Resetting the Moral Compass of the Nation:

Lord Buddha, Babasaheb Ambedkar and After

Dr. P.D. Satya Pal

Professor, Department of Anthropology,
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam – 530 003, India
e-mail: satyapalpd@gmail.com

The positive utopia of creating a society free from coercion, exploitation and
dehumanization emerged out of a cultural battle waged against a system, which sought to
deny the existential dignity of all human beings on the foundation of ‘Alpajan Sukhay,
Alpajan Hithay’. This is what Babasaheb Ambedkar’s creative reworking of the Buddhist
tradition explains us to serve the goals of human freedom in the modern age.

Resolving the dilemma of One Buddha and Many Religions, Dr. Ambedkar has
steered us out of the myriad mythical wrappings around Buddha and presented him as the
first creator of Human Rights Movement inculcating Radical Awareness to provide
Radical alternatives.

The present endeavor is to understand Dr. Ambedkar’s reading of Buddha, how

he could trace out the problem, the method and application for total transformation of
society, challenging the existing structures of inequality. The attempt is to make an
assessment of ‘pulling the caravan ahead’ after 50 years of historic conversion, especially
in Andhra Pradesh.

The Problem: Colonisation of Mind

Dr. Ambedkar found the Buddhist enquiry to challenge the Brahmanical

metaphysics and the ethics of the natural inequality it sanctions. Elements of Brahmanical
cosmology proclaim inequalities to be built into the very nature of some categories of
people, natural objects, foods, occupations and even gods themselves. As a member of a
community that had endured grave injustices legitimized by an objectively false

 Published in Reflections on Engaged Buddhism, B. Krishnaiah (eds). Rawat Publications,

New Delhi. Pp.12-19, 2009.
understanding of nature’s laws, Dr. Ambedkar examined Buddhist logic as providing
more reliable causal connections between experience and the underlying reality (Nanda,
2006:14).

Buddha’s mission is understood as digging out the very sources of oppression for
critical examination. The Brahmanical cultural hegemony is an instance of conscious and
determined Minority creating conditions in their favor over an amorphous and
ignorant Majority. It followed a clear strategy of colonization of mind and capturing
social order. The Brahmanical strategy as espoused in Dr. Ambedkar’s Revolution and
Counter revolution can be understood as

- Secrecy of Knowledge
- Power of Propaganda
- Constituting a social order in which the Brahman is at the
centre.
- Power of ritulization and priest as social parasite.

The Brahmanical game lies in confusing the victims by creating several illusions
with limited awareness in such a way that their strength and power is always dissipated
among themselves, leaving the minority in control of total situation. Neutralizing and
defocusing the majority by dividing is a successful social strategy that the Brahmanical
forces have perpetuated throughout the centuries as a continuous state of cultural warfare.

In his mission of resurrecting human values, Buddha sought to raise the condition
of the Bahujans from subhuman position to higher humane level. Even though the system
denies the right to identity and existence, right to access to resources and right to freedom
of choice and way of life, the Bahujans are unaware of their misery due to their
ignorance. Religion as being a powerful tool in keeping Bahujan in bondage, Dr.
Ambedkar found that the central message of the life of Buddha is reconstructing that
philosophy and society in the light of scientific enquiry, which he proclaims as the
historic rebellion of Gowthama Buddha.

Reason and Logic as Empowerment:

 Reason as an attitude, a temperament, has the potential to challenge unexamined
traditions, metaphysical knowledge and prejudices. Belief in treating nature as sacred or
as inseparable from the supernatural has implications not just for how we treat nature, but
also for how we treat fellow human beings. This cultural demystification has been central
to the Buddhist enquiry and Ambedkar’s Buddha was reason and scientific method
sacrilised (Nanda, 2006: 13). He declares the real enemy in his Annihilation of Caste as
not the people, who observe caste, but the shastras that teach them this religion of caste.
“They shun social intercourse with fellow human beings not because they are inhuman or
wrong headed… but because they are deeply religious. The myriad hierarchies and
taboos of caste have the sanctity of the shastras… people will not change their conduct
unless they have ceased to believe in the sanctity of the shastras (1936: 111). He
explained that untouchability is only a logical corollary of this understanding of nature,
god and human agency bound together by they law of karma.

