Dona Sutta

A brahmin, Dona (probably identical with Dona 1 above), visits the Buddha and asks if it be true that the Buddha does not honour brahmins. The Buddha tells him that there are five kinds of brahmins - the Brahma-like, the deva-like, the bound, the breaker of bonds, and the brahmin-outcast - and, at Dona's request, describes these in detail (A.iii.223ff). The classification of brahmins given in this sutta is often referred to. E.g., SNA.i.318, 325, etc.

Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, G P Malalasekera (1899-1973), which is available as printed version from