CASTE,HEALTH AND BUDDHISM

Religion in every society in every stage of history upholds the value of well-being
and health as necessary for a meaningful life and provides its adherents with the ways
and means to enhance their health and to enable them to deal creatively with human
vulnerability to disease pain and suffering.1 For a country to progress there is a need
to have a healthy nation and for the emergence of healthy nation, prerequisite is of
healthy populace. Buddhism which is also called a ‘living religion’, gives importance
to the health, because it regards it to be the means to intellectual enlightenment.
Itsing’s record2 gives detailed information about the methods of preservation of health
in the Buddhist Sangha.
The Buddhist philosophy of Dependent origination holds that health and disease
involve the overall state of a human being and are interwoven with many factors such
as economics, education, social and cultural milieu. All these conditional factors need
to be seriously taken into account in the understanding of health and disease. Health
is therefore to be understood in terms of holism. It is the expression of harmony -
within oneself, in one's social relationships, and in relation to the natural
environment. Buddhist view also sees strong interdependence between mind and
body, it gives special attention to the mind and its power. It is stated in the very first
verse of the Dhammapada that what we are, is the result of our thoughts.
In the world of medicine also, today there is strong emphasis on ascertaining social
determinants of health. Social determinants are found to have close relationship with
the mental health of an individual, which in turns has its effects on the physical
health. World Health Organization defines “health as not merely the absence of
disease and infirmity but complete physical, mental social well being.”
In the Indian context, to the caste system it is attributed the sole responsibility, of
seriously impairing the ‘mind-set’ of both the upper castes and the lower castes. It is
because of their respective social backgrounds and status in caste hierarchy that they
suffer from a kind of a mental disease, which in the field of Psychiatry is called ‘caste
delusion.’ As a result, both have lost their capacity to look at each other as normal
human beings; both have lost their capacity to recognize and respect each other on the
basis of their merit i.e., what they have achieved with what ever they had. That
‘delusion’ is responsible for the eruption of ill feelings among the both, which in
turn becomes instrumental in generating harmful repercussions on their health. Caste
inequalities generate hatred, anger and contempt which in turn disturbs peace of
mind, heralding intellectual stagnation which ultimately spells doom for a nation.
No constitutional law has been successful in eradicating ‘the disease of
untouchability,’ or ‘the disease of hatred’. The law given by Manu seems to prevail in
the minds and the hearts of the people till date. Manu the law giver prescribes
‘permanent exclusion’ of Dalits from the Chaturvarna, comprising primarily of the
Brahmins, created out of the mouth, the Kshatriyas created out of arms, the Vaishyas
from the thighs and the Sudras from the feet. He codified the then prevailing social
norms consigning shudras, atishudras or Dalits and women thoroughly unequal and
miserable existence.
 The ten point law of Manu on Dalits is given below:

1) All those tribes in this world, which are excluded from the community of those born
from the mouth, the arms, the thighs and the feet (of Brahma), are called Dasyus
(Slaves), whether they speak the language of the Mlechhas (barbarians) or that of the
Aryans.

2) Near well known trees and burial ground, on mountains and in groves, let these (tribes)
dwell, known by certain marks and subsisting by their peculiar occupations.

3) But the dwelling of the Chandalas and Shwapakas shall be outside the village, the must
be made Apapatras and their wealth (shall be) dogs and donkeys.

4) Their dress (shall be) the garments of the dead (they shall eat) their food from broken
dishes, black iron (shall be) their ornaments, they must always wander from place to
place.

5) A man who fulfills a religious duty shall not seek intercourse with them; their
transactions (shall be) among themselves, and their marriages with their equals.

6) Their food shall be given to them by others (than an Aryan giver) in a broken dish; at
night they shall not walk about in villages and in towns.

7) By the day they must go about for the purpose of their work, distinguished by marks at
the king’s command, and they shall carry out the corpses (of persons) who have no
relatives, that is a settled rule.

8) By the king’s order they shall always execute the criminals in accordance with law and
they shall take for themselves the clothes, the beds, and the ornaments of (such)
criminals.

9) He who has a connection with a woman of one of the lowest castes shall be put to
death.

