Buddhism in India

The Dhamma 79

Respect for Labour: The (armer and

the Artisan

Aside from the denial of birth-related caste, the Buddhist categori-

sation of social groups is totally different from that accepted in the

Brahmanical ideology. The nobility and claim to high birth of the

Khattiyas is occasionally mentioned. Brahmans exist as a category,

one of the main ones with whom the Buddha is in dialogue; but

their claims to superiority of birth are denied. The most frequent

term for respectable people living in the world is ‘householder’ or

gahapati, which refers above all to farmers in a category ranging

from wealthy farmers to small property-holder peasants; the gahapati

is frequently paired with wage-workers or dasa-kammakaras. But

the early Buddhist texts mentions little of actual slavery, except in

regard to slaves of the king. The servants depicted in the Pali texts

were most often paid.

Possession of property was the crucial characteristic of the gahapati:

he is a manager and controller of property, and when he ceases to

be so is no longer given that status. He was inevitably a male

(though wealthy and independent women like Ambapalli appear in

the Buddhist scriptures, they are never referred to as gahapatis). He

was also a tax-payer and the pivot of the economy, and was most

identified with agriculture. The gahapati is described variously as

‘a free man, one who cultivates his land, one who pays taxes and

thus increases the king’s wealth’ and was depicted as carrying on

various agricultural activities including ploughing and harrowing

the field, sowing at the proper time, irrigating his land. While setthis

or merchants could be included with gahapatis, there was always a

compound term used: setthi-gahapati; the terms are never used

interchangeably. Thus the gahapatis were most typically farmers,

ranging from poor owner-cultivators to some very large landowners

who used hired labourers (Chakravarty 1996: 73–74).

This contrasts with the increasingly tendency of Brahmanical

texts to depict farmers in degrading terms. While farmers were clas-

sified as Vaishyas in the varna hierarchy by the early texts of

Brahmanism, agriculture nevertheless was a rather despised profes-

sion. In the Manusmriti, Manu includes farming the land as an

occupation of the Vaishya, (1, 89), but he also says ‘By making a

living from crafts or business or from cows, horses, and carts, by

questions, and declare themselves convinced, delighted and
converted (the Parayanavagga of the Sutta Nipata). The general
pattern here seems to be a kind of ‘advertising’—the endorsement
to the Dhamma given by those associated to whatever degree with
intellectual attainment, morality and status.
Nevertheless, because of his criticism of sacrifice, ritual and
Brahmanic birth pretensions, the Buddha’s relationship with
Brahmans was adversarial and is sometimes shown as such. A
good example of this is the dialogue with Ambattha in the
Ambattha Suttanta of the Digha Nikaya. Ambattha, a proud
young Brahman who enters the vihara with insulting words, and
then defends his insults by describing its inhabitants as ‘shavelings,
sham friars, menial black fellows, the offspring of our kinsmen’s
heels.’ (The latter phrase refers to the Brahmanic notion that
shudras were born of the feet of Purusha). Gotama then takes up
the theme of birth, and shows that Ambattha’s own ancestor
Kanha was born as a dark-skinned slave of the Sakyas (‘kanha’ or
its Sanskritised version ‘krsna’ in fact means ‘black’). Then, when
Ambattha falls into turmoil and his companions mock him, he
tells them, ‘Be not too severe in disparaging Ambattha the Brahman
on the grounds of his descent. That Kanha became a mighty
seer.’ The Buddha then announces, in a common verse of the time,
‘The Khattiya is the best of those among this folk who put their
trust in lineage; but he who is perfect in wisdom and righteous-
ness, he is the best among gods and men.’ Thus he simultaneously
announces that Khattiyas are superior to Brahmans at a social
level, but at a spiritual level it is wisdom and righteousness that
count.
Buddhist texts are consistent throughout in emphasising that
righteous and wise men can come from any varna, may be born
in any social group. Several Jatakas condemn the varna system
and untouchability; in one the Boddhisattva is born as a famous
Candala teacher who becomes a guru; but his pupil is unwilling
to admit before others that he has learned from a ‘low-born’
guru and so comes to grief. Here the gatha is given: ‘Be it
Khattiya, Brahman, Vessa, he from whom a man learns right—
Sudda, Candala, Pukkasa—seems chiefest in his sight’ (#474).
Numerous suttas also condemn ascription based on birth in
general.

78 Buddhism in India