with whites or Muslims or Germany or Madame Blavatsky and Theosophists or Nazis? The Buddha was from the west of India, from Central Asia, and his people were called ariyans, "nobles" because they were nomadic warriors reliant on horses. Of course they had settlements, but as a culture and a history, they were nomadic and mainly ruled over large stretches of pastoral land and wilderness rather than comfortable cities and farms.
They became rich not because of their agrarian ways but because of the Silk Route going through land they controlled. Bamiyan (Afghanistan), the original Kapilavastu where the Buddha grew up, a seasonal capital of the Shakyans (Sakyas, Sakas), was on a main road leading from "India" to the "stans." There was no "India" and nothing was called a "stan" at the time, for these are the modern names.
But history and archeology have been tampered with for political and religious reasons, and straightening out matters is now next to impossible. But when one does, everything starts to make sense! See "The Story of the Lineage" (translation of the Nidana Katha) in Buddhist Birth-Stories (Jataka Tales) by Rhys Davids and the breakthrough research of Dr. Ranajit Pal (ranajitpal.com). This area became Hellenized, an empire of the ancient Greeks called Bactria. What was Bactria like? It is most famous for producing the first anthropomorphic depictions of the Buddha in what is popularly called the Gandhara style.
(Wiki) The Bactrians spoke Bactrian, a northeastern Iranian language, descended from Avestan, and most closely related to extinct Khwarezmian, modern Yaghnobi, and Ossetian. Bactrian went extinct, replaced by southeastern Iranian languages such as Pashto, Yidgha, Munji, and Ishkashmi. The Encyclopaedia Iranica states:
The Second Arab Siege of Constantinople in 717–718 was a land and sea offensive by the Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate against the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. In 716, after 20 years of progressive occupation of the borderlands of Byzantium during its prolonged internal turmoil, Arabs led by Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik invaded Byzantine Asia Minor. They made common cause with the general Leo the Isaurian, who had risen up against Emperor Theodosios III, but Leo tricked them and secured the Byzantine throne for himself in 717. The Arab army then crossed into Thrace and built siege lines to blockade the city, which was protected by the massive Theodosian Walls. The Arab fleet's attempted blockade was neutralized by the Byzantine navy's Greek fire (pictured), and the Arab army was crippled by famine and disease during the unusually hard winter that followed. After the defeat of two Arab fleets and another Arab army, followed by an attack on their rear by Bulgarians, the siege was lifted in 718. Although regular attacks on Byzantine territories continued, the Caliphate's goal of conquest was abandoned. Historians credit the siege with halting the Muslim advance into Europe, and rank it among history's most consequential battles. (Full article)
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| What did the Buddha look like? |
On that occasion the Brahmin student Assalayana was staying in Savatthi. Young, with head shaved, 16 years old, Assalayana was a master of the Three Vedas with their vocabularies, liturgy, phonology, etymology, and histories. Skilled in philology and grammar, he was fully versed in cosmology and in the marks of a great man.
The thought occurred to the Brahmins, "This Brahmin-student Assalayana is staying in Savatthi... He is able to dispute with the wandering ascetic Gautama on this matter."
So the Brahmins went to the Brahmin-student Assalayana and said to him, "Master Assalayana, this wandering ascetic Gautama prescribes purification for all four castes. Come and dispute with him on this matter."
The Brahmin-student Assalayana said to the Brahmins: "Sirs, the wandering ascetic Gautama is one who speaks Dharma. And those who speak Dharma are hard to dispute with. I cannot dispute with him on this matter."
A second and a third time the Brahmins asked him adding, "You have lived the life of a wanderer. Do not be defeated without being defeated in battle."
When this was said, the Brahmin-student Assalayana said to the Brahmins: "Sirs, apparently, I do not get leave from you (to avoid the matter), so at your bidding I will go."