10) If one who (being the member of Chandala or some other low caste) must not be
touched, intentionally defiles by his touch (as a member of a twice born caste) may
be touched (by other twice born persons only) he shall be put to death.3

It is on account of their birth alone and no other valid reason, that Dalits face
exclusion throughout their lives. On account of fictitious explanations to their
background, they are disqualified to acquire wealth, possess property, eat proper food
and medicine, wear decent dress and ornaments, and live in good surroundings.
Entitlements to rights as human beings are denied to them. In fact they are not
recognized as human beings at all. Dalits, devoid of the basic necessities to lead a
healthy life, is bound by the tradition, to a life of servitude. Entitlements to rights as
human beings are denied to them. In fact they are not recognized as human beings at
all. They might not have committed any crime but their touch is rendered, polluting to
the utmost level of declaring it to be an ‘unforgivable’ crime. Unquestioningly, the
tradition of hatred is expected to be followed and passed on from generations to
generations. On the other hand, a Brahmana by virtue of his high birth, even if is
found indulging in mean occupations, must invariably be honoured. A brahmana may
seize without hesitation, he be distressed for a subsistence, the goods of shudras or
Dalits, without even a sense of guilt pervading his thoughts. Wherever the Brahmanas
went they sought to perpetuate their own social ascendancy by inculcating the
doctrine of their own superiority as custodians of a divine revelation and as
expounders of sacred laws. Wherever they spread over India, they defined their duties
and privileges of the different classes, assigned to them definite places in the
graduated scale of the community, and secured for themselves the best places.4

In Hinduism by virtue of birth one is born high or low, no importance is given to the
demarcation between good or bad. There are no compulsions of inculcating good
habits, a fine conduct, which in modern sensibilities forms the basis of morality or a
need to prove oneself to be good. There is a strict scriptural prescription to superiority
and inferiority which leaves little motivation for an individual to develop ones
character. No matter a dalit might be a beholder of innumerable virtues will still
remain a dalit, and a Brahmin though may be a perpetual sinner always finds a high
pedestal in society. For the same reason justice alludes the dalits even in the present
times. He remains a sinner for life, for no fault of his, having taken birth in a low
caste. It is no sin to despise or hate him, no sin in rendering him a life of degradation
and humiliation.
Webster (2002)5 argues child rearing practices in India socialize a child into hierarchical
family and village relationships. Indian child rearing supports internalization of a child’s
own status within this hierarchy as well that of others. In this manner caste prejudice
becomes part of everyday life, in Psychiatry it may be called ‘delusion’, a kind of mental
illness, inflicting, both upper castes and the lower castes. Delusion is understood to be a
false opinion or belief a person has developed over a thing or a phenomenon which
cannot be shaken by reason. The different symptoms or behavioral problems manifesting
the presence of the mental illness i.e., the caste-delusion among the upper castes and the
lower castes can be better understood from Table 1-below.”6 It is because of the same
‘caste delusion’ that Dalits are deprived of a sound well being and an healthy
environment.
Table-1: Some of the symptoms of caste-delusion
Among Upper Castes/Brahmins and Lower castes/Dalits

Sl. Symptoms among the

Symptoms among the Upper
N Lower castes/Dalits
castes/Brahmins (UC/B)
o. (LC/D)
1 Afraid of interacting with Aspire to interact with
Dalits the UC/B
2 Afraid of even facing the Dalits Facing a Brahmin
especially in the early morning especially in the early
morning is considered a
blessing
3 Afraid of sharing the food of
Dalits
4 Afraid of sharing food with
Dalits
5 Afraid of residing next to a
Dalit household
6 Afraid of sitting next to a Dalit
7 Afraid of touching even the
shadow of Dalits
8 Afraid of learning from and
working under a Dalit
9 Afraid of teaching or sharing
knowledge with a Dalit
10 Afraid of inviting Dalits for any
auspicious occasion.
11 Afraid of attending even the
auspicious occasions of Dalits;
if they do, they do not eat food
cooked over there
12 Can’t bear Dalits owning
property / wealth
13 Can’t bear Dalits wearing
clean/good clothes, gold
ornaments, foot-wears, towel
on their shoulder
14 Can’t bear Dalit children going
to school
15 Can’t bear Dalit children being
intelligent and scoring good
marks in schools and colleges
16 Can’t bear Dalits taking
marriage procession, riding a
by-cycle
17 Can’t bear Dalits learning and
excelling in classical music and
dance and other such
performing arts
18 Afraid of having marital
Aspire to share the food
of UC/B
Aspire to share food with
UC/B
Aspire to reside next to a
UC/B household
Aspire to sit next to a
UC/B
Some consider even
touching the shadow of
UC/B is blessing
Aspire to learn from and
work under a UC/B
Teaching to or sharing
knowledge with the
UC/B is prestigious
Aspire to invite UC/B
both for auspicious and
inauspicious occasions.
Presence of UC/B is
considered blessing and
prestigious
Aspire to attend both
auspicious and
inauspicious occasions of
UC/B; prefer to eat food
cooked over there
No such problem
No such problem
No such problem
No such problem
No such problem
No such problem
Aspire to have marital
 alliance with Dalits alliance with them

