Say No to Islamophobia, A must For Dalit and Black Movement!
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashbiswaskl@gmail.com">palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Say No to Islamophobia
No to War & Hate & Racism Speak Out - You Can
http://www.muslimbridges.org/content/view/277/?gclid=CKjKmo283I0CFSTjbgod6QNImQ
Be Awre of Islamophobia! ruling Left in Bengal, Tripura and Kerala on the one hand and on the other hand Congress and sangh Parivar are habitual to use the most lethal weapon aginst dali Muslim unity and it is Islamophobia! combined with War against Terrorism escalated to Indian Ocean, this jugglery is going to play havoc in this sub continent, Mind You.
Say No to Islamophobia!
It is a must For Dalit and Black Movement worldwide.
This Islamophobia has been most effective weapon for transfer of Power to the brahmins who never played a positive role in history. They used all religious scripts and religion itself to hold state power and lead in polity, society and economy. The partition halocaust with influx of millions of refugees accross the border has furthe enhanced this weapon. With marxist flavour and Zionist firepower this has transformed itself in an ultimate blocked against combined Dalit Muslim Black movement worldwide against the new Galaxy Order!
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) patriarch Jyoti Basu Friday said the farmers' movement in Nandigram was undemocratic and the police firing there on March 14 could not be compared to the one in Andhra Pradesh's Khammam last week.
"The Nandigram movement is undemocratic because about 1,000 people are still living outside and those returning home are being fined. The movement in Andhra Pradesh is a democratic movement while the one here (Nandigram) is undemocratic," Basu told reporters after attending the party's state committee meeting Friday.
"Nandigram is now an occupied territory. It is a no man's land. This cannot go on," he said, refusing to equate the situation there with Andhra Pradesh.
The land struggle by left parties in Andhra Pradesh turned violent July 28 during a daylong shutdown when police opened fire at a group of CPI-M supporters at Mudikonda village, about 10 km from the district headquarters of Khammam, killing eight people, including a woman.
"The chief minister (Buddhadeb Bhattacharya) is trying to bring peace but more police camps have to be set up there," he said.
"The question of compensation is not a big issue as the victims can be compensated but we don't think that the police firing (on March 14 when 14 people died and scores were injured) was not justified," Basu said.
Earlier, Basu had said that the police were "forced" to open fire on protesters in Nandigram leading to several deaths.
At least 23 people have died in Nandigram since January when the region erupted in protest over the proposed land acquisition for a special economic zone (SEZ) in collaboration with Indonesia's Salim group and a chemical hub.
Contrarily, UP chief minister Mayawati has raised fresh objections to allotment of land for Anil Ambani’s ambitious multi-product SEZ in Noida.
The state government had earlier asked the Centre to review the in-principle status granted to the project on grounds that it did not meet contiguity norms. The Centre is yet to take a stand on the subject. However, a source close to Ms Mayawati said, “She is now of the view that the land in question is prime property and can be better used for providing shelter to thousands of homeless families.” Instead of the SEZ, the state government will use this 1,200-acre land to develop a low-cost mass housing project, the source said.
The problem of contiguity in case of the ADAG SEZ could have been addressed, as was done in case of some other SEZs, including Mukesh Ambani’s Navi Mumbai project. In that case, the company has offered to build flyovers and underpasses to strike contiguity.
In Anil Ambani’s case, the contiguity is broken by just one road. However, with the state government now citing housing and shelter as the key issues, the project may not be a cakewalk for the younger Ambani.
Economists stress local research strength to counter IMF diktats
Economists have said the country needs to develop its own research base to counter the global lenders? diktats and minimise their interference in the country?s economic management.( The New Age BD ) • FULL STORY
http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidDate=2007-08-05&hidType=TOP&hidRecord=0000000000000000167616
Dr. Ambedkar and Nationalism
Dr. Ronaki Ram from Panjab, April 14
http://www.ambedkar.org/
Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar made stringent efforts to transform the hierarchical structures of Indian society for the restoration of equal rights and justice to the neglected lot by building up a critique from within the structure of Indian society. His was not a theoretical attempt but a practical approach to the problems of untouchability. He tried to seek the solution to this perennial problem of the Indian society not by making appeals to the conscience of the usurpers or bringing transformation in the outlook of the individual by begging but by seeking transformation in the socio-religious and politico-economic structures of the Indian society by continuous and relentless struggle against the exploitative system where he thought the roots of the untouchability lay. He thought that until and unless the authority of the Dharam Shastras is shaken which provided divine sanction to the system of discrimination based on the caste hierarchy, the eradication of untouchability could not be realised. He was of the opinion that untouchability emanated neither from religious notions, nor from the much-popularised theory of Aryan conquest. On the contrary, it came into existence as a result of the struggle among the tribes at a stage when they were starting to settle down for a stable life. In the process, the settled tribes employed the broken tribesmen as guards against the marauding bands. These broken tribesmen employed as guards became untouchables.
