Ambaṭṭha and Śvetaketu: Literary Connections Between the Upaniṣads and Early Buddhist Narratives

摘要

This paper focuses on similarities between two literary characters:nŚvetaketu from the Upanis .ads and Ambat .t .ha from the Dīgha Nikāya.nBy comparing these two characters, as well as the characters withnwhom they interact, I will suggest that these literary figures from com-npeting religious traditions appear in different presentations of the samenstory. Both Śvetaketu and Ambat .t .ha are depicted as brahmin studentsnwho are young and arrogant as they approach the domain of a non-nbrahmin. In the case of Śvetaketu, he is rude in his encounter with thenking; whereas Ambat .t .ha is disrespectful to the Buddha. In both cases,nthe young brahmin leaves the non-brahmin after being defeated inndebate, without having learned from him an important teaching.nFinally, both brahmins are replaced by their teachers, who in contrastnare more refined and humble. As I will demonstrate, these similarities,nalong with other shared literary features between these stories, shednnew light on the relationship between the Brahmanical and Buddhistnnarrative traditions.