Indian Society for Buddhist Studies

Author(s): Prachya Vidyapeeth
Publisher: Prachya Vidyapeeth

Page 96

(81)
described in two forms like hīnā jāti (low birth), consisting of candāļa, veņa, nesāda, rathakāra & pukkusa and ukkatthā (superior birth), comprising khattiyas & brāhmaṇas. The Ambatthasutta of Dīghanikāya, Madhurasutta, Kannakatthalasutla and the Assallāyanasutta of Majjhimanikāya and other suttas recognize the existence of four castes: cattāra vannā - kṣatriya,brāhmaṇa,vaiša,sudra. The Madhurasutta mainly focused that caste: cannot guarantee material success in life; cannot exclude the good from bliss hereafter; cannot protect evildoers from the criminal law; cannot affect the uniform reverence extended to the religious ,whether he bring jump from the highest or the lowest of the four castes. In all these important respects these four castes are exactly equal.
The paper would focus on the exact meaning of the word 'Caste' in Pali and its use in various suttas of Nikya.
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Friendship: Glimpses from Pali Tipitaka
Arindam Bhattacharyya, Kolkata
If wanderers who are members of other sects should ask you, 'What, friend, are the prerequisites for the development of the wings to self-awakening?' You should answer, ‘There is the case where a monk has admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues. This is the first prerequisite for the development of the wings to self-awakening.'
Friendship is very important in Early Buddhist ethical teachings. Various texts of Suttapiţaka have ample references about friendship. The definition of friendship is a state of being friends; friendly relation, or attachment, to a person, or between persons; affection arising from mutual esteem and good will; friendliness; amity; good will. Friendship for most people is a combination of affection, loyalty, love, respect, and trust. The