You are not a Brahman just because, you born as a Brahman

Buddhi Chaudhary

“न चज्जा वसलो होती न चज्जा होती ब्राह्मनो

कम्मना वसलो होती कम्मानो होती ब्रह्मनो !”

Vasala Sutta, Sayutta Nikaya

The belief that someone can be superior or un-superior just because of his or her birth is one of the oldest belief-system in India (also Nepal) and was existed during the time of the Buddha, as well as these days and ages too.

When we look a bit toward Ancient Histories, it is clear that 3,000 years South Asian Societies was dominated by the aristocratic class and caste systems, bestowing to each person born into the social status that had divided;  Laborers, Merchants, Warriors, and Brahmans. An accordance with the Hindu scriptures, Brahmans – scholars and priests were regarded as the highest castes and viewed morally and spiritually superior to all while other castes regarded as lower castes. Indeed, these groups of people were called “Brahmans” since, according to the Rig Veda, they were born from the mouth of the Brahma himself. Besides, all the other castes; Laborers, Merchants and Warriors had to server these superior and aristocratic people as their servants – sale their goods from one cities to another cities, protect them from outer dangers and clean their residences, wash clothes, toilets etc.

These sorts of practice even today could be seen in Nepalese villages. Currently, me, an author, is working as a teacher in the southern parts of Nepal where there these aristocratic people are governing to those poor and lower castes people as slavers but, deny to pay them back for their works. They even refuse to drink water from these lower castes people’s wells and eat on their plates. But, the funny thing is, these aristocratic people use the water pots, plates, hand carved wooden-spoons for serving rice, knives and axes that those lower castes people make and sale in the market. Once, I heard a Brahman man was saying it is an insult for his status as Brahman to drink water on the well and eat with the owner of the company, while, he works for one of the well-known merchant as a laborer who was born in the lower caste family. Besides these, there are many incidents that are happening due to the caste and class systems which is very disgusting or abhorring facts.

In Vasala Sutta, Sayutta Nikaya, Buddha says ‘By birth a man is not Brahmin or outcaste but, by his deeds,’ the ideas of his radical equality that provoked those above mentioned Aristocratic Brahmins and Superiors who started routinely come to him for arguments and learn the new thoughts.  Late in the Middle Length Discourses, we meet a group of 500 Brahmins who live in the town of Savatthi, where the Buddha is staying at the time. When they hear that the Buddha has been teaching that all the castes are equally “pure,” they are outraged, and decide to send a smart young Brahmin to go and debate him. He disputed all the proud Brahmins with his teachings.

In the following conversation between the Buddha and the proud Brahmin Assalayana (after whom the Assalayana Sutta is named), the Buddha offers some ways to address the obdurate belief in superiority of caste, race, or any other birth group.

Master Gautama, the Brahmins say, ‘Brahmins are the superior caste; any other caste is inferior. Only Brahmins are the fair caste; any other caste is dark. Only Brahmins are pure, not non-Brahmins. Only Brahmins are the sons and offspring of Brahma: born of his mouth, born of Brahma, created by Brahma, heirs of Brahma.’ What does Master Gautama have to say with regard to that?

The Buddha begins to dismantle Assalayana’s notions of superiority by noting that we all enter the world the same way:

But, Assalayana, the Brahmins’ Brahmin-women are plainly seen having their periods, becoming pregnant, giving birth, and nursing [their children]. And yet the Brahmins, being born through the birth canal, say, “Brahmins are the superior caste . . .”

The same thoughts, these aristocratic Brahmins in Nepal – spiritual priests or superiors need to understand that they are not completely pure just by birth but by deeds, while using those paupers who regarded as lower castes-born slavers or laborers and themselves as purely born son of a Brahma.

And, also, these people need to understand it with physical realities to understand it is as difficult to argue that people who give birth same way are fundamentally different. So, it would be clear, whether a person is a Brahmin, a warrior, a merchant, or a laborer, when he does bad things, he has to suffer with bad consequences. And, if he does good things, he has to be rewarded with good consequences. Hence. Good people are good people, and bad people are bad people, no matter what they come from, and all can be expected to suffer the appropriate consequences. Even a Brahmin supremacist has to admit to knowing some Brahmins who are terrible people and some farm laborers who are wise and noble.

When, we consider the physical difference between Brahmin Supremacists and lower-castes-born slavers or laborers. There are nothing much difference between them. They have same color bloods. Both of them poops after eating foods, pee after drinking water and same sorts of physical and mental pains. Likes and dislikes. Hates and loves. Like sweet and nice words to listen. Hate bad people. When, they go to take a bath in the river. They scrub their bodies and rinse with water. When, they gather the logs and kindle the logs with lighter and the smokes make them cough. It is same, isn’t it? Using the same materials and techniques, every human being will produce the same fire; thus notions of caste superiority have no basis whatsoever in the physical nature of the world.

So, why these divisions of class and caste systems? Why do we hate each other, when we are same in all scenarios of life, in physicality and mentality? Answer is within yourself.

Therefore, you can’t say you are a Brahman just because, you born as a Brahman.

Ask yourself. ‘Who you are?’