Buddhism Against Brahmanism

BY ANKITA (22/0360)
ARUSHI(22/0458)
KHUSHI(22/0376)
ANCHAL(22/0965)
RISHITA(22/0279)
 ABSTRACT
In world history the mid first millennium BCE is regarded as the turning point. There was an
emergence of various thinkers such as Socrate, Plato and Aristotle in Greece, Zarathustra in
Iran and Buddha and Mahavira in India. Their thoughts varied from the existing ideologies in
that time and they were trying to understand the cosmic order and its relationship with
human beings and mysteries of existence. There were also several social changes which
also caught the sight of thinkers. In this era individuals were very much curious about the
meaning of life, possibility of life after death and rebirth. They were precisely confused about
the rebirth and nature of ultimate reality. They started questioning and debating everything.
Various emerging intellectuals such as Buddha and Mahavira started debating in
kutagarashala1. They started questioning the authenticity of vedas, as according to the
Brahmanical ideology the existence of individuals was divine origin. Due to complexity and
rigidity in Brahmanism people were not satisfied with the rank and hierarchy in which they
were placed during Brahmanical time so they were influenced by the thoughts and ideals of
the preceptors who were emerging during the time.Brahmanism was based on the Vedas,
which are the oldest and most important sacred texts of the Hindu tradition. The Vedas
include four major texts, the Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda, which were
composed between 1500 and 500 B.C.E. The primary focus of Brahmanism was to impose
its vision of society by categorising the society into four varnas wherein they placed
themselves at the top and placed other varnas below them. They also made a set of rules
and a list of duties which had to be performed by each varna. Buddha was born and died as
a Hindu while we was preaching his knowledge he never knew that he was announcing a
new and independent religion.Buddha accepted destiny on the the fundamentals of ethics
and metaphysics but he refused to comply with vedic ceremonials and the practices which
were superstitiously followed without logic and rationality

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A hut with pointed roof where mendicants halted
 BUDDHISM
Buddhism emerged in Indian subcontinent in 5th century BCE in north- eastern Region of
India and now known as Nepal. It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and
sharing of it's roots with religions teachings that existed in Indian subcontinent. Siddhartha
Gautama was mentor, teacher, guide and philosopher of the sect of asceticism (Sramanas)2.
At that time there were many sects in India but Buddha's Sect came to be known as Sangha
to distinguish it from other sects. It is also claimed by Buddhism that there were many
Buddha before the coming of Gautama Buddha and there will be many after him. Gautama
Buddha was the 7th in the antiquity of Buddha's.According to him , There is no falsity in the
Eternal Dharma which he basically observes things as they are and He teaches them to all
fellow beings. But it is very difficult to understand the world as it is, although it seems true to
you then it is not, and it seems false to you then again it is not. Those people who are
Ignorant can not know the truth concerning the world. Buddha is the only one who truly and
fully knows the world as it is and He never says that it is true or false, or good or evil.
Different people predict Buddhism according to their convenience, for example Asoka and in
contemporary times Mr Ambedkar.
Buddha told a story one day to his followers and the story was,
“Once upon a time there was an extremely wealthy person whose house caught on fire .This
man was away from the home when this incident happened . When he came from work he
saw his house caught on fire and noticed that his child was inside the house . His child was
so much indulge in play that he was completely unaware about the fire. And his father
screamed at the child and commanded him to get out of the house quickly but the child was
not paying attention to his father's warnings . Then this anxious father screamed again and
this time he said , o my child I have wonderful toes for you to come outside and get it from
me . " Now the child listened to it and came out from the burning house “ From the story
Buddha wanted to convey that this whole world is like a burning house and individuals are
unaware of that . They are in danger of burning and near to death.. and Buddha said that
human beings should be away from greed .This essence of being greedy only gives us a
hollow temporary satisfaction. According to Buddha, greed is a poison that eventually leads
to evil and suffering and it is also one of the five hindrances to enlightenment.
Buddha at every step of his life stood for the equality of human beings and the negation of
the caste system. He said that it was kamma (deed, action) that determined the high and low
state of a man. He convey to his fellow being that By birth one does not become an
outcaste meanwhile by birth one does not become a Brāhmaṇ. On this earth the living mass
has kamma( karma)as its master, its kinsman and its refuge. According to Pāli texts, it is
written that there was no difference of caste in the Buddha’s order of monks and
nuns. One of the Buddha’s chief disciples belonged to the so-called lower castes,
such as barbers, sweepers and Caṇḍālas as well. Upāli, the most well known Vinaya
teacher after the Buddha, belonged to a barber family. But still He occupied a very

