Great Arrogant Brahman
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Great Arrogant Brahman
大慢婆羅門 (n.d.) (Jpn Daiman-baramon)
A Brahman in the kingdom of Malava in India, described in The Record of the Western Regions, Hsüan-tsang's record of his travels through Central Asia and India in the seventh century. Having mastered a great many Buddhist and non-Buddhist scriptures, he was overly proud of his erudition and boasted that he surpassed all scholars of the past, present, and future. He made four statues—one each of the Hindu gods Maheshvara, Vishnu, and Narayana, and one of the Buddha—and used them as the pillars of his preaching platform, asserting that his wisdom far surpassed that of these four. He was defeated in debate, however, by Bhadraruchi, a Mahayana Buddhist monk of western India. The king of Malava realized that he had been completely deceived by the Brahman and sentenced him to death. The Brahman was spared his life at Bhadraruchi's request to the king. Consumed by rancor against Bhadraruchi, however, the Great Arrogant Brahman slandered him and the Mahayana teachings when Bhadraruchi came to visit. According to The Record of the Western Regions, while he was still spewing abuse, the earth split open and he fell into hell alive.