Dr. Ambedkar's views on Indian nationalism in opposition to the dominant discourse of Hindu nationalism as represented by Raja Rammohan Roy, B.G. Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Golvalkar and Shyama Prasad Mookerjee on the one hand, and Communist-secular-socialist nationalism represented by M.N. Roy, R. P. Duta, T. Nagi Reddy and E.M.S. Namboodripad on the other, are not only distinct but also original. Hindu nationalism in essence aims at strengthening the Brahamanical supremacy in the post-colonial India. The communist-secular-social nationalism though based on abolition of class, its ideologues like that of the Hindu nationalism also belonged to the upper-castes and were myopic to the Dalits tribulations.
Dr. Ambedkar's conception of nationalism articulated and synthesized the national perceptions and aspirations of the downtrodden. Ambedkar's alternative form of nationalism, popularly known as ˜Dalit-Bahujan-nationalism's incorporated the subaltern philosophy of Jyotirao Phule and Periyar E.V. Ramaswami Naicker. It constructed an anti-Hindu and anti-Brahamanical discourse of Indian nationalism. It aimed at establishing a casteless and classless society where no one would be discriminated on the basis of birth and occupation. Within the Dalit-Bahuhjan framework of Indian nationalism, Ambedkar built up a critique of pre-colonial Brahmanism and its asymmetrical social set up based on low and high dichotomy of graded caste system. This system of inegalitarianism led to the process of exploitation by the unproductive Brahamanical castes of the various productive castes.
Ambedkar's understanding of the question of the identity and existence of the nation was based on his incisive analysis of the oppressive character of the Hindu community. Since the dominant Hindu discourse of Indian nationalism remained indifferent towards removal of the caste system; and the economic analysis of the communist secular socialist school also failed to highlight the issue of caste in its mechanical interpretation of class, Ambedkar's himself an untouchable and victim of untouchability “formulated his own framework from the perspective of the untouchables for the understanding of the system of caste and untouchability. The foundations of dalit-Bahujan nationalism lie in this framework developed by Ambedkar. It aimed at restructuring the Indian society into a casteless and classless and egalitarian Sangha (Ilaiah 2001: 109). Annihilation of caste was its central theme. Caste for Ambedkar was nothing but Brahmanism incarnate. "Brahmanism is the poison which has spoiled Hinduism" (Ambedkar 1995: 92). Ambedkar realised that any form of nationalism whose roots were steeped into Hinduism could not be a solution to the problem of dalits. Any discourse of nationalism bereft of annihilation of caste was just not acceptable to him. The agenda of annihilation of caste was so important to him that it became a central point of his struggle against colonial rule. In the first Round Table Conference, he minced no words in criticizing the British government for its failure to undo untouchability.
Swaraj without extinction of caste had no meaning for Ambedkar. In his undelivered speech to the Jat Pat Todak Mandal of Lahore, he said, “In the fight for swaraj you fight with the whole nation on your side. In this, you have to fight against the whole nation and that too your own. But it is more important than swaraj. There is no use having swaraj, if you cannot defend it. More important than the question of defending swaraj is the question of defending Hindus under the swaraj. In my opinion, only when the Hindu society becomes a casteless society that it can hope to have strength enough to defend itself. Without such internal strength, swaraj for Hindus may turn out to be only a step towards slavery". Thus, it was Ambedkar's subaltern perspective, which distinguished his conception of swaraj from that of the protagonists of the various shades of the national freedom movement. In his editorial in the Bahishkrit Bharat, Ambedkar wrote on 29 July 1927 "If Tilak had been born among the untouchables, he would not have raised the slogan ˜Swaraj is my birthright", but he would have raised the slogan ˜Annihilation of untouchability is my birthright".
'India living up to the dreams of 1947'
ibnlive.com
New Delhi: The Time magazine has paid rich tribute to India on the 60th anniversary of her Independence, saying the world's largest democracy is "living up to the dreams of 1947."
