{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn93/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn93","id":"suttacentral_mn93","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn93/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Majjhima Nikaya"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near S\u0101vatth\u012b in Jeta\u2019s Grove, An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika\u2019s monastery. Now at that time around five hundred brahmins from abroad were residing in S\u0101vatth\u012b on some business. Then those brahmins thought, \u201cThis ascetic Gotama advocates purification for all four classes. Who is capable of debating with him about this?\u201d Now at that time the student Assal\u0101yana was residing in S\u0101vatth\u012b. He was young, tonsured, and sixteen years old. He had mastered the three Vedas, together with their vocabularies and ritual performance, their phonology and word classification, and the testaments as fifth. He knew them word-by-word, and their grammar. He was well versed in cosmology and the marks of a great man. Then those brahmins thought, \u201cThis Assal\u0101yana is capable of debating with the ascetic Gotama about this.\u201d So they approached Assal\u0101yana and said to him, \u201cThis ascetic Gotama advocates purification for all four classes. Please, worthy Assal\u0101yana, debate with the ascetic Gotama about this.\u201d When they said this, Assal\u0101yana said to them, \u201cThey say that the ascetic Gotama is a speaker of principle. But speakers of principle are hard to debate. I\u2019m not capable of debating with the ascetic Gotama about this.\u201d For a second time, those brahmins said to him \u201cThis ascetic Gotama advocates purification for all four classes. Please, worthy Assal\u0101yana, debate with the ascetic Gotama about this. For you have lived as a wanderer.\u201d And for a second time, Assal\u0101yana refused. For a third time, those brahmins said to him, \u201cThis ascetic Gotama advocates purification for all four classes. Please, worthy Assal\u0101yana, debate with the ascetic Gotama about this. For you have lived as a wanderer. Don\u2019t admit defeat before going into battle!\u201d When they said this, Assal\u0101yana said to them, \u201cClearly, worthy sirs, I\u2019m not getting through to you when I say: \u2018They say that the ascetic Gotama is a speaker of principle. But speakers of principle are hard to debate. I\u2019m not capable of debating with the ascetic Gotama about this.\u2019 Nevertheless, I shall go at your bidding.\u201d Then Assal\u0101yana together with a large group of brahmins went to the Buddha and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha: \u201cWorthy Gotama, the brahmins say: \u2018Only brahmins are the best class; other classes are inferior. Only brahmins are the light class; other classes are dark. Only brahmins are purified, not others. Only brahmins are the Divinity\u2019s bosom sons, born from his mouth, born of the Divinity, created by the Divinity, heirs of the Divinity.\u2019 What do you say about this?\u201d \u201cBut Assal\u0101yana, brahmin women are seen menstruating, being pregnant, giving birth, and breastfeeding. Yet even though they\u2019re born from a brahmin womb they say: \u2018Only brahmins are the best class; other classes are inferior. Only brahmins are the light class; other classes are dark. Only brahmins are purified, not others. Only brahmins are the Divinity\u2019s bosom sons, born from his mouth, born of the Divinity, created by the Divinity, heirs of the Divinity.\u2019\u201d \u201cEven though you say this, still the brahmins maintain their belief.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Have you heard that in Greece and Persia and other foreign lands there are only two classes, masters and bonded servants; and that masters may become servants, and servants masters?\u201d \u201cYes, I have heard that.\u201d \u201cThen what is the source of the brahmins\u2019 certainty and forcefulness in this matter that they make this claim?\u201d \u201cEven though you say this, still the brahmins maintain their belief.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Suppose an aristocrat were to kill living creatures, steal, and commit sexual misconduct; to use speech that\u2019s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical; and to be covetous, malicious, with wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019d be reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. Would this happen only to an aristocrat, and not to a brahmin? Or suppose a peasant, or a menial were to act in the same way. Would that result befall only a peasant or a menial, and not to a brahmin?\u201d \u201cNo, worthy Gotama. If they acted the same way, the same result would befall an aristocrat, a brahmin, a peasant, or a menial. For if any of the four classes were to kill living creatures, steal, and commit sexual misconduct; to use speech that\u2019s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical; and to be covetous, malicious, with wrong view, then, when their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019d be reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.