Caṇḍāla (Buddhism)

Synonyms

Outcast; Untouchable; Vaivarṇika; Vevaṇṇiya

Definition

A person of a low tribe, one of the low classes, an outcast

The Buddhist texts frequently mention people who were considered by the brāhmaṇical society as inferior and not of good blood/birth (ajātimanta, ajacca, ittarajacca, hīnajacca, nihīnajacca, jātinihīna, nihīna-jātika: [9]: ii.47; [2]: i.342; iii.17; v.257; vi.100, 356). Many among such unfortunate human beings had been placed outside the pale of caste system and were, thus, known as outcasts or having no caste at all (vevaṇṇiya, vaivarṇika; [6]: v.87; [1], p. 424). These people referred to as caṇḍāla, nesāda, veṇa, rathakāra, pukkusa, and chapaka in the Pāli texts were viewed as nīcakulas (base-born) ([7]: iv.6, 9, 203; [9]: ii.152, 183; [3]: i.93; [6]: i.107, ii.85, iii.385). These people were often collectively vituperated as vile-caṇḍālas (duṭṭhacaṇḍālā) ([2]: iv.392, 397; [6]: i.107, 162, ii.85; [7]: iv.6; [9]: ii.152; [3]: v.168) and odious-caṇḍālas (mahācaṇḍālā...