My question might seem a bit unspecific. I am hoping maybe somebody
has already given thought to, or done some research on this topic,
or at least finds it interesting enough to give their thoughts.
It occured to my in my reading of the Dhammapada today just how much
of the Buddha's presentation of Dhamma was influenced by his
upbringing in the kshatriya/warrior class.
"...fight out Mara with the sword of wisdom. Then, guarding the
conquest, remain unattached." (Dhammapada Verse 40)
Fight, swords, conquest - this kind of language is all over the Pali
canon. Yet when presented to somebody with a novice or superficial
understanding of Buddhism they come across as quite harsh, and even
antithetical to their conception of Buddhism - the supposed religion
of a peaceful, tolerant, all embracing unity.
So, I guess I'm wondering how much the Pali language was influenced
by Prince Siddhartha's caste. What would it have looked like if he
had been a Brahmin or a Vaishya?