{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn96/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn96","id":"suttacentral_mn96","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn96/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. Then Esuk\u0101r\u012b the brahmin went up 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 prescribe four kinds of service: for a brahmin, an aristocrat, a peasant, and a menial. This is the service they prescribe for a brahmin: \u2018A brahmin, an aristocrat, a peasant, and a menial may all serve a brahmin.\u2019 This is the service they prescribe for an aristocrat: \u2018An aristocrat, a peasant, and a menial may all serve an aristocrat.\u2019 This is the service they prescribe for a peasant: \u2018A peasant or a menial may serve a peasant.\u2019 This is the service they prescribe for a menial: \u2018Only a menial may serve a menial. For who else will serve a menial?\u2019 These are the four kinds of service that the brahmins prescribe. What do you say about this?\u201d \u201cBut brahmin, did the whole world authorize the brahmins to prescribe these four kinds of service?\u201d \u201cNo, worthy Gotama.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s as if they were to force a chop on a poor, penniless person, telling them, \u2018Eat this meat and pay for it!\u2019 In the same way, the brahmins have prescribed these four kinds of service without the consent of those ascetics and brahmins. Brahmin, I don\u2019t say that you should serve everyone, nor do I say that you shouldn\u2019t serve anyone. I say that you shouldn\u2019t serve someone if serving them makes you worse, not better. And I say that you should serve someone if serving them makes you better, not worse. If they were to ask an aristocrat this, \u2018Who should you serve? Someone in whose service you get worse, or someone in whose service you get better?\u2019 Answering rightly, an aristocrat would say, \u2018Someone in whose service I get better.\u2019 If they were to ask a brahmin \u2026 a peasant \u2026 or a menial this, \u2018Who should you serve? Someone in whose service you get worse, or someone in whose service you get better?\u2019 Answering rightly, a menial would say, \u2018Someone in whose service I get better.\u2019 Brahmin, I don\u2019t say that an eminent family makes you a better or worse person. I don\u2019t say that exceptional beauty makes you a better or worse person. I don\u2019t say that exceptional wealth makes you a better or worse person. For some people from eminent families kill living creatures, steal, and commit sexual misconduct. They use speech that\u2019s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they\u2019re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t say that an eminent family makes you a better person. But some people from eminent families also refrain from killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual misconduct. They refrain from using speech that\u2019s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. And they\u2019re content, kind-hearted, with right view. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t say that an eminent family makes you a worse person. And some people who are exceptionally beautiful \u2026 And some people who are exceptionally wealthy kill living creatures \u2026 and have wrong view. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t say that exceptional wealth makes you a better person. But some people who are exceptionally wealthy also refrain from killing living creatures \u2026 and have right view. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t say that any of these things makes you a better or worse person. Brahmin, I don\u2019t say that you should serve everyone, nor do I say that you shouldn\u2019t serve anyone. And I say that you should serve someone if serving them makes you grow in faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. I say that you shouldn\u2019t serve someone if serving them doesn\u2019t make you grow in faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom.\u201d When he had spoken, Esuk\u0101r\u012b said to him: \u201cWorthy Gotama, the brahmins prescribe four kinds of wealth: for a brahmin, an aristocrat, a peasant, and a menial. The wealth they prescribe for a brahmin is living on alms. A brahmin who scorns his own wealth, living on alms, fails in his duty like a guard who steals. The wealth they prescribe for an aristocrat is the bow and quiver. An aristocrat who scorns his own wealth, the bow and quiver, fails in his duty like a guard who steals. The wealth they prescribe for a peasant is farming and animal husbandry. A peasant who scorns his own wealth, farming and animal husbandry, fails in his duty like a guard who steals. The wealth they prescribe for a menial is the scythe and flail. A menial who scorns his own wealth, the scythe and flail, fails in his duty like a guard who steals. These are the four kinds of wealth that the brahmins prescribe. What do you say about this?\u201d \u201cBut brahmin, did the whole world authorize the brahmins to prescribe these four kinds of wealth?\u201d \u201cNo, worthy Gotama.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s as if they were to force a chop on a poor, penniless person, telling them, \u2018Eat this meat and pay for it!\u2019 In the same way, the brahmins have prescribed these four kinds of wealth without the consent of these ascetics and brahmins. I assert that a person\u2019s own wealth is the noble, transcendent teaching. But they are reckoned by recollecting the traditional family customs of their mother and father wherever they are incarnated. If they incarnate in a family of aristocrats they are reckoned as an aristocrat. If they incarnate in a family of brahmins they are reckoned as a brahmin. If they incarnate in a family of peasants they are reckoned as a peasant. If they incarnate in a family of menials they are reckoned as a menial. It\u2019s like fire, which is reckoned according to the very same condition dependent upon which it burns. A fire that burns dependent on logs is reckoned as a log fire. A fire that burns dependent on twigs is reckoned as a twig fire. A fire that burns dependent on grass is reckoned as a grass fire. A fire that burns dependent on cow-dung is reckoned as a cow-dung fire. In the same way, I assert that a person\u2019s own wealth is the noble, transcendent teaching. But they are reckoned by recollecting the traditional family customs of their mother and father wherever they are incarnated. Suppose someone from a family of aristocrats goes forth from the lay life to homelessness. Relying on the teaching and training proclaimed by the Realized One they refrain from killing living creatures, stealing, and sex. They refrain from using speech that\u2019s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. And they\u2019re content, kind-hearted, with right view. They succeed in the system of the skillful teaching. Suppose someone from a family of brahmins \u2026 peasants \u2026 menials goes forth from the lay life to homelessness. Relying on the teaching and training proclaimed by the Realized One \u2026 they succeed in the system of the skillful teaching. What do you think, brahmin? 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 \u201cIn the same way, suppose someone from a family of aristocrats, brahmins, peasants, or menials goes forth from the lay life to homelessness. Relying on the teaching and training proclaimed by the Realized One \u2026 they succeed in the system of the skillful teaching. What do you think, brahmin? 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 \u201cIn the same way, suppose someone from a family of aristocrats, brahmins, peasants, or menials goes forth from the lay life to homelessness. Relying on the teaching and training proclaimed by the Realized One \u2026 they succeed in the system of the skillful teaching. What do you think, brahmin? Suppose an anointed aristocratic king were to gather a hundred people born in different classes and say to them: \u2018Please gentlemen, 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, brahmin? 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 \u201cIn the same way, suppose someone from a family of aristocrats, brahmins, peasants, or menials goes forth from the lay life to homelessness. Relying on the teaching and training proclaimed by the Realized One they refrain from killing living creatures, stealing, and sex. They refrain from using speech that\u2019s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. And they\u2019re content, kind-hearted, with right view. They succeed in the system of the skillful teaching.\u201d When he had spoken, Esuk\u0101r\u012b said to him, \u201cExcellent, worthy Gotama! Excellent! \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 Esuk\u0101r\u012b","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1658}