Ambedkar and Buddhism

On the morning of 14 Octobe 1956,at a mass rally in the Indian town of Nagpur, rour hundred men and women turned their backs on a millennium of degradation and slavery. Finally renouncing Hinduism, with its cruel system of 'graded inequality, they turned instead to Buddhism, in search of dignity, hope and a psth to self-improvemsent. Over the coming months, Hindu India shook as hundreds of thousands more followed their example, and as the Buddha Dhamma came back to life in the land of its birth. The man solely responsible for this historic revival was Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar; politician, and educationalist; India's first law Minister, chief architect of her constitution- and lifelong hampion of her downtrodden million.

About the Author(s)

Sangharakshita, was born in Dennis Lingwood, established the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) and the Western Buddhist Order, (called Trailokya Buddha Mahasangha in India). He also played a key part in the revival of Buddhism in India. A translator between the East and West, his depth of experience and clear thinking have been appreciated all over the world.