\u201d \u201cThen what is the source of the brahmins\u2019 certainty and forcefulness in this matter that they make this claim?\u201d \u201cEven though you say this, still the brahmins maintain their belief.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Suppose a brahmin were to refrain from killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual misconduct; from using speech that\u2019s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical; and from covetousness, malice, and wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019d be reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. Would this happen only to a brahmin, and not to an aristocrat, a peasant, or a menial?\u201d \u201cNo, worthy Gotama. If they acted the same way, the same result would befall an aristocrat, a brahmin, a peasant, or a menial. For if any of the four classes were to refrain from killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual misconduct; from using speech that\u2019s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical; and from covetousness, malice, and wrong view, then, when their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019d be reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.\u201d \u201cThen what is the source of the brahmins\u2019 certainty and forcefulness in this matter that they make this claim?\u201d \u201cEven though you say this, still the brahmins maintain their belief.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Is only a brahmin capable of developing a heart of love, free of enmity and ill will for this region, and not an aristocrat, peasant, or menial?\u201d \u201cNo, worthy Gotama. Aristocrats, brahmins, peasants, and menials can all do so. For all four classes are capable of developing a heart of love, free of enmity and ill will for this region.\u201d \u201cThen what is the source of the brahmins\u2019 certainty and forcefulness in this matter that they make this claim?\u201d \u201cEven though you say this, still the brahmins maintain their belief.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Is only a brahmin capable of taking some bathing cleanser, going to the river, and rinsing off dust and dirt, and not an aristocrat, peasant, or menial?\u201d \u201cNo, worthy Gotama. All four classes are capable of doing this.\u201d \u201cThen what is the source of the brahmins\u2019 certainty and forcefulness in this matter that they make this claim?\u201d \u201cEven though you say this, still the brahmins maintain their belief.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Suppose an anointed aristocratic king were to gather a hundred people of various births and say to them: \u2018Please worthy sirs, let anyone here who was born in a family of aristocrats, brahmins, or chieftains take a drill-stick made of teak, sal, <i lang='pi' translate='no'>sala\u1e37a</i>, sandalwood, or cherry wood, light a fire and produce heat. And let anyone here who was born in a family of corpse-workers, hunters, bamboo-workers, chariot-makers, or scavengers take a drill-stick made from a mutt\u2019s drinking trough, a pig\u2019s trough, a dustbin, or castor-oil wood, light a fire and produce heat.\u2019 What do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Would only the fire produced by the high class people with good quality wood have flames, color, and radiance, and be usable as fire, and not the fire produced by the low class people with poor quality wood?\u201d \u201cNo, worthy Gotama. The fire produced by the high class people with good quality wood would have flames, color, and radiance, and be usable as fire, and so would the fire produced by the low class people with poor quality wood. For all fire has flames, color, and radiance, and is usable as fire.\u201d \u201cThen what is the source of the brahmins\u2019 certainty and forcefulness in this matter that they make this claim?\u201d \u201cEven though you say this, still the brahmins maintain their belief.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Suppose an aristocrat boy was to sleep with a brahmin girl, and they had a child. Would that child be called an aristocrat after the father or a brahmin after the mother?\u201d \u201cThey could be called either.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Suppose a brahmin boy was to sleep with an aristocrat girl, and they had a child. Would that child be called an aristocrat after the mother or a brahmin after the father?\u201d \u201cThey could be called either.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Suppose a mare were to couple with a donkey, and she gave birth to a mule. Would that mule be called a horse after the mother or a donkey after the father?\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s a mule, as it is a crossbreed. I see the difference in this case, but not in the previous cases.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Suppose there were two young students who were brothers who had shared a womb. One was an educated reciter, while the other was not an educated reciter. Who would the brahmins feed first at an offering of food for ancestors, an offering of a dish of milk-rice, a sacrifice, or a feast for guests?