Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2Eliot, Charles
Religion
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2
Eliot, Charles
Asia -- Religion; Buddhism; Hinduism
Sometimes religion and caste are in opposition, for many modern
religious leaders have begun by declaring that among believers there
are no social distinctions. This is true not only of teachers whose
orthodoxy is dubious, such as Nânak, the founder of the Sikhs, and
Basava, the founder of the Lingâyats,[420] but also of Vallabhâcârya
and Caitanya. But in nearly all cases caste reasserts itself. The
religious teachers of the sect receive extravagant respect and form a
body apart. This phenomenon, which recurs in nearly all communities,
shows how the Brahmans established their position. At the same time
social distinctions make themselves felt among the laity, and those
who claim to be of good position dissociate themselves from those of
lower birth. The sect ends by observing caste on ordinary occasions,
and it is only in some temples (such as that of Jagannath at
Puri)[421] that the worshippers mix and eat a sacred meal together.
Sometimes, however, the sect which renounces caste becomes itself a
caste. Thus, the Sikhs have become almost a nation and other modern
castes arising out of sects are the Atiths, who are Śivaites, the
Saraks, who appear to have been originally Buddhists, and the
Baishnabs (Vaishnavas), a name commonly given in Bengal to those
followers of Caitanya who persist in the original rule of disregarding
caste regulations within the sect, and hence now form a separate
community. But as a rule sect and caste are not co-extensive and the
caste is not a religious corporation. Thus the different subdivisions
of the Baniyas belong to different sects and even in the same
subdivision there is no religious uniformity.[422]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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