Term Papers on Buddhism

Term Paper Title	Buddhism
# of Words	1146
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.58

Buddhism

In the Hindu lands of ancient India, there was a class structure called the caste system. It divided the society
into four, well defined groups. It was born of dharma which dictated a rigid class structure. In spite of the
divisions among different class members, the system worked well. Buddhism came along and challenged
the notion. Buddha taught that birth and the happenstance of who or what your parents were, was not a
basis for ranking in society. Instead it was your deeds that dictated your worth. Buddha made his point in
Savatthi in a debate with a young brahman. In spite of his objections to it, the system didn't go away nor
was there an attempt made to fight it. It just became an accepted evil in society.
     In the ancient Hindu society the practice of a class system was widely accepted. In the caste
system there were four main classes and many lower classes known as the excluded classes. In each caste
there was no agreed upon leader of that particular group. Furthermore, each caste had its own set of rules,
regulations and customs that set it apart from the other castes. The only hierarchy agreed upon by all castes
was that of the Brahmans, or priestly class. They were recognized as having a level of spiritual purity that
set them above all classes. This honor was bestowed upon them because of their role in ritual sacrifices and
the practices of such. Otherwise, they had no other superior status over the others, not even in roles of
economics or politics.
     In accordance with smriti, the concept of dharma was greatly emphasized in the Hindu society.
One of the two main aspects of dharma was the designing of social organization through defined bodies of
classes. The classes themselves originated from the mouth and limbs of Purusha. They are arranged in a top
to bottom format as follows; the Brahmans, as mentioned above, were the priestly class and bestowed as
the highest class  in Hindu society, secondly, the Kshatriya class, which consisted of the warrior kings, next
are the Vaishya containing the merchants and traders, and finally, are the Shudras who were all the others.
Below these four distinctions are the "excluded" class which contains many different forms of laborers and
other low rent elements of society.
     In spite of its seemingly rigid class structure, the caste system did not create a splintered or
fragmented society divided over class ranking and the ceaseless snivelings of the haves versus the have
nots. Instead, it provided the guideline for a just and orderly society.
     Buddhism has a slightly different take. The Buddha has many scriptures which denounces the idea
of social ranking based on birthright; the means by which one gained their social status in Hindu society. In
many of the Buddhist text the four classes are said to be fundamentally equal and, "which men are said to
be worthy of respect not through birth, but only through spiritual or moral merit"(SOIT 125). The
theoretical idea of the Buddha, in regard to society, was that of equality. While the order of a class system
was good for orderliness amongst the people, it was not a divine sanction. In Sutta Nipata verse 136, the
buddhist view is made clear:
No brahman is such by birth.
No outcaste is such by birth.
An outca...

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