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able influence with views of the Brahmins. Among the Brahmins themselves there were frequent schisms, These heretic philosophers being under the sway of Brahmin priesthood had to accept, though nominally, the authority of the Vedas. They therefore maintained that although for good worldly rewards, you have to follow the Sacrificial system of the Vedas, it does not help at all a man whose sole object is spiritual bliss. Jainism was existing and preaching its doctrines side by side. It bad witnessed from times immemorial the various divisions of the Hindu society and loudly proclaimed that one who prided himself as belonging to a high family should invariably enter into lower existence in his next incarnation. Its spiritual philosophy and system of logic was too deep for common people, but it had its own system of ethics for the masses and those who understood this philosophy did join the sect. On several occasions we find from the Jain works that there were religious discussions between the Brahmins and the Jains. The Jain philosophy teaches that such distinctions of caste are sure to arise so long as there is in the human mind the vanity and pride of individual and family greatness. The duty of Jainism which existed side by side with Hinduism was therefore to look down upon this pride and to teach the people the true law of cause and effect. Buddha handled this question differently. In his time the Brahmin priesthood was
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