Negative Campaigning: Polemics against Brahmins in a Buddhist Sutta

This paper takes a close look at the ways Brahmins are portrayed in one sutta of the Pāli canon that explains the ‘five ancient principles of Brahmins that today are seen in dogs, but not in Brahmins’. The paper analyses the method of comparing Brahmins with dogs and discusses the rhetorical purpose...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Religions of South Asia
Main Author: Freiberger, Oliver 1967- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Equinox 2009
In: Religions of South Asia
Further subjects:B Pāli canon
B Buddhism
B religious market
B Dogs
B Rhetoric
B Polemics
B Humour
B Brahmanism
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Summary:This paper takes a close look at the ways Brahmins are portrayed in one sutta of the Pāli canon that explains the ‘five ancient principles of Brahmins that today are seen in dogs, but not in Brahmins’. The paper analyses the method of comparing Brahmins with dogs and discusses the rhetorical purpose of this comparison by juxtaposing the respective statements with data from Brāhmaṇical law texts. In the course of this analysis three rhetorical techniques are identified (reductionism, exaggeration, and generalization), which Buddhists employed in their polemics against Brahmins.
ISSN:1751-2697
Contains:Enthalten in: Religions of South Asia
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/rosa.v3i1.61