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 Brahmans
(brāhamaṇa) are the hereditary priests of Hinduism
and occupy the highest position in the caste system. At the
time of the Buddha they had a reputation for greed, arrogance and
worldliness which was in stark contrast to the high values they
espoused. The Buddha criticised the brahmans' demand for honour and
precedence simply because they were born brahmans and said that
anyone - high caste or not - was worthy of respect if they were
virtuous. This, the Buddha said, made one a real brahman: 'Whoever is
friendly amidst the hostile, peaceful amidst the violent, content
amidst the clinging, him I call a true brahman. Whose passion and
hatred, pride and hypocrisy have just fallen away like a mustard seed
on a needle point, him I call a true brahman. Whoever speaks words
that are gentle, informative, pleasant and offensive to none, him I
call a true brahman' (Dhp.406-8). Because he threatened their
high position, many brahmans were bitter opponents of the Buddha. On
the other hand, because they were also often well-educated and
intelligent, a good number of brahmans converted to Buddhism both
during the Buddha's time and in the following centuries.
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