Mahapanaya Vidayalai
An Affiliated Institute of MCU
Semester I
2011
Part VI
Buddhist Perspective on Social Discrimination
A Caste System
Hinduism perspective (No universally accepted theory about the origins of caste system, Caste:
Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudras, Fa Xian, a Buddhist monk China (400 AD) mentioned about
Chandals, played an influential role in shaping economic activities)
Christian perspective (Feudalismhierarchy of noble lords, Nobles
vs Common, Monarch
Nobles Commercial Capitalists  ArtisansPeasant, PopeCardinalsArchbishopsBishopsPriests,
Missionaries, and Monastic, Syrian or Latin in India
)
Muslim perspective : (Ashrafs (Sayyads/Shiekhs/Mughuls/Pathan) vs Non Ashrafs, / Foreign land,
converted from high Hindu caste, middle cast and untouchable caste/ 3 broad categories Ashraf/Ajlaf and
Arzal)
Class Hierarchy
Social class: Group of people within a society who possess
the same socioeconomic status.
The term was first widely used in the early 19th century,
following the industrial and political revolutions of the late
18th century.
The most influential early theory of class was that of Karl
Marx, who focused on how one class controls and directs the
process of production while other classes are the direct
producers and the providers of services to the dominant class.
Max Weber emphasized the importance of political power
and social status or prestige in maintaining class distinctions.
Colourism
Colorism is discrimination in which human beings are
accorded differing social treatment based on skin
color. The term colorism refers to when lighter skin
tones are preferred and darker skin is considered less
desirable or darker skin tones are preferred and
lighter skin is considered less desirable. Colorism can
be found across the world. Many historically favored
and continue to favor lighter skin rather than darker
skin.
Racism
Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to
people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are
superior to others. During the past 500-1000 years, racism on the part of
Western powers toward non-Westerners has had a far more significant
impact on history than any other form of racism (such as racism among
Western groups or among Easterners, such as Asians, Africans, and
others). The most notorious example of racism by the West has been
slavery, particularly the enslavement of Africans in the New World. This
enslavement was accomplished because of the racist belief that Black
Africans were less fully human than white Europeans and their
descendants.
Gender
Gender bias is the prejudice in action or treatment against a person on
the basis of their sex. Eg. Payment of lesser salary to weaker sex
workers.
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination,
is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics
implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated
areas
Gender bias, the term is so deep rooted in our society that it’s quite
impossible to drive out from the society. In every field it may be social,
political, economic or cultural field we found a small or large
discrimination among man & woman.
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in
part, of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group. Genocide means any of the following acts
committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious
group, as such:(a) Killing members of the group;(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to
members of the group;(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to
bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to
prevent births within the group (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
History
Taking both social definitions into account, governments have murdered probably around
174 million people during the 20th Century. Most of this killing, perhaps around 110 million
people, is due to communist governments, especially the USSR under Lenin and Stalin and
their successors (62 million murdered), and China under Mao Tse-tung (35 million). Some
other totalitarian or authoritarian governments are also largely responsible for this toll,
particularly Hitler's Germany (21 million murdered) and Chiang Kai-chek's Nationalist
government of China (about 10 million). Other governments that have murdered lesser
millions include Khmer Rouge Cambodia, Japan, North Korea, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland,
Russia, Turkey, Vietnam, and Tito's Yugoslavia.
Rwanda Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994mass murder of an estimated
800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the
course of approximately 100 days. It was the culmination of
longstanding ethnic competition and tensions between the minority Tutsi,
who had controlled power for centuries, and the majority Hutu peoples,
who had come to power in the rebellion of 1959–62 and overthrown the
Tutsi monarchy
Nazi Genocide
Holocaust, the systematic attempt of German authorities during
World War II to kill all and every Jew no matter where found-to
destroy Jews as a group. This murder of between 5 to 6 million Jews
became the paradigm case of genocide and underlies the word's
origin.
Buddhism Perspective
Five Major Fundamental Concepts of Buddhism
1. Mutability of Change
All objects are regarded as being in continuous state of change.
Nothing finite is eternally fixed or unchanging.
2. Cause and Effect
This process of change, however is not considered to be chaotic but
rather is regulated by a universal law of cause and effect.