A Question of Race
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| So many women and men came to the Buddha for guidance and became monastics, such a movement as India has never seen. But the Buddha was not from India, and the Brahmins resented it, later replacing Buddhism with a new incarnation of the old Vedic religion. |
The Brahmin-student Assalayana then went with a large group of Brahmins to the Blessed One, exchanged courteous greetings with him, and sat respectfully to one side. Sitting there he said:
"Master Gautama, the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste; every other caste is inferior. Only Brahmins are the fair caste; every other caste is dark. Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma [the supreme creator God of the Brahmins]: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.' What does Master Gautama have to say with regard to that?"
"But, Assalayana, the Brahmins' Brahmin-women are plainly seen having their periods, becoming pregnant, giving birth, and nursing. Yet the Brahmins, being born through the birth canal, say: 'Brahmins are the superior caste; every other caste is inferior. Only Brahmins are the fair caste; every other caste is dark. Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
Upward mobility
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| The Buddha was in "India" talking about the area in blue where he came from (wiki). |
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| The Buddha, Sukhothai (Hatahway_m/flickr) |
"Yes, Master Gautama..."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says sp, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
Virtue
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| Buddha smiling (nippon_newfie) |
"Is it only a merchant [caste member]...? Is it only a worker [caste member] who -- taking life, taking what is not given, taking sexual advantage, taking liberties with the truth, speaking harshly, engaging in idle chatter, being greedy, bearing thoughts of ill will, and holding wrong views -- on the breakup of the body, after death, reappears in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, even in hell, and not a Brahmin?"
"No, Master Gautama. Even a noble warrior... Even a Brahmin... Even a merchant... Even a worker... (Members of) all four castes -- if they take life, steal, engage in sexual misconduct, tell lies, speak divisively, speak harshly, engage in idle chatter, are greedy, bear thoughts of ill will, or hold wrong views -- on the breakup of the body, after death, reappear in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, even in hell."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"What do you think, Assalayana? Is it only a Brahmin who -- refraining from taking life, stealing, sexual misconduct, perjury, speaking divisively, harshly, idly, from being greedy, bearing thoughts of ill-will, or from holding wrong views -- on the breakup of the body, after death, reappears in a good destination, a heavenly world, and not a noble warrior, not a merchant, not a worker?"
"No, Master Gautama. Even a noble warrior... Even a Brahmin... Even a merchant... Even a worker... (Members of) all four castes -- if they refrain from taking life...wrong views -- on the breakup of the body, after death, reappear in a good destination, a heavenly world."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"What do you think, Assalayana? Is it only a Brahmin who is capable of developing in any direction a heart of good will -- free from animosity, free from ill will -- and not a noble warrior, not a merchant, not a worker?"
"No, Master Gautama. Even a noble warrior... Even a Brahmin... Even a merchant... Even a worker... (Members of) all four castes are capable of developing in any direction a heart of good will -- free from animosity, free from ill will."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"What do you think, Assalayana? Is it only a Brahmin who is capable of taking a loofah and bath powder, going to a river, and scrubbing off dust and grime, and not a noble warrior, not a merchant, not a worker?"
"No, Master Gautama. Even a noble warrior... Even a Brahmin... Even a merchant... Even a worker... (Members of) all four castes are capable of taking a loofah and bath powder, going to a river, and scrubbing off dust and grime."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
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| Golden Buddha in a great decorative hall (tecnica/t3cnica/flickr.com) |
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"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose an anointed noble warrior king were to call together 100 men of different births (and say to them), 'Come, masters. Those of you born in a noble warrior clan, in a Brahmin clan, or in a royal clan, take an upper fire-stick of sal wood, salala wood, sandalwood, or padumaka wood, produce fire, and make heat appear."And 'Come, masters. Those of you born in an outcast clan, a trapper clan, a wicker workers' clan, a cartwrights' clan, or a scavengers' clan, take an upper fire-stick from a dog's drinking trough, a pig's trough, from a rubbish heap, or of castor-oil wood, produce fire, and make heat appear.'