In a special cover story, marking the 60th anniversary of India's independence, the reputed weekly has profiled India's middle-class, religion, politics and the transformation of its economy as well as the conflicts, trends and turning points that have shaped modern India.
In a special write-up, William Dalrymple, the author of The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi 1857, says India's rise is not a 'miraculous novelty' as depicted by the Western media and that it is a return to traditional global trade patterns.
Dalrymple argues that "the idea that India is a poor country is a relatively recent one" as "historically, South Asia was always famous as the richest region of the globe".
The magazine, in its cover story ‘India Charges Ahead’, notes that the country faces challenges the size of an elephant, but the world's largest democracy is living up to the dreams of 1947.
http://ibnlive.com/news/india-living-up-to-the-dreams-of-1947/46195-3-1.html
Space dominance campign for the Galaxy Manusmriti Order boosted today as the US space agency NASA launched a spacecraft on a nine-month journey to the planet to dig below the surface of Mars.If everything goes to plan, the Phoenix Mars Lander will travel 680 million Kms over nine months and land on the Red Planet on May 25 2008.The Phoenix will land near the polar regions of the planet where life or signs of life would be better preserved in the minus 73 degrees Celsius temperature rather than the other parts of the planet which are extremely hot.Meanwhile,Two US lawmakers have expressed reservations over the civilian nuclear agreement with India and said the accord needed to be examined in the context of New Delhi`s "deepening" relations with Tehran.
It is also very interesting that the Kuleen Brahmin tries to play something different card which has become irrelevent with joing Australia and japan in strategic regrouping. Last week, representatives from India, China and Russia met in New Delhi, India, for a summit to promote international peace and discuss energy and economic cooperation between their nations, which encompass approximately 40% of the world’s 6.5 billion people. The meeting was a continuation of the collaboration between the countries that formally started at a summit held in June 2005 in Vladivostok, Russia.
Present at last week’s summit were Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister Li Xhaoxing from China.
Minister Mukherjee said, “India, Russia, and China, as countries with growing international influence, can make substantive contributions to global peace, security, and stability.”
Mr. Lavrov stated that cooperation “rather than confrontation should govern approaches to regional and global affairs.”
Chinese minister Li Xhaoxing stated, “We did talk about cooperation in the energy sector. All three economies are growing very fast and the potential for tripartite cooperation in trade and energy is vast.” He also confirmed that Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs, rebuilding Afghanistan, and the war in Iraq were topics of conversation.
The three representatives issued the following in a joint statement at the conclusion of the summit: “Trilateral cooperation was not directed against the interests of any single country and was, on the contrary, intended to promote international harmony and understanding.”
Unlike Spirit and Endeavour other NASA spacecraft on Mars, Phoenix is not a rover and will work for the next three months looking for life.However, for NASA scientists right now their biggest concern is a smooth landing after the flawless midnight take off.
It is no better timing as the US military strike Power covers entire Asia with strategic regrouping in Indian ocean and Indian sovereignity and freedom vested in US President.
Globalisation and English sophistication supporter Chandra Bahan Prasad, yogendra Yadav and some other personlities related to dalit intellegentsia may perhaps disagree, but with this giant step Hindu Zionist US brahminical Imperialism has escalated the Dalit and Black persecution in outer space. Shining Sensex brand India is celebrtaing the Red Lettered day of Surrender as pet politicians, the comradors of neoliberal neo colonial post modern Polity, Economy and Society lodge only formal protest to satisfy the angry Enslaved votebank .
Phoenix's journey has begun after four years of work and after one failed attempt in 1999 when NASA's Polar Lander disappeared moments after reaching Mars.Once on Martian ground the Phoenix will dig below surface for frozen water and try and look for signs of life.A robotic arm will pick samples deliver them to the phoenix's deck where they will be tested for water, organics and minerals. While NASA scientists will monitor from Earth.
Scientists want to investigate if there is or could have been life which is possible when water comes into contact with soil.
Meanwhile, War against terrorism is in full swing as Sangh Parivar and Ruling Brahminical Class has launched an unprecedented hate Muslim campaign coincidenting with the Black Nuke deal!India faces threat from new forms of terrorism of the high-tech variety, an area where the country's top intelligence agency may not be measuring up, a think tank has said. Intelligence analysis agency Stratfor has said India would have to guard itself against new forms of terrorism of the high tech variety, an area where the intelligence bureau (I
may not be measuring up.
