Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c25.16

c25.16

**Spurious Teachers.** The Vinaya mentions five kinds of false teachers who falsely give out that their “conduct, mode of livelihood, preaching of the Dhamma, system of exposition and insight arising from knowledge”, are above all reproach. Their disciples, knowing the falsity of these pretensions, are spoken of as protecting them against exposure, lest the public stop honouring them with gifts of the requisite clothing, food, lodging, and medicine for the sick, though they anticipate that “sooner or later they will become known by that which they themselves will do” [ib., vii, 2, 3].