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Role of Psychological Factors in Determining Buddha's Attitude
53
and apprehensive of what may happen to him or to them1. Thus, it might have had infected Gautama Buddha with an extra-curiosity about those things and ultimately he became convinced that something intriguing was going on. And thus he reacted against what his father desired.
Gautama Buddha's attitude towards the then social problems may be treated as an outcome of the long association he had with his social environment. The society of Kapilavastu is mentioned to have been theoretically divided on the basis of traditional Varna system but the system was not at all rigidly followed. The Brahmans were supposed to be the first Varna in theory but they could not successfully carry on The Buddhist literatheir ideal on which depended their social status. ture refers to the existence of ten types of Brahmanas, such as, doctors, sevrants, drivers, tax collectors, earth diggers, confectioners, agriculturists, priests, bodyguards, gate keepers, carvan leaders and guild leaders, huntmen and royal servants. This statement suggests that professional ideals of the Varna system were not strictly followed in Kapilavastu. It is corroborated by the reference to Ksatriyas taking to the profession In the Sakya republic the of Mālākāras, Nalakaras, and Kumbhkāras. Ksatriya clansmen were largely cultivators of the soil. All these above mentioned materials relating to the non-implementation of the Varna ideals were well-known to Gautama Buddha. The reason of why the Brāhmaṇas and the Ksatriyas did not stick to their traditional profesIt may be sions may be attributed to the socio-economic conditions. added that traditional mode of profession could not satisfy the needs of increasing population and could not provide sufficient opportunity for earning their livelihood. In such circumstances, Gautama Buddha was not convinced by the traditional system and therefore, he instead of preaching in favour of this institution based on birth, laid more and more emphasis upon the individual ability and capacity to Nirvana. Therefore, the Buddhist sources do not show any prejudice expressed by Gautama Buddha against those Brahmanas who, in the real sense of the term, were fulfilling the qualifications of an ideal Brahmana and no respect was shown to those Brahmanas who did not
attain
1. Burney Katz and Robert T. Lewis, The Psychology of Abnormal Behaviour-A Dynamic Approach, New York, 1961, 2nd Edn., (First Edn., Lovis P. Thorpe and Burney, Katz), pp. 239-40. 2. Jataka, II, pp. 165-66; IV, p. 15; V, pp. 21, 68, 471.
3.
Vinayapitaka, I, 72.
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