The Long Āgama Sūtra 5.13

5.13

佛告婆悉吒：「汝觀諸人愚冥無識猶如禽獸，虛假自稱：『婆羅門種最為第一，餘者卑劣；我種清白，餘者黑冥；我婆羅門種出自梵天，從梵口生，現得清淨，後亦清淨。』婆悉吒！今我無上正真道中不須種姓，不恃吾我憍慢之心，俗法須此，我法不爾。若有沙門、婆羅門，自恃種姓，懷憍慢心，於我法中終不得成無上證也。若能捨離種姓，除憍慢心，則於我法中得成道證，堪受正法。人惡下流，我法不爾。」

The Buddha told Vāsiṣṭha, “Observe these people who are ignorant and without awareness like animals. They falsely claim of themselves, ‘The caste of priests is the best; the others are inferior. Our caste is pure white; the others are dark. Our caste of priests came out of Brahmā’s own mouth. Being born from Brahmā’s mouth, we can be purified in the present and will be pure in later [lives], too.’

“Vāsiṣṭha, this unsurpassed and true path of mine doesn’t require a caste, nor does it rely on a feeling of self-conceitedness. Worldly teachings require these things, but my teaching doesn’t. If there’s an ascetic or priest who relies on his own caste and feels conceited about it, then they’ll never achieve the unsurpassed realization that’s in my teaching. If they can abandon their caste and eliminate feelings of conceitedness, then they can achieve the realization of the path, being capable of accepting the correct teaching. People dislike those below them, but my teaching isn’t like that.”