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Ascetics who renounced worldly life to search for truth
high position in the Buddhist Saṅgha 3There is no discrimination in terms of being low or
high, well-born or ill-born, big or small etc. The discriminating order of Hinduism(Brāhmaṇa,
Kṣatriya,Vaiśya and Sūdra existing immediately before the advent of the Buddha .
“Its sound empty , for Buddha, that the Brāhmaṇas are superior, others beings are inferior,”
which can be translated to mean: precisely that people of all the four varna are equal and I
see no difference in them.” we see Distinctions, Due to our observable differences.Further
Buddha tells us about Dhamma by which he refers to Buddhist ideologies and teachings. It is
about overcoming the dissatisfaction and dukha of one's life. These teachings were narrated
by Buddha but not written and after his death these teachings were compiled in tipitaka that
is three baskets which include Abhidamma Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka and Vinaya Pitaka. Other
teachings of Buddha were written down in Mahayana Sutras. Dhamma reveals the truth to
people for achieving the enlightenment in life. It also encourages the follow of noble Eight
fold path and meditation. Noble eight fold path includes right view, right resolve, right
speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi. The
Dhamma is one of the refuge of Buddhism which include THE DHAMMA, THE BUDDHA
and THE SANGHA. These refuge are used for protecting themselves from the sufferings of
the world.Sutta Pitaka which includes teachings of Buddha also claims Four noble Truths of
Buddhism which are as following.
1 The world is full of sorrows and sufferings
2 Desire is cause for sorrows and sufferings
3 Sorrows and sufferings can be overcome bthe degraded castes. Buddhism respects the work
these people do. For instance, in jatakas y removing desires
4 Desires can be removed by following Ashtanga marga(eight fold path).
With these ideals Buddhism had a great impact on the prevalent ideologies of Brahamanism
during the time.

BRAHAMINISM
Brahmanism is one of the unique features of Indian society which has evolved over centuries
and whose origination is claimed from the Vedic times. The Term Brahman applied to those
who had superior status on the basis of their intellect, knowledge, ritual skills and moral
attainments. They were also referred to as elite of their time and knowers of Vedas.Sir
Monier Williams, describes Brahmanism as a spiritual doctrine that identifies God with the
universe. Brahma is only a creator in the sense of being, the first evolution out of the one
Spirit, the evolution from which all other evolutions have proceeded.

The Satapatha-brahmana (Sukla Yajurveda) states that:

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the Buddhist monastic order, including monks, nuns, and novices.
“In the beginning, Brahma was this (universe). He created gods. Having created gods, he
placed them in these worlds. Having gone to the most excellent worlds he considered: How
can I pervade all these worlds? He then pervaded them with form and with name. He who
knows these two great manifestations of Brahma becomes himself a great manifestation.”
The doctrine of Manu was that the deity created distinct kinds of men, as he created
varieties of animals and plants; and that Brahmans, soldiers (Kshatriyas), agriculturists
(Vaisyas), and servants (Sudras) were born and must remain from birth to death distinct from
each other.
With the passage of time the basis of being Brahmanism changed, reduced to only
birth.Mobility was also restrained within the Varna System.
Sacrificial ceremonies were organised by the kings (kshatriya), and these were performed
under the presence of the brahmans. To be on a safer side they placed kshatriyas just below
them in the hierarchical system so that they could get protection from them. They followed a
give and take system between them (the brahmans) and the kshatriyas. They claimed that
they are the most knowledgeable and closest to God as they considered themselves to the
purest of all. It is written in Manusmriti that “do not kill those who are capable of being fathers
and mothers” but still Brahmans chose to be a part of the sacrificial practices.
Brahmans proposed a theory that each varna was born out of a particular part from
Brahma’s body. They claimed that they were born out of Brahma's mouth and so were the
Brahman women. If it is true, weren’t they marrying their own sisters as they were born from
one and the same womb. Brahmans always said that there is only one creator which is
brahma. If the creator is the same then how can his offsprings belong to a different caste.
For instance, if a man has four sons how could there be four varnas? Therefore, These
logical evidences make Brahmanism a controversial idea and led to its criticism.