\u201d \u201cThey\u2019d first feed the young student who was an educated reciter. For how could an offering to someone who is not an educated reciter be very fruitful?\u201d \u201cWhat do you think, Assal\u0101yana? Suppose there were two young students who were brothers who had shared a womb. One was an educated reciter, but was unethical, of bad character, while the other was not an educated reciter, but was ethical and of good character. Who would the brahmins feed first?\u201d \u201cThey\u2019d first feed the young student who was not an educated reciter, but was ethical and of good character. For how could an offering to someone who is unethical and of bad character be very fruitful?\u201d \u201cFirstly you relied on birth, Assal\u0101yana, then you switched to education, then you switched to abstemious behavior. Now you\u2019ve come around to believing in purification for the four classes, just as I advocate.\u201d When he said this, Assal\u0101yana sat silent, dismayed, shoulders drooping, downcast, depressed, with nothing to say. Knowing this, the Buddha said to him: \u201cOnce upon a time, Assal\u0101yana, seven brahmin seers settled in leaf huts in a wilderness region. They had the following harmful misconception: \u2018Only brahmins are the best class; other classes are inferior. Only brahmins are the light class; other classes are dark. Only brahmins are purified, not others. Only brahmins are the Divinity\u2019s bosom sons, born from his mouth, born of the Divinity, created by the Divinity, heirs of the Divinity.\u2019 The seer Devala the Dark heard about this. So he did up his hair and beard, dressed in magenta robes, put on his lined sandals, grasped a golden staff, and appeared in the courtyard of the seven brahmin seers. Then he wandered about the yard saying, \u2018Where, oh where have those brahmin seers gone? Where, oh where have those brahmin seers gone?\u2019 Then those brahmin seers said, \u2018Who\u2019s this wandering about our courtyard like a village lout? Let\u2019s curse him!\u2019 So they cursed Devala the Dark, \u2018Be ashes, lowlife! Be ashes, lowlife!\u2019 But the more the seers cursed him, the more attractive, good-looking, and lovely Devala the Dark became. Then those brahmin seers said, \u2018Our fervor is in vain! Our spiritual path is fruitless! For when we used to curse someone to become ashes, ashes they became. But the more we curse this one, the more attractive, good-looking, and lovely he becomes.\u2019 \u2018Worthy sirs, your fervor is not in vain; your spiritual path is not fruitless. Please let go of your malevolence toward me.\u2019 \u2018We let go of our malevolence toward you. But who are you, worthy sir?\u2019 \u2018Have you heard of the seer Devala the Dark?\u2019 \u2018Yes, worthy sir.\u2019 \u2018I am he, worthy sir.\u2019 Then they approached Devala and bowed to him. Devala said to them, \u2018I heard that when the seven brahmin seers had settled in leaf huts in a wilderness region, they had the following harmful misconception: \u201cOnly brahmins are the best class; other classes are inferior. Only brahmins are the light class; other classes are dark. Only brahmins are purified, not others. Only brahmins are the Divinity\u2019s bosom sons, born from his mouth, born of the Divinity, created by the Divinity, heirs of the Divinity.\u201d\u2019 \u2018That\u2019s right, worthy sir.\u2019 \u2018But do you know whether your birth mother only had relations with a brahmin and not with a non-brahmin?\u2019 \u2018We don\u2019t know that.\u2019 \u2018But do you know whether your birth mother\u2019s mothers back to the seventh generation only had relations with brahmins and not with non-brahmins?\u2019 \u2018We don\u2019t know that.\u2019 \u2018But do you know whether your birth father only had relations with a brahmin woman and not with a non-brahmin?\u2019 \u2018We don\u2019t know that.\u2019 \u2018But do you know whether your birth father\u2019s fathers back to the seventh generation only had relations with brahmins and not with non-brahmins?\u2019 \u2018We don\u2019t know that.\u2019 \u2018But do you know how an embryo is conceived?\u2019 \u2018We do know that, worthy sir. An embryo is conceived when these three things come together\u2014the mother and father come together, the mother is in the fertile phase of her menstrual cycle, and the virile spirit is ready.\u2019 \u2018But do you know for sure whether that virile spirit is an aristocrat, a brahmin, a peasant, or a menial?\u2019 \u2018We don\u2019t know that.\u2019 \u2018In that case, worthy sir, don\u2019t you know what you are?\u2019 \u2018In that case, worthy sir, we don\u2019t know what we are.\u2019 Given that even those seven brahmin seers could not prevail when pursued, pressed, and grilled by the seer Devala on their own genealogy, how could you prevail now being grilled by me on your own genealogy when you and your denomination do not so much as pick up the last spoonful?\u201d When he had spoken, Assal\u0101yana said to him, \u201cExcellent, worthy Gotama! \u2026 From this day forth, may the worthy Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.\u201d","title":"With Assal\u0101yana","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":2380}