"India has had problems with Islamist militant groups since its independence. For most of this time, the militants -- whose goals are largely seperatist in nature -- have focused on India itself," Stratfor said in an analysis.
However, it said that "Over the past few years India's radical Islamist groups have begun to flirt with the concept of transnational jihadism as embraced by al Qaeda."
In the context of the failed bombing plot in London and Glasgow, the analysis agency said, "While three of the suspects in the United Kingdom plot were Indians, this case does not signify that India has fallen into the jihadist pit -- at least not yet."
Going on to take a look at the structure and functioning of India's intelligence bureau (I, it said, "Most senior intelligence officials were trained by the Soviets during the Cold War and/or have had British training. As a result, the IB exhibits efficiency and a certain level of sophistication."
Praising IB for its surveillance ability, Stratfor said, "It is among the world's five best intelligence services when it comes to conducting physical surveillance, bugging hotel rooms and carrying out black bag jobs."
Stratfor, however, said, "The IB has not been terribly successful at developing human assets inside the militant islamist groups. Moreover, while its senior officers are talented, its large cadre of working-level officers is weak."
"The bottom line is that sophisticated transnational jihadist operatives could operate in India because the IB simply does not have robust intelligence capabilities at the working level," Stratfor said in its intelligence brief.
Siliguri: Illegal activities were going on along long stretches of porous areas on the international border in Meghalaya, BJP Lok Sabha member from Assam, N C Borkataky claimed today.
Borkataky who led a party six-member parliamentary committee to Dawki, Pyrdiwah and Lyngkhat on the Indo-Bangladesh border, said border fencing was going on at a snail's pace and in some areas work had not been taken up which was a threat to national security.
Borkataky, who addressed a press conference here, suggested that border fencing should be right from the zero line and not 150 meter from the zero line.
Border fencing from the zero line should not be seen by Bangladesh as defence activity, as it was meant only to prevent illegal migrants from entering India, he added.
On the other hand, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured Palestinian leaders on Thursday that a US-sponsored Mideast peace conference this fall is meant to get them closer to establishing an independent state and that Israel is ready now to discuss fundamental issues.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, during a meeting with Rice, also signaled willingness to compromise, saying he's ready to work on a ''declaration of principles'' as a step toward a full peace deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert floated such an idea last week, but Abbas hadn't commented until Thursday.
Rice met with Abbas at his headquarters and signed an agreement granting the Palestinians $80 million for reform of their security services.
System Brings Innovative Flood Forecasts to Vulnerable Residents of Bangladesh
High-tech instruments give residents 10 days' flood warning
Pakistan criticises Obama after warning on military strikes
Ewen MacAskill in Washington
Saturday August 4, 2007
The Guardian
Pakistan criticised the Democratic election contender Barack Obama yesterday over his warning that as president he might order military strikes against al-Qaida targets in the country's border areas.
As protesters burned the US flag in Karachi, Khusheed Kasuri, Pakistan's foreign minister, said: "It's a very irresponsible statement, that's all I can say. As the election campaign in America is heating up, we would not like American candidates to fight their elections and contest elections at our expense."
The response from Pakistan was mirrored in criticism from Hillary Clinton and other Democratic rivals.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2141482,00.html
Bangladesh agrees to help India tackle Ulfa, HuJI menace
4 Aug 2007, 0118 hrs IST,Vishwa Mohan,TNN
NEW DELHI: With the home secretaries of India and Bangladesh concluding their talks here on Friday, New Delhi's major concerns — terror outfit HuJI's expanding network and deportation of Ulfa militants Paresh Baruah and Anup Chetia — again got lost in the jargon used in the joint statement.
For the record, both countries agreed to initiate "swift action" on information received about "groups" and "fugitives" of either country taking shelter in the other country. Though the Bangladesh side remained as evasive as it used to be in the past over specifics, the Indian side viewed Dhaka's readiness "to initiate swift action" as a definite forward movement since it was for the first time the neighbouring country accepted fugitives' presence in its territory.
