Rivals and Benefactors: Encounters between Buddhists and Brahmins in the Nikāyas

This paper will examine the portrayal of Brahmins in the Ambaṭṭha, Soṇadaṇḍa, and Kūṭadanta Suttas. As I will argue, the Brahmin characters in these suttas emerge as complexly ambivalent figures who are depicted, simultaneously, as competitors for royal patronage and as potential benefactors. Considering Brahmin characters in this way, I hope to offer some fresh insights into the teach- ings of these texts and into the imagined audiences of the composers