I don't have time to dig up the sometimes funny fights, or really nasty ones, but there are many in the Pali Canon if I remember correctly. Gotama had his life threatened many times as well, not just by the Jians, He was an awesome debater and tempers on the other side would fly...But it's been a long time so I may be remembering incorrectly. I dig some more passages up later tonight. My task list is really long this week and I am so busy!padma norbu wrote:Red dust, you're obviously not talking to me, but I don't think Buddha fought with anybody. He had debates and he said much of Indian religion was useless, but he also taught basic respect for others, to give alms to Brahmins, etc.
http://read.goodweb.cn/news/news_view.asp?newsid=58532
Undertaken also in the name of truth were verbal battles between different groups of wanderers. The Buddha's followers, in fact, were frequently at the receiving end of an aggressive campaign by other groups to ridicule their beliefs. The description of these incidents gives useful evidence of the prevailing atmosphere.[15] In the Udumbarika Sihanada Sutta, Nigrodha the Jain claims: Why, householder, if the Samana Gotama were to come into this assembly, with a single question only could we settle him; yea, methinks we could roll him over like an empty pot.[16]
In the Kassapa Sihanada Sutta, the Buddha speaks out:
Now there are, Kassapa, certain recluses and brahmans who are clever, subtle, experienced in controversy, hair splitters, who go about, one would think, breaking into pieces by their wisdom the speculations of their adversaries.[17]
The Forms of Violence