The symptoms listed in the table, aptly are suggestive of the nature of ailments inflicting
the upper castes, particularly the Brahmins, and the lower castes, particularly the
Dalits, for the simple reason of being born in their respective castes. In the rural areas
particularly, these problems have a stronghold even today. The ever prevailing
incidence of numerous types of caste discriminations and atrocities against the
members of Dalits are standing witness to it. Caste discriminations in other words
mean, generation of anger and hatred, which ultimately ends up in an violent act.

Anger in Buddhism

Anger in Buddhism is defined here as: "being unable to bear the object, or the
intention to cause harm to the object." Anger is seen as aversion with a stronger
exaggeration, and is listed as one of the five hindrances. Buddhist monks, such as
Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetans in exile, sometimes get angry.7 However,
there is a difference; most often a spiritual person is aware of the emotion and the
way it can be handled. Thus, in response to the question: "Is any anger acceptable in
Buddhism?' the Dalai Lama answered:

"Buddhism in general teaches that anger is a destructive emotion and although anger
might have some positive effects in terms of survival or moral outrage, I do not
accept that anger of any kind as a virtuous emotion nor aggression as constructive
behavior. The Gautama Buddha has taught that there are three basic kleshas at the
root of samsara (bondage, illusion) and the vicious cycle of rebirth. These are greed,
hatred, and delusion--also translatable as attachment, anger, and ignorance. They
bring us confusion and misery rather than peace, happiness, and fulfillment. It is in
our own self-interest to purify and transform them."8

His Holiness the Dalai Lama aptly projects anger9:

"When reason ends, then anger begins.

Therefore, anger is a sign of weakness."

Effects of anger on Health

Caste system with a multitude of irksome restrictions upon an individual and his
family and private life has had its impact on the health. Divisions in society has led to
growing resentment an anger among the individuals. The anger can be demarcated
into two types, active and passive. Anger amongst the upper caste may be put into the
category of active as it is frequently expressed. Dalits have to suppress their feelings
out of fear of inviting more aggression from the upper castes, also they depend on
them for their livelihood. Most Dalits especially in the rural area are engaged in
unorganized sectors and get no opportunity to give a vent to their feelings. Their
anger remains repressed which has more harmful effects on their health.
Some of the effects of anger are as follows:
Lowered Immunity

Those who stew in anger may find themselves sneezing, coughing, and nursing aches
and pains. This is due to the lowered immune function that begins with anger. In
addition, research proves those who are often angry may frequently respond by using
alcohol and smoking.

Heart Health

For those who hold on to hostility, heart health may be compromised. Researchers
noted an increased risk of heart attacks among those with a history of cardiovascular
disease, leading even to death.

Stroke

When a blood vessel carrying blood to the brain is blocked by a clot, an ischemic
stroke occurs. It is estimated that an ischemic stroke afflicts an individual
approximately every 40 seconds in America. While high blood pressure is the most
common cause of strokes, physical factors like anger and depression may result in
high blood pressure

Weight Gain

Angry individuals will have another reason for rage—weight gain. Cortisol (the stress
hormone that triggers the fight or flight response in the body) may be secreted in
unhealthy amounts when stress and anger persist. Negative effects of too much
cortisol can include:

• Increased weight (particularly in the abdomen)

• Blood sugar imbalances
• Supressed thyroid function
• High blood pressure
• Lower immunity

Headaches

Those who internalize anger may also experience headaches more frequently.

Passive-Aggressive Anger

For a variety of reasons some people have a hard time acknowledging that they are
experiencing the emotion of anger. There are people who feel anger is not an
acceptable emotion, and there are others who equate anger with physical violence and
feel if they are not violent or physically abusive, they are not angry.