"What do you think, Assalayana, would the fire made by those born in a noble warrior clan, a Brahmin clan, or a royal clan -- who had produced fire and made heat appear by taking an upper fire-stick of sal wood, salala wood, sandalwood, or padumaka wood -- be the only one with flame, color, and radiance, able to do whatever a fire might be used for?
"And would the fire made by those born in an outcast clan, a trapper clan, a wicker workers' clan, a cartwrights' clan, or a scavengers' clan -- who had produced fire and made heat appear by taking an upper fire-stick from a dog's drinking trough, a pig's trough, from a rubbish heap, or of castor-oil wood -- be without flame, color, and radiance, unable to do what a fire might be used for?"
"No, Master Gautama. The fire made by those born in a noble warrior clan, a Brahmin clan, or a royal clan... would have flame, color, and radiance, able to do whatever a fire might be used for. And the fire made by those born in an outcast clan, a trapper clan, a wicker workers' clan, a cartwrights' clan, or a scavengers' clan... would have flame, color, and radiance, able to do whatever a fire might be used for. For ALL fire has flame, color, and radiance, and is able to do whatever a fire might be used for."
"So what strength is there, Assalayana, what assurance, when the Brahmins say, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma'?"
"Although Master Gautama says so, still the Brahmins think, 'Brahmins are the superior caste... Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"
"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose a noble warrior youth were to cohabit with a Brahmin maiden, and from their cohabitation a son were born. Would the son born from the noble warrior youth and Brahmin maiden be like the father and like the mother? Should it be called a noble warrior and a Brahmin?"
"Yes, Master Gautama..."
"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose there were a Brahmin youth who were to cohabit with a noble warrior maiden, and from their cohabitation a son were born. Would the son born from the Brahmin youth and noble warrior maiden be like the father and like the mother? Should it be called a noble warrior and a Brahmin?"
"Yes, Master Gautama..."
"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose a mare were to mate with a donkey, and from their mating a foal were born. Would the foal born from the mare and the donkey be like the father and like the mother? Should it be called a horse and a donkey?"
"Master Gautama, from the mixed breeding it would be a 'mule.' Here I see that it [the mixed breeding] makes a difference, but there [in the previous two cases] I do not see that it makes a difference."
"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose there were two Brahmin-student brothers, born of the same mother -- one learned and initiated, the other unlearned and uninitiated. Which of the two would the Brahmins serve first at a funeral feast, or a milk-rice offering, a sacrifice, or a feast for guests?"
"The Brahmin student who was learned and initiated, Master Gautama... For what great fruit would there be for what is given to one who is unlearned and uninitiated?"
"What do you think, Assalayana? Suppose there were two Brahmin-student brothers, born of the same mother -- one learned and initiated (but) unvirtuous and of unwholesome character, the other unlearned and uninitiated, (but) virtuous and of fine character. Which of the two would the Brahmins serve first at a funeral feast, or a milk-rice offering, a sacrifice, or a feast for guests?"
"The Brahmin student who was unlearned and uninitiated (but) virtuous and of fine character, Master Gautama... For what great fruit would there be for what is given to one who is unvirtuous and of unwholesome character?"
[Aha!] "First, Assalayana, you went by birth. Then, having gone by birth, you went by mantras. Then, having gone by mantras, setting both of them aside, you have come around to the purity of the four castes that I prescribe."
When this was said, the Brahmin student Assalayana sat silent, abashed, his shoulders drooping, his head down, brooding, at a loss for words.
Then the Blessed One -- seeing that the Brahmin student Assalayana was sitting silent, abashed, his shoulders drooping, his head down, brooding, at a loss for words -- said to him:
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| The first anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha from the region of his birth. |
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"Once, Assalayana, this wrong view (harmful opinion) arose in the seven Brahmin seers (rishis) as they were consulting together in leaf huts in the wilderness: 'Brahmins are the superior caste; every other caste is inferior. Only Brahmins are the fair caste; every other caste is dark. Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'"Then the seer Devala the Dark heard, 'This wrong view has arisen in the seven Brahmin seers as they are consulting together in leaf huts in the wilderness: 'Brahmins are the superior caste; every other caste is inferior... Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.'
