Education, Social, Cultural and Environmental Conditions of Buddhism

Generally there was no chance of an individual rising in the social scale, but for a group this waspossible, over a number of generations, by adopting more orthodox practices and following the rules ofthe Smrtis. Thus the Indian class As an invader he was loathed, but once he had come into contact withIndian ways and was less strange and forbidding his status might improve. In fact it was not bloodwhich made a group untouchable, but conduct. system was always somewhat fluid, This study showsthe lower caste’s rights, for they had no possibility of freeing themselves from the servitude which wastheir by reason of birth. This is where the theory of Karma assumed its full significance; since beingborn into a particular caste was considered the fruit of acts accomplished in previous existences, it wasquite clear that the sudras had to their debit a heavy load of evil deeds from their past lives. Since thisdebt ruled the condition of the individual throughout his present life and could only be modified at thenext rebirth, the clear implication was that there was no hope of their improving this situation duringtheir lifetime. They had one single means of achieving rebirth in a superior class, and that was toperform their allocated duties conscientiously. This idea was responsible for an under-standable feelingof inferiority on the part of this underprivileged caste, more especially as the whole concept was „carefully maintained by the ruling classes, and showed itself in the behaviour of everyone throughoutIndia. We lack much information about the composition of this caste, but it appears to have includedservants of all sorts. Wage-earners, workmen, labourers and minor functionaries.