The Buddhist View of Social Stratification: The Sangha

The above mentioned details render an insight into the Buddhist attitude of stratification. The early Pali texts clearly assert that a person’s vanna, jati or kula are irrelevant in the context of the social world, as represented by sangha. All the equal in their potential for salvation and the categories of the Brahmanical scheme and the categories of the Buddhists scheme have nothing to bear in the sangha. In the Kannakatthala sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya, Buddha tells king Pasenadi that it does not matter whether a person is from khattiya, brahmana, vessa or sudda vanna^[1], the only thing that matters is that a person should possess the proper qualities for striving and making the right effort. In the similar manner, Mahakaccana tells the king of Madhura that a person from any of the four vannas was known simply as a samana once he renounced the world, and would be equally entitled to respect.^[2]

It has been said that when a man joins the sangha^[3], he becomes without vanna (vevanniyanti). The Buddha says that he saw four birds of different vanna (colours) in his dream, which came and fell at his feet and became completely white. He explained this situation in the sense that people are being freed from their original distinctions^[4] who belong to the four vannas as soon as they join his sangha. All the people are equally capable of accomplishing the right path regardless of whether they belong to brahmana, khattiya, vessa, and sudda kulas, if they follow the discipline formulated by the Buddha and go forth from the home into homelessness.^[5] Bhikkhus belonging to brahmana, khattiya, or gahapati khulas, along with others, would all be equal in the sangha where the best dwelling places and alms would be allotted according to the seniority of the monks, regardless of their social origins.^[6] Thus neither conceptual categories, nor empirical categories are relevant within the sangha.