Both Indian home secretary Madhukar Gupta and his Bangla-deshi counterpart Mohammad Abdul Karim described the discussions as "positive and constructive" but preferred to refer to the text of the joint statement when asked direct questions over the terrorist groups and fugitives. The text repeated the same line that Dhaka used in the past — be it the home secretary-level talks or parleys at the level of Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR). The text reiterated that "the use of the territory of either country would not be allowed for terrorist and criminal activities against the other country", but it failed to answer India's concerns over Bangladesh-based terror outfit HuJI's hand in a number of jehadi attacks in the country.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Bangladesh_agrees_to_help_India_tackle_Ulfa_HuJI_menace/articleshow/2254499.cms
For the first time, a high-tech forecasting system is providing residents of rural areas of Bangladesh with up to 10 days' notice of potentially deadly floods, including floods that are occurring at present along the Brahmaputra River.(The National Science Foundation ) • FULL STORY
http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidDate=2007-08-05&hidType=TOP&hidRecord=0000000000000000167621
Helicopters dropped food to almost two million hungry and frightened villagers perched on rooftops in India on Saturday, as the death toll from monsoon rains in India and neighboring Bangladesh crossed 200, officials said. Delhi is still reeling from the effects of heavy monsoon showers with the city experiencing 166.6 mm rain in the first two days of the month.While,in a violent twist to the misery of floods in north Bihar, one person died and three others were injured, including the district magistrate, in clashes with the police in Madhubani town.The trouble erupted when a group of people tried to close a railway culvert to prevent floodwaters in neighbouring Darbhanga from entering Madhubani.People in the area turned violent when policemen tried to stop them from closing a culvert.The flood situation in Bihar has worsened with the swollen Burhi Gandak breaching its embankment in Begusarai where Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel have joined rescue operations.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi will pay a day-long visit to flood-hit Bihar and Assam on Tuesday to assess the situation in both the eastern states which have suffered massive damage to life and property.
At least 15 fresh deaths were reported in the flood related incidents in Uttar Pradesh taking the toll to 122 as major rivers continued to be in spate inundating large tracts of land specially in the eastern region.
Seventy-seven people have now died in the floods with 19 people killed in two boat accidents in Samastipur and east Champaran districts and five having drowned in Begusarai.
Forty teenaged girls students stranded for three days in a school building in Darbhanga.When floodwaters entered the campus on Sunday, there were 180 boarders in the government residential school for OBC girls.
Parents of 130 took them home but the rest were left behind.
Giving refuge to a policeman cost Darshanan Thakur his life. The 35-year-old sheltered a policeman who was being chased by an angry mob in Madhubani on Friday.But when the mob reached his house Thakur panicked and asked the policeman to leave. Only to be shot dead in response.
''The policeman entered his house. The chasing mob reached there and demanded for cop's custody and threatened to burn the house.
''When Darshanan asked him to leave he immediately shot him dead and ran out,'' said Pankaj Kumar Jha, Eyewitness.
Residents of Chakda village turned violent when the police tried to open a culvert, which the villagers had earlier closed.
Left parties consult with scientific community on nuclear deal
http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=386961&archisec=NAT&archisubsec=
New Delhi:Left parties have begun consultations with the scientific community for eliciting its views on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal to firm up their stand on the issue, which they feel would impact national security concerns, foreign policy and the economy.
The CPI(M), whose Polit Bureau met today to discuss the matter, also held day-long sessions with members of the scientific, academic and strategic community.
The outside supporters of the ruling UPA coalition are likely to hold another round of discussions with the government on the matter next week.
Since yesterday, Left leaders have held discussions with a large number of scientists, many of whom have served in top positions in the government and its scientific and technological institutions.
Senior Left leaders said their next round of talks with the government would take place next week after the parties meet here on Tuesday and firm up their joint view on the matter.
They said the Left parties will have to analyse the minute details of the deal as it concerned India's security interests, foreign policy and economy.
The four Left parties are likely to chalk out plans for nationwide protest actions against the joint naval exercise with US and its allies in Bay of Bengal next month and other issues to be taken up in Parliament.
Dalits and their future
M V Kamath
http://newstodaynet.com/guest/2311gu1.htm
Please see:
http://socialjustice.ekduniya.net/sj/ThematicArea/Dalits/
Who are the Dalits?
Cultural Structure
One of the more confusing mysteries of India is her caste system. The caste system, which has existed for more than 3,000 years, was developed by the Brahmin (priest) caste in order to maintain their superiority. Eventually, the caste system became formalized into four distinct classes (Varna).
The Brahmins are the highest Varna and are the priests and arbiters of what is right and wrong in matters of religion and society. Below them are the Kshatriyas, who served traditionally as soldiers and administrators. The Vaisyas are the artisan and commercial class, while the Sudras are the farmers and the peasants. It is said that the Brahmin come from Brahma’s mouth, Kshatriyas from his arms, Vaisyas from his thighs, and Sudras from his feet.