"So arranging his hair and beard, putting on crimson garments, wearing multi-layered sandals, and carrying a staff made of gold, he appeared in the courtyard of the seven Brahmin seers. Then he walked back and forth in the courtyard of the seven Brahmin seers saying, "Well, now, where have these masters, the Brahmin seers, gone? Well, now, where have these masters, the Brahmin seers, gone?"
"Then the seven Brahmin seers said to the seer Devala the Dark, 'Now who is this walking back and forth in the courtyard of the seven Brahmin seers like a village lout saying, "Well, now, where have these masters, the Brahmin seers, gone? Well, now, where have these masters, the Brahmin seers, gone?" Let's curse him!'
"So the seven Brahmin seers cursed the seer Devala the Dark: "Be ashes, dribble-spit*! Be ashes, dribble-spit! Be ashes, dribble-spit!"'
- *NOTE: Reading capali with the Thai edition of the Pali canon. The Pali Text Society (British PTS) edition has vasali ("one having a vile person [as a mother?]"); the Sri Lankan edition has vasala, "vile person." [And the Burmese edition? Versions of what is thought of as a singular Pali language canon have minor variations.]
"'Masters, your asceticism is not in vain, and your supreme-life [of ascetic restraint is] not fruitless. Please, masters, abandon your hatred toward me.'
"'We abandon our hatred toward you, master. Who are you?'
"'Have you heard of the seer Devala the Dark?'
"'Yes, master.'
"'I am he.'
"Then the seven Brahmin seers approached him to bow respectfully before him, and he said to them, 'I have heard that this wrong view has arisen in the seven Brahmin seers as they are consulting together in leaf huts in the wilderness: "Brahmins are the superior caste; every other caste is inferior... Only Brahmins are the offspring of Brahma: born of the mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma."'
"That is so, master.'
"'But do you know, masters, if the mother who bore you went only with a Brahmin and not with a non-Brahmin?'
"'No, master.'
"'And do you know if the mothers of the mother who bore you -- back seven generations of mothers -- went only with Brahmins and not with non-Brahmins?'
"'No, master.'
"'And do you know if the father who sired you went only with a Brahmin woman and not with a non-Brahmin woman?'
"'No, master.'
"'And do you know if the fathers of the father who sired you -- back seven generations of fathers -- went only with Brahmin women and not with non-Brahmin women?'
"'No, master.'
"'Do you know how there is the descent of an embryo?'
"'Yes, master, we know how there is the descent of an embryo: The mother and father come together, the mother is fertile, and a gandhabba [gandharva, the spirit, ghost, the "being about to be reborn"] is standing present. The coming together of these three is the descent of the embryo.'
"'But do you know for sure whether the gandhabba is a noble warrior, a Brahmin, a merchant, or a worker?'
"'No, master.'
"'That being the case, do you know who you are?'
"'That being the case, master, we do not know who we are.'
"Now, Assalayana, if those seven Brahmin seers could not defend their own birth-statement when interrogated, pressed, and refuted by the seer Devala the Dark, how can you now defend your own birth-statement when interrogated, pressed, and refuted by me -- you, their lineage holder, but not (the equal of) Punna, their ladle holder?"
When this was said, the Brahmin student Assalayana said to the Blessed One:
"Magnificent, Master Gautama, magnificent! It is just as if one were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see what was there to see (forms). In just the same way has Master Gautama -- through many lines of reasoning -- made the Dharma (the truth) clear to me. I go to Master Gautama for guidance, to the Dharma, and to the Sangha [of noble disciples, i.e., those who have verified the truth the Buddha expounds, which is the Dharma]. May Master Gautama remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for guidance from this day forward, for life."
