CRASSH

Jeremy Goody (Lokamitra, The Jambudvipa Trust, and The Nagarjuna Institute)
"I have derived my social philosophy from the teachings of the Buddha": The place of detachment and engagement in Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's efforts to bring about a society free of untouchability and caste in India.

 

The socially engaged Buddhist movement has emerged largely out of traditional Buddhist cultures that have been confronted by social upheavals, and it has been inspired by figures for whom thorough practice of the Buddha-Dharma was primary; figures such as Anagarika Dharmapala, Tai-xu, the Dalai Lama, Thicht Nhat Hanh, Mahaghoshananda, and Buddhadasa. In India, where Buddhism has been growing very fast since 1956, especially among the Scheduled Castes, the situation is very different. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who inspired and initiated this conversion movement, saw Buddhism as the foundation of the radical social change he felt was necessary in Indian society. In other words it was social considerations that led him to Buddhist practice. In this paper I shall look at the question of detachment and engagement in terms of Dr. Ambedkar’s ideas and approach to Buddhism as well as my own understanding derived from living and working amongst his Buddhist followers since 1978.