Passive-aggressive expressions of anger work well for those who cannot or do not
want to acknowledge they experience anger. Passive-aggressive anger does not cause
physical pain to those on the receiving end of it, but it does cause emotional pain. It
erodes a person's sense of self-confidence, worth and value. It is also hard for people
to find effective ways to protect themselves from the pain it causes.

Examples of Passive-Aggressive Anger

There are several different manifestations of passive-aggressive anger. These

manifestations include the following.10

• Forgetting – Not the kind of forgetting that can happen to anyone, but forgetting
major events or commitments like holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and then not
acknowledging the impact it has had on others.
• Ignoring/silence – Acting as though someone doesn't exist. Being ignored is
very difficult as it makes people feel invisible, unimportant, worthless. Especially
hard when the targets are children or loved ones.
• Side comments/talking about others – These are comments that can erode
authority or self-confidence but are said in such a way that they are hard to confront
directly. Like termites in a wall, they are often invisible but doing great damage.
• Humor/sarcastic remarks - This is the kind of humor or remarks that hurts. It is
a way for people to say things that are mean and hurtful in a framework that is
considered funny. Often said around others who may be totally unaware of the pain it
causes.
• Destroying or losing things - This involves losing or destroying things that
mean something to the people who own them. It can be notes, cards, photos, legal
papers – anything that has some meaning, value or represents hard work.

• Studies have proved that repressive anger leads to cancer.Cancer surgeon Dr

Ryke-Geerd Hamer from Germany has examined 20,000 cancer patients with all
types of cancer. Dr Hamer noticed that all his patients seemed to have something in
common: there had been some kind of psycho-emotional conflict prior to the onset of
their cancer - usually a few years before - a conflict that had never fully resolved. Dr
Hamer started including psychotherapy as an important part of the healing process
and found that when the specific conflict was resolved, the cancer immediately
stopped growing at a cellular level. Dr Hamer believes that cancer people are unable
to share their thoughts, emotions, fears and joys with other people. He calls this
"psycho-emotional isolation". These people tend to hide away sadness and grief
behind a brave face, appear ‘nice’ and avoid open conflict. Some are not even aware
of their emotions, and are therefore not only isolated from other people, but also from
themselves.11

Buddhism and Health

There is less scope of poor mental health in Buddhism because first and foremost it
shuns caste based disparities. In the Therigatha, there are references made to
Angulimala, the dreaded robber, Sunita, the scavenger, Svapaka, the dog eater, Svati,
the fisherman, Nanda, the cow heard, and Upali, the barber. Among the Bhikshunis
were the Ambapali, the courtesan, Vimala, the daughter of a prostitute, Purna, the
daughter of a slave woman and Chapa, the daughter of a hunter. “When a Chandala
girl was being admitted in the sangha, it invited resentment of King Prasanjeet and
the Brahmanas and the Kshatryas of the Shravasti, Buddha demonstrated to them the
futility of caste distinction by following simple reasoning. “Between ashes and gold
there is a mark difference but between a Brahmana and a Chandala there is nothing of
the kind. A brahmana is not produced like fire by the friction of dry wood, he does
not descend from the sky nor form the wind nor does he arise piercing the earth. The
brahmana is brought fourth from the womb of a woman in exactly the same way as a
Chandala. All the human beings have organs exactly alike. There is not the slightest
difference in any respect. How can they be regarded as belonging to different
species.”12 Nature contradicts a assumption pf any inequality among a mankind. In
other words Buddha tried to give scientific explanation to the theory of caste. Buddha
said that it is by conduct not by birth one is a Chandala. According to him one who
cherishes hatred, who torments and kills human beings, who steals and commits
adultery, who does not pay his debts, who maltreats aged parents or fails to support
them who gives evil counsel and hides the truth, who does not return hospitality nor
renders it, who exalts himself and debases others, who ignores the virtues of others
and is jealous of their success. According to Buddha he is a brahmana who is free
from sin. He is an out caste who is angry and cherishes hatred, who is wicked and
hypocritical, who embraces error and is full of deceit, whosoever is a provoker and
avaricious has sinful desires is not afraid and ashamed to commit sins, he is an
outcaste. It is by deeds one becomes an outcaste, by deeds alone one becomes a
brahmana.13