NOTES
*Yonā, Yavanā, Yonakā:
a country and its people, probably the Pāli equivalent for Ionians, the Bactrian Greeks. The Yonas are mentioned along with the Kambojas in Rock Edicts v. and xii of Buddhist Emperor Asoka as a subject people, forming a frontier district of his empire. The country was converted by the Thera Mahārakkhita, who was sent there after the Third Council (Mhv.xii.5; Dpv.viii.9; Sp.i.67).
In the time of Milinda the capital of the Yona country was Sāgala (Mil.1). It is said (Mhv.xxix.39) that at the foundation ceremony of the "Great Reliquary Shrine (Mahā Stūpa), 30,000 monastics, under Yona Mahādhammarakkhita, came from Alasandā (Alexandria) in the Yona country. Alasandā was evidently the headquarters of the Buddhist monastics at that time. Alasandā is generally identified (see, e.g., Geiger, Mhv. Trs. 194, n.3) with the Alexandria founded by the Macedonian king (Alexander) in the country of the Paropanisadae near Kābul, Afghanistan.
In the Assalāyana Sutra (M.ii.149), Yona and Kamboja are mentioned as places in which there were only two castes/classes of people, masters and slaves, and the master could become a slave and vice versa. The Commentary (MA.ii.784) explains this by saying that supposing a Brahmin goes there and dies, his children might consort with slaves, in which case their children would be slaves. In later times, the name Yavanā or Yonā seems to have included all westerners living in India and especially those of Arabian origin (Cv.Trs.ii.87, n.1). Yonaka statues, holding lamps, were among the decorations used by the Sākiyans of Kapilavatthu, the Buddha's family clan in one of their capitals [likely Bamiyan, Afghanistan] (MA.ii.575). The language of the Yavanas is classed with the Milakkhabhāsā (e.g., DA.i.276; VibhA.388).
The Anguttara Commentary (AA.i.51) records that from the time of Kassapa Buddha the Yonakas went about clad in white robes because of the memory of the pre-Shakyamuni Buddhist religion which was once prevalent there. The followers of the historical Gautama Buddha also wore white.
Aryans?
But history and archeology have been tampered with for political and religious reasons, and straightening out matters is now next to impossible. But when one does, everything starts to make sense! See "The Story of the Lineage" (translation of the Nidana Katha) in Buddhist Birth-Stories (Jataka Tales) by Rhys Davids and the breakthrough research of Dr. Ranajit Pal (ranajitpal.com). This area became Hellenized, an empire of the ancient Greeks called Bactria. What was Bactria like? It is most famous for producing the first anthropomorphic depictions of the Buddha in what is popularly called the Gandhara style.
(Wiki) The Bactrians spoke Bactrian, a northeastern Iranian language, descended from Avestan, and most closely related to extinct Khwarezmian, modern Yaghnobi, and Ossetian. Bactrian went extinct, replaced by southeastern Iranian languages such as Pashto, Yidgha, Munji, and Ishkashmi. The Encyclopaedia Iranica states:
Bactrian thus occupies an intermediary position between Pashto and Yidgha-Munji on the one hand, Sogdian, Choresmian, and Parthian on the other: it is thus in its natural and rightful place in Bactria.[16]The principal religions of the area before Islam were Zoroastrianism and Buddhism.[17] The Bactrian people are primarily the ancestors of modern-day Tajiks as well as Pashtuns.[18][19] Regarding Tajiks, the Encyclopædia Britannica states:
The Tajiks are the direct descendants of the Iranian peoples whose continuous presence in Central Asia and northern Afghanistan is attested from the middle of the 1st millennium bc. The ancestors of the Tajiks constituted the core of the ancient population of Khwārezm (Khorezm) and Bactria, which formed part of Transoxania (Sogdiana). They were included in the empires of Persia and Alexander the Great, and they intermingled with such later invaders as the Kushāns and Hepthalites in the 1st–6th centuries ad. Over the course of time, the eastern Iranian dialect that was used by the ancient Tajiks eventually gave way to Farsi, a western dialect spoken in Iran and Afghanistan.[20] MoreANCIENT WAR DIARIES (wiki)
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