[Advaita-l] Buddha confirmed to preexisting social norms of the Vedic society of his time

[Kalyan]

Dear Sri Raghav,

The issue is not so simple. The Buddha strongly denounced the superiority of the brahmins over other castes. Please see below -

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.093.than.html

Above is from Assalayana sutta. (Incidentally, the above also shows that Vedic people used to shave their heads. So all arguments that this is purely a Buddhistic practice, fall apart.)

The Buddha also accepted people from 4 castes as his disciples. Below is from Agganna sutta where Buddha once again denounces the caste system and superiority of brahmins -

http://www.palicanon.org/en/sutta-pitaka/transcribed-suttas/majjhima-nikaya/142-mn-88-bhitika-sutta-the-cloak.html

//‘Now since both dark and bright qualities, which are blamed and praised by the wise, are scattered indiscriminately among the four castes, the wise do not recognise the claim about the Brahmin caste being the highest. Why is that? Because, Vasettha, anyone from the four castes who becomes a monk, an Arahant who has destroyed the corruptions, who has lived the life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden,819 reached the highest goal, destroyed the fetter of becoming, and become emancipated through super-knowledge — he is proclaimed supreme by virtue of Dhamma and not of non-Dhamma.//

Another case in point is of one of Buddha's disciples Upali, who was a barber. This example also goes to show that the Buddha admitted people from all castes. Please see below link.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upali