Beneath the four main castes is a fifth group, the Scheduled Castes. The people of the Scheduled Castes are not part of the Varna system. They are the untouchables, the Dalit.
A Dalit is not considered part of human society, but instead is considered something less than human. The Dalits generally perform the most menial and degrading jobs. Caste rules hold that Dalits pollute higher caste people with their presence. If higher caste Hindus touch an untouchable or even come within a Dalit’s shadow, they must undergo rigorous series of cleansing rituals (See gomutra).
Approximately 250 million Indians (a full 25% of the population), are Dalit. In a country where everybody is supposed to have equal rights and opportunities, one out of four people is condemned to be untouchable.
Although the Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms for all Indians, Dalit are systematically abused. Dalit are poor, deprived and socially backward. Their most basic needs of food, shelter, and safety are not fulfilled. They also cannot access decent education and employment. The systematic denial of their basic human rights results in a lack of education, food, healthcare, and economic opportunity, thereby keeping Dalit in perpetual bondage to the upper castes.
Read more about the caste system.
http://www.dalitnetwork.org/go?/dfn/who_are_the_dalit/C64
Budha orders armed struggle against Brahminical people
In the Nirvana Sutra, we read: “The Buddha said, with the exception of one type of person, you may offer alms to all kinds of persons, and everyone will praise you”.
Chunda said, “what do you mean when you speak of ‘one type of people”?
WHO IS ICCHANTIKA?
The Buddha replied, I mean the type described in this sutra as violators of the precepts.
Chunda spoke again, saying, “I am afraid I still do not understand. May I ask you to explain further?”
The Buddha addressed Chunda, saying, “By violators of the precepts, I mean the icchantika. In the case of all other types of persons, you may offer alms, everyone will praise you, and you will achieve great rewards.”
Chunda spoke once more, asking, “What is the meaning of the term icchantika?”
The Budha said: “Chunda, suppose there should be monks or nuns, lay men or women who speak careless and evil words and slander the correct teaching, and that they should go on committing these grave acts without ever showing any inclination to reform or any sign of repentance in their hearts. Persons of this kind I would say are following the path of the icchantika”.
“Again there may be those who commit the four grave offences or are guilty of the five cardinal sins, and who, though aware that they are guilty of serious faults, from the beginning have no trace of fear or contrition in their hearts or, if they do, give no outward sign of it. When it comes to the correct teaching, they show no inclination to protect, treasure, and establish it over the ages, but rather speak of it with malice and contempt, their words replete with error. People of this kind too I would say are following the path of the icchantika. With the exception of this one group of people called icchantika, however, you may offer alms to all others and everyone will praise you”.
KILLING OF BRAHMINS
Elsewhere in the same sutra, the Budha spoke in these words: “When I recall the past, I remember that I was the king of a great state in this continent of Jambudvipa. My name was Sen’yo, and I loved and venerated the great vehicle scriptures. My heart was pure and good and had no trace of evil, jealousy, or stinginess. Good men, at that time I cherished the great vehicle teachings in my heart. When I heard the Brahmans slandering these correct and equal sutras, I put them to death on the spot. Good men, as a result of that action, I never thereafter fell into hell”.
In another passage it says, “In the past, when the Thus Come One was the ruler of a nation and practiced the way of the Bodhisattva, he put to death a number of Brahmans”.
Again it says: “There are three degrees of killings: the lower, middle, and upper degrees. The lower degree constitutes the killing of any humble being, from an ant to any of the various kinds of animals. But the killing of any being that a Bodhisattva has chosen to be born as [to help other living beings] is excluded. As a result of a killing of the lower degree, one will fall into the realms of hell, hungry spirits, and animals, and will suffer all the pains appropriate to a killing of the lower degree. Why should this be? Because even animals and other humble beings possess the roots of goodness, insignificant though those roots may be. That is why a person who kills such a being must suffer full retribution for his offense.
ICCHANTIKAS ARE BRAHMINS
“Killing any person from an ordinary mortal to an anagamin constitutes what is termed the middle degree. As a consequence of such an act of killing, one will fall into the realms of hell, hungry spirits and animals, and will suffer all the pains appropriate to a killing of the middle degree. The upper degree of killing refers to the killing of a parent, an arhat, a partyekabuddha, or a Bodhisattva who has reached the stage of non-retrogression. For such a crime one will fall into the great Avichi hell. Good men, if someone were to kill an icchanttika, that killing would not fall into any of the three categorie