CRITIQUE OF BRAHMANISM

Brahmans justify the distinction between the varnas by saying that there is a universal
distinction between living beings. For instance, the fish which range in the water, there are
distinctions which designate species, and their species are many. The birds born with wings
and feathers, there are distinctions which designate species, and their species are many.
Whereas according to Buddhism there can’t be distinctions between human beings neither
regarding hair, heads, lips, noses, colour, nor voice. Occupation doesn’t make a person
Brahmin. Neither do rank nor status.
Brahmans always claimed that their hereditary characteristics are superior to all other
varnas. They are handsome and of the fairest colour. However, In Buddhist text nobody has
ever come across these terms which represent social inequality and racial discrimination.
The terms Aryan and Non-Aryan have been used in Buddhist texts but not in the context of
caste and race. They are always used in the context of the moral superiority of somebody.
Unlike Brahmanism, according to Buddhism Aryans were the ones who were free of any
association with race or birth and represent a spiritual sense of purity. On the other hand,
Non-Aryans were the ones who were spiritually not pure, ignoble and immoral. Unlike
Brahmanism, Buddhism emphasised on how humans behave rather than how they are
born.Vedic society was a male dominated society. Women were seen as the bondage to the
world because of their sexuality and activism. Women are associated with the household,
and as childbirth begins to weigh them down they are tied to it, increasingly subordinated to
the dominant patriarchy system. However, Buddhism showed women a path to liberation by
admitting them into the sangha and they were treated as spiritual equals to men. Buddhism
didn't limit women to household rather they emphasised on spiritual aspects and showed
them a path to liberation. According to the Brahmans, the farmers or the labourers were
vaishya and put them on a lower hierarchy. They downgraded4 physical labour, considering
agriculture low, classifying medical healers and herders those who care for horses among
Bodhisattva was shown as a farmer, an artisan or as a skilled ironsmith. Buddhism
completely rejected the notions of Untouchability and pollution.Buddhism also Criticised the
radical change in the sacrificial tradition performed by Brahmans. They mentioned earlier
sacrifices were performed by ghee, rice and other materials but innocent animals were not
brutally killed.

FINDINGS

Dr. P. V. Kane states that “the moral qualities which Buddha urged men to cultivate
belonged to antiquity”. “By this “antiquity” he mainly refers to the pre-Buddhist Vedic
age.Other educationist like Dr. Rādhakrishnan has referred to the Buddha’s teachings
mandate as a restatement of our ancient ideals related to Indo-Aryan civilization.The unique
doctrine of Karma and rebirth is very much fascinated to the common masses. Yoga and
Meditation play a significant role to achieve final goals. Buddhism is vastly famous for its
stern ethics and high moral ideals. There are number of moral and spiritual ideas such as
Ahiṃsā, Mokṣa, Karma and Rebirth , these were completely unknown to pre-Upaniṣadic
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to reduce somebody/something to a lower level or position of importance
Vedic religion. Ambedkar in this essay ‘CASTE IN INDIA’ put a theory on caste which
represents it as CLOSED CLASS by closed he meant endogamy which was emphasised
byBrahmana themselves . He also mentions that the privilege of Brahmana and exploitation
of the oppressed is a self creation of Brahmanas . The Varna system is of divine origin and
based on birth . Buddhism as a religion got associated with being casteless, liberation,
finding inner peace and solidarity. It found itself in disdain after a period , its birth can be
concluded through various proofs that history provides us with.
One of the foremost reasons for the decline of buddhism is that during the mediaeval ages
with the coming of foreign invaders Buddhism lacked state support.its Royal patronage
declined after the end of Gupta dynasty during 650 AD. In contrast to Buddhism,
brahmanism at the time of foreign invasions had the support of the state and royal
patronage. During this time Islam established itself as one of the major religions in the
subcontinent and the flames of its foremost fury as a mission against idol worship along with
decline in the economic foundations of buddhist monasteries added fuel to the disdain of it.
Furthermore during the onslaughts at the hands of Islamic swords the buddhist priesthood
could not be resuscitated. Whereas on the other hand it was not possible for the Islamic
invaders to annihilate the Brahmanical priesthood due to its dominance and state support. To
escape the tyranny many buddhist priests took shelter in parts of Modern day Nepal and
further North-east this led to the decline in preachers5 Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent
and a part of the Buddhist population in India embraced Islam and renounced Buddhism.
Eventually Buddhism could not revive itself in India and the subcontinent saw the dominance
of Hinduism during the contemporary times.

REFERENCES

1. Buddhism in India by Gail Omvedt

2. Classical Buddhism , Neo - Buddhism and its Question of Caste edited by Pradeep P.
Gokhale
3. A Buddhist view on Caste and Equality (Article) by Professor David Dale Holmes
4. Indian Buddhist attitude towards outcastes (Article) by Jonathan A. Silk
5. The Parable of the Burning House from Lotus Sutra
6. Buddha’s Solution for the problem of Caste tensions by Vishwanath Prasad Varma.

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teacher