MN 96 · Khotbah dengan Esukārī

Tokoh, tempat, dan gagasan utamanya

Brahmana Esukārī menjelaskan pembagian pelayanan dan pekerjaan menurut kasta. Buddha menolak aturan sepihak yang tidak disetujui semua orang dan menegaskan bahwa kualitas moral seseorang menentukan apakah ia layak dilayani. Inilah Esukārī Sutta.

TOKOH

Buddha

Guru yang menilai manusia dari kebajikan, bukan kasta.

TOKOH

Esukārī

Brahmana yang membawa pandangan tradisional tentang pelayanan dan pekerjaan.

TEMPAT

Sāvatthī

Kota tempat dialog berlangsung.

GAGASAN

Pelayanan mengikuti kebajikan

Seseorang layak dihormati bila hubungan dengannya menumbuhkan keyakinan, sila, pembelajaran, kemurahan hati, dan kebijaksanaan.

Visual pengantar Tiga Keranjang · bukan bagian dari teks kanonik.

Sinopsis singkat

Brahmana Esukārī bertanya kepada Buddha tentang pembagian pelayanan dan pekerjaan berdasarkan empat kasta. Menurut tradisi brahmana, setiap kasta memiliki orang yang patut dilayani dan jenis kekayaan atau pekerjaan yang dianggap sesuai baginya. Buddha bertanya siapa yang sebenarnya memberi para brahmana wewenang menetapkan aturan tersebut. Ia kemudian mengubah ukuran pelayanan: seseorang layak dilayani bila hubungan dengannya membuat sila, keyakinan, kemurahan hati dan kebijaksanaan berkembang, bukan karena kelahirannya. Demikian pula pekerjaan dan ‘kekayaan’ yang paling berharga tidak ditentukan kasta; Dhamma yang mulia dapat dikembangkan oleh siapa pun.

BAGIAN 16

mn96:16.1 What do you think, brahmin?

mn96:16.2 Suppose an anointed aristocratic king were to gather a hundred people born in different classes and say to them:

mn96:16.3 ‘Please gentlemen, let anyone here who was born in a family of aristocrats, brahmins, or chieftains take a drill-stick made of teak, sal, <i lang='pi' translate='no'>salaḷa</i>, sandalwood, or cherry wood, light a fire and produce heat.

mn96:16.4 And let anyone here who was born in a family of corpse-workers, hunters, bamboo-workers, chariot-makers, or scavengers take a drill-stick made from a mutt’s drinking trough, a pig’s trough, a dustbin, or castor-oil wood, light a fire and produce heat.’

mn96:16.5 What do you think, brahmin?

mn96:16.6 Would only the fire produced by the high class people with good quality wood have flames, color, and radiance, and be usable as fire,

mn96:16.7 and not the fire produced by the low class people with poor quality wood?”

mn96:16.8 “No, worthy Gotama.

mn96:16.9 The fire produced by the high class people with good quality wood would have flames, color, and radiance, and be usable as fire,

mn96:16.10 and so would the fire produced by the low class people with poor quality wood.

mn96:16.11 For all fire has flames, color, and radiance, and is usable as fire.”

mn96:16.12 “In the same way, suppose someone from a family of aristocrats,

mn96:16.13 brahmins,

mn96:16.14 peasants,

mn96:16.15 or menials goes forth from the lay life to homelessness. Relying on the teaching and training proclaimed by the Realized One they refrain from killing living creatures, stealing, and sex. They refrain from using speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re content, kind-hearted, with right view. They succeed in the system of the skillful teaching.”