Teaching is not a title—it’s a path of lived wisdom, earned through practice and compassion.
In this final chapter of the Dhammapada, we explore the reimagining of the term Brahmin—traditionally reserved for the priestly caste—as a spiritual teacher whose authority is earned not by birth, but by awakening. In this radical teaching, Gautama Buddha dismantles caste hierarchies and calls for a priesthood of liberation: a community of peacebuilders shaped by wisdom, not lineage.
Jason Storbakken reflects on:
How Buddhism redefines Brahmin as one who embodies peace, compassion, and nonviolence
The sramana movement’s roots in renunciation, forest-dwelling, and resistance to ritual domination
Parallels between Buddha and Jesus as anti-hierarchical teachers calling forth movements of the marginalized
The call to move beyond trauma and privilege—to choose the path of transformation (v. 384)
The teacher as one who “neither kills, nor is complicit in killing... but cultivates compassion for all beings” (v. 405)
Drawing from Buddhist teaching, Christian scripture (1 Peter 2:9), and the work of trauma specialist Emily Wanderer Cohen, this episode invites us to embody the role of teacher as healer, transformer, and builder of liberationist communities.
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