3. Selfishness and Suffering
The law of cause and effect includes not only the laws of physical, it also
includes laws of moral or psychological cause and effect know as
kammavipaka (karma).
4. Nirvana
Since all which is born must die, since all which is finite must change, the
only thing immortal, infinite, and unchanging is that which was never born
and is not compounded. This is Nirvana.
Buddhism perspective
Some other aspects
1. Universality (Truth is universal and unchanging)
2. Unsupernatuarl (Supernatural help are no value)
3. World View (Man was created by the laws of nature, the world was not created by man)
4. Worldliness and others (Middle path approach)
5. Epistemology (Buddhist knowledge should be obtained through one’s own reasoning and experience)
6. Ethics (Buddhist ethics has two levels: a positive and a negative. Negative it advocates the eradication of all greed, hatred and egotism from one’s mind.
Positively, it advocates the cultivation and development of metta, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity as inherent aspect of one’s personality)
7. Society (Harmony in Society)
8. Psychology (Everything is changing only stable is Nirvana)
9. Death (No soul concept)
10. Knowledge and Intelligence (Understanding of own self)
11. Discipline (Though he may conquer a thousand thousand men in battle, greater still is the man who conquers himself)
12 Institution (Teaching should be institulized)
Buddha summarized his doctrine on four noble truths and noble eight fold paths
Four Noble Truths
1.Suffering does exist
2.Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3.Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
4.Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path
Noble Eight fold paths
1. Right view
2. Right Intention (Wisdom)
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood (Ethical conduct)
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration (Mental Development)
Caste System
Buddhism is totally against cast system and also slavery
system. The Buddha rejected such a caste system which says
that people are of a certain caste (class) by birth only. The
Buddha said you can only belong to a certain type of people
depending on your actions in this life. The Buddha, himself
born into the warrior caste, was a severe critic of the caste
system. He ridiculed the priests claims to be superior, he
criticised the theological basis of the system and he welcomed
into the Sangha people of all castes, including outcasts. His
most famous saying on the subject is : " Birth does not make
one a priest or an outcaste. Behavior makes one either a priest
or an outcaste".
Gender
Buddhism has no sex discrimination for spiritual attainment. Buddha, in
his quest to spread his teachings to all classes and genders of people needed
to create a groundwork in which men and women could co-exist while
fostering a spiritually supportive atmosphere. He realized that women, too,
were capable of the same spiritual transformation offered by the dharma. In
beginning to ordain nuns the Buddha laid out specific rules pertaining to
women to guard against even the suspicion of sexual relations within
Buddhist communities. The most important, and continuing theme in
Buddhist texts has been that sex is not ultimate. It is not 'what you are' and
should not be viewed as a hindrance or a help on the spiritual path.
However, the attachment to one's gender, or the indulgence in the physical
pleasures available to both is certainly a hindrance.
Poverty
Even though material wealth has no value in Buddhist religion,
middle path theory explains of eradication of poverty from
society to develop well cultured society. From Buddhist point
of view, poverty can be classified as absolute poverty ( No
support), Felt poverty (Desired is more than ability), and Self –
inflicted poverty (Non ending Greed). Causes of these poverties
are : political, social, individual and Karmic. Even lower level
individual or society can be uplifted to higher level with viraya
and souray. Healthy society is very essential for development
of spiritual practices.
Monks, there are beings who suffer not from
disease of body for 1 year, for 2 years... even for 100
years. But it is hard to find in the world beings who
can admit freedom from mental disease even for
one moment, save only those who have destroyed
delusions."
"
The Buddha [Anguttara Nikaya (A.II:143); Samyutta Nikaya (S.III.:2)]
Some practical rules in Buddhism
First, do not kill and do not let others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect
life.
Do not live with vocation that is harmful to humans and nature.
Do not steal. Possess nothing that should belong to others.
To preserve the happiness of yourself and others, respect the rights and
commitments of others.
Do not say untruthful things.
Do not criticize or condemn things that you are unsure of.
Do not utter words that cause division and hatred, that can create discord and
cause the family or the community to break.
Do not use alcohol and any other intoxicants. Be aware that your fine body has
been transmitted to you by several previous generations and your parents.
Destroying your body with alcohol and other intoxicants is to betray your ancestors,
your parents and also to betray the future generations.