Dharma preached was like medicine to the dalits. It healed the hurt inflicted through
the agency of the caste system. In the Buddhist holistic perspective, disease is the
expression of the disturbed harmony in our life as a whole. By its physical symptoms,
disease draws our attention to this disturbed harmony. Hence healing in Buddhism is
not the mere treatment of these measurable symptoms. It is more and expression of
the combined effort of the mind and the body to overcome disease than a fight
between medicine and disease. Its real aim is to enable the patient to bring back
harmony within himself and in his relationships with the others and the natural
environment. In this context healing is not an end in itself, but rather a means by
which medicine helps to serve the value of human health and well-being. Apart from
this holistic approach, Buddhism attributes kamma as an important contributing factor
to health and disease. In the Buddhist perspective good health is the correlated effect
of good kamma in the past and vice versa. This interpretation of health and disease in
terms of kamma is to emphasize that there is a relationship between morality and
health. Health depends on our life-styles, i.e. the way we think, the way we feel, and
the way we live. Illness is the consequence of an unhealthy life-style such as one
characterized by sensual indulgence, for example. This is the normativistic
component of the Buddhist perspective on health which involves the practice of moral
and religious values such as compassion, tolerance, and forgiveness. This is the
underlying reason why Buddhism advises those who want to be healthy to practise
 morality (sila), mental discipline (samadhi), and wisdom (panna), in the Noble
Eightfold Path..

Dr Ambedkar and Buddhism

Buddhism based on the principles of morality appealed to Dr Ambedkar to

emancipate the lot of the dalits. He along with half a million “Dalits” took refuge in
Buddhism on 14th October1956. Consistent with his rationalism and humanism, says
Dr Ambedkar, “The religion of the Buddha is morality…Buddhist religion is nothing
if not morality.14 The Buddhist holistic perspective appealed to Dr Ambedkar which
focused on the whole person and argued that since human beings are not merely
physical creatures but mental, emotional, social and spiritual beings as well and that,
as a psychosomatic unity, bodily illness affects the mind and emotions and emotional,
mental and social maladjustments can affect the body, then to be concerned about a
person's health one must be concerned about his entire person, body, mind and
emotions, as well as his social environment. He wanted dalits to emerge out of the
mirk of caste system, which was responsible for filling their minds with incorrect
views, self-indulgence, hatred, and anger of all forms. Caste had denied them the
right to be a human being. Their status was worse than that of an animal.
Egalitarianism of Buddhism along with message of love and compassion, alone could
break the ‘caste delusion’ and take them to state of sound mental and physical health.
Dr Ambedkar was also aware that alongwith the breaking of ‘caste delusion’ of the
dalits,the ‘caste delusion’of the upper caste also needed to be shattered, otherwise,
‘the battle remained half won’. Lessons of morality are required to be taken down to
the entire society, for serious consideration, in order to rid the society of ‘the disease
of the untouchablity’ as early as possible, lest it takes toll on the ‘nation’ which is still
in its ‘making stage’. Unless it is done, glaring disparities would continue to make a
mockery of the Constitutional law, based on the principles of liberty, equality and
fraternity.
1
END NOTES:

http://www.eubios.info/EJ145/ej145b.htm
2
Takakusu,op. cit.,pp.26ff
3
Ghosh GK, Ghosh Shukla , “Dalit Women,” APH Publishing Corporation, New Delhi,1997, p7-8.

4
Narasu, Lakshmi P.: The Essence of Buddhism,Delhi,1976,p108
5
Webster JCB, “Religion and Dalit Liberation, An examination of Perspectives”, Manohar
Publications, 2002
6
Ramaiah A, “Dalits Physical and Mental Health, Status, Root Causes and Challenges”, Tata Institute
of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Jan 2007 p13,
7
The Urban Dharma Newsletter, March 9, 2004
8
Ibid
9
http://viewonbuddhism.org/anger.html
10
http://emotional-verbal-abuse.suite101.com/article.cfm/passiveaggressive_anger_is_harmful
11
http://www.alternative-cancer-care.com/Cancer_Anger_Hate.html
12
ibid.,p91-92
13
Assalayana Sutta, Mathura Sutta,Ambatta Sutta,Vasetta Sutta,and Dasa Brahma Jataka.
14
Ibid