Download The Great Lion`s Roar

REL355 – First Paper - Wilcox 1
On The Buddha's Adaptation of Asceticism and Brahminism
The Buddha presents a new way of understanding who is a true ascetic or
Brahmin1, relating these terms not to radical austerities but to the perfection of
certain qualities through practice.
The Buddha espouses the difference between a practitioner of self-mortification
and an ascetic. Kassapa, an ascetic, goes to the Buddha and asks whether the
Buddha disapproves of an ascetic's life of self-mortification. Kassapa describes
all of the things which an ascetic gives up on the path to enlightenment, and
indirectly asks what is wrong with these things. The Buddha responds: “Kassapa,
a practiser of self-mortification may do all these things, but if his morality, his
heart, and his wisdom are not developed and brought to realisation, then indeed
he is still far from being an ascetic or a Brahmin,” (para 15). Here the Buddha
addresses Kassapa's inquiry by saying that a practitioner of self-mortification
who has not developed these qualities is not an ascetic. This is an alteration of
how asceticism and Brahminism have been defined elsewhere – the Buddha
himself chose not to follow these paths in their mainstream form.
Since the Buddha specifically does not relate the ascetic to radical practices he
creates a new measurement of who is a true ascetic or Brahmin and who is not a
true ascetic. This measurement, as defined above, is based on the cultivation of
these qualities instead of the ascetic practices themselves. This is part of the
Buddhist idea that there are many ways to cultivate a quality, and that it is the
ultimate attainment of a trait which matters. By dispelling the previously common
definition of an ascetic as one who practices self-mortification and replacing it
with this cultivation-through-ascetic practices the Buddha is bringing Kassapa
and all the ascetics into his philosophy without forcing them to give up their
existing practices altogether.
In Paragraph 16, Kassapa suggests that doing all sorts of ascetic practices, such
as barely eating or having no possessions or clothes, makes being an ascetic a
difficult task. Kassapa wants to point out how hard it is to be an ascetic,
seemingly an attempt at defending the practice. Buddha counters that doing all
of those things is not what makes being an ascetic difficult, but rather developing
non-enmity, non-ill-will and a heart full of loving kindness. Again the Buddha
states that only through the cultivation of these qualities can a monk be called an
ascetic. The Buddha is challenging the ascetic to an even more difficult task than
the ascetic is already working to attain. The Buddha turns the tasks of an ascetic
into the path of a Buddhist.
Kassapa interrogates the Buddha on what exactly is meant by the development
1 For the remainder of the paper “ascetic” may generally be read “ascetic or Brahmin.” I have
shortened to just “ascetic” both to eliminate redundancy and because asceticism is more
central to the theme of the piece.
REL355 – First Paper - Wilcox 2
of morality, of the heart, and of wisdom, to which the Buddha responds with a
long discourse on these three attributes. Anticipating the question of whether
there might be other attributes which are more important to cultivate, the Buddha
says that “There is nothing further or more perfect than the perfection of morality,
of the heart, and of wisdom,” (para 20). In his exposition of these terms it is clear
that they are based on the basic tenets of Buddhism.
The final defense of ascetic practices is that there are already ascetic teachers
who preach morality, austerity, wisdom, and liberation. The Buddha brings this
point up himself and immediately dismisses the notion. In regard to each of
these things the Buddha says “I do not see any who have surpassed me in this,”
(para 21). The Buddha considers himself supreme in all of these regards, and
thus it does not matter if other teachers preach similar ideas since they cannot
possibly be as refined, precise, and true as the Buddha's.
Through all of these arguments the Buddha describes a new description of who
is a true ascetic or Brahmin, and he describes them to be the perfecting of
certain qualities through practice and does not focus on radical austerities. This
way of presenting asceticism and Brahminism is very effective since it essentially
adopts their practices and turns them toward Buddhist beliefs.
REL355 – First Paper - Wilcox 3
Works Cited
Walshe, M. Mahasihanada Sutta: The Great Lion's Roar, Wisdom Publ. 1987.
Citations based on paragraph numbers.