In PAINTINGS
Description
Once the Buddha was going on his almsround in Rajgir in the morning, the capital of Magadha. A sweeper named Sunita was sweeping the road. When he saw the Buddha approaching, he modestly moved aside thinking – ‘Let not the impure shadow of an untouchable like me fall on him.’ But the Buddha was opposed to this deplorable caste system. Addressing Sunita, the Buddha said – ‘Come!’ Sunita was exhilarated. The Buddha admitted him into the Saṅgha and taught him the technique of Vipassana. By meditating seriously, he became liberated and thus became a Supreme Brahmin in the true sense. It is not by birth that one becomes a Brahmin; it is only by virtue of one’s actions that one becomes a Brahmin.