The Method:

Buddha raised a major revolt against Brahmanical culture and provided a cultural
alternative based on reason and compassion, which Dr. Ambedkar calls as the first
Cultural Revolution. Lord Buddha used specific counter strategies against Brahmanism:

- Using reason to break secrecy, movement of education in Pali

- Counter Brahmanical propaganda through eight fold path,
Samyak Dristi
- By developing democratic and egalitarian social order-Sangha
as model
- Monk (social volunteer) as an alternative ritual agent to
Bhrahmin priest (social parasite).
As Christopher Queen explains, Ambedkar came up with a contemporary
interpretation of the Four noble truths based upon three hermeneutic principles- reason,
social benefits and certainty. The Eight fold path is also seen as a way to “remove
injustice that man does to man” (1996: 56). Thus Ambedkar reads Buddha as offering a
Method, not a doctrine, as the source of enlightenment.

Centrality of Pradgna
 Ambedkar asserts that Buddha’s own renunciation and enlightenment as an
exercise in Pradgna, which led to the establishment of new social order. Ambedkar
assigns the centrality to Pradgna for democratic change. To cling to the ideas of
permanence is the source of suffering, while cultivating an attitude of ‘mindful
contemplation’ of the ever changing reality is the way to master and over come suffering.
A new ideal of knowledge, which embraces change and which will learn to constantly
revise all that is taken as settled, is a must for any progressive society. He argues for the
need to develop new principles of validating facts, and then using these principles to
judge the existing facts about the society.

Buddha gave permission to ordinary men and women to trust their experience
over the authority of the Brahmins encoded in the Vedas. But at the same time Buddha
encourages them not to treat their own experience, at any time as infallible and exempt
from revision. Otherwise it leads to the counter revolution, as shown by Dr. Ambedkar,
of the Brahmanical forces over Buddhist revolution.

Through multiple methods both from within and without the Brahmins could
counter Buddhist challenge by the following strategy:

- By changing the medium of writing to Sanskrit and making

Pali a dead language.
- Using the power of propaganda and making Buddha as one
more incarnation of god in their avataras.
- Becoming Dhamma teachers and by replacing simple living
and high thinking into a social order of power and pomp.
- Complicating Buddhist ritual and becoming the controllers of
Buddhism-imposter.
Therefore, Ambedkar has sought for the constant revolution of values and
practices so as to keep abreast of the mechanizations of the adversary. He wanted us to
become a democratic community of inquirers.

New Identity, New Personality and New Social order:

A Buddhist is an identity of an individual who is liberated from the bondage of

dogma, an interrogator of the sources of oppression, a self consciously liberal and secular
in world view. As Fitzgerald presents “Buddhists have achieved a new identity
symbolized by their change of name. The new optimism is strongly connected to ideas
about self reliance, rejection of old Hindu subservience of a rational approach to their
own self development” (1994:20).

Dr. Ambedkar calls for a change in the personality of a Buddhist based on the
ideals of Pradgna, Sila and Karuna- Competence, Character and Compassion, which he
himself has embodied. Education for the Bahujans is crucial in this change of personality
to be competent in conducting constant enquiry into their condition of living and that of
the society.

In order to generate a new social order for the full flourishing of human potential
and personality leading to self actualization, Dr. Ambedkar outlined the strategy in his
Three crucial expressions:

Educate – It is the discovery of our true identity which has been erased, distorted
and dissipated by colonization of Brahmanical identities (castes) - to develop unity and
strengthen our claim over resources. This is the basic foundation for new revolution
through decolonizing our minds.

Organize – To promote a sense of brotherhood and basic equality among the

Bahujans through maitri.

Agitate – Rallying the Bahujans for the consorted action by identifying and
consolidating our strength for fighting the determined minority by developing cultural
alternatives.

“Those who want to conserve must be ready to repair”

Though Dr. Ambedkar made this call to the Brahmanical forces who want to
retain the unequal social order as sanatan, it is imperative that the Buddhists today apply
this query on to themselves whether their actions lead to the establishment of democratic
society. The works of Fitzgerald (1994) and Burra (1994), among others reveal the
otherwise. That the Neo-Buddhists have found Buddha, but have not yet killed Buddha.
Change in identity is not necessarily accompanied by a change in world view. Village
Buddhism, as used by Fitzgerald tends to make new gods out of Buddha and Ambedkar
and fit them into the Hindu pantheon, while keeping old superstitions and rites de
passage as they are. The few educated among the Buddhists, who take the scientific
temper into their lives do not feel the social responsibility to explain their rural brethren.

The method, as proposed by Buddha and promoted by Ambedkar confronts the

Brahmanical dogma and its derivatives of inequalities-social, economic and political. As
explained by Dr. Ambedkar Brahmanism and Capitalism form the twin enemies of
democratic society. The goals that Dr. Ambedkar set to be achieved viz., social
democracy and economic democracy (one man-one value) through the means of political
democracy are becoming a distant dream. On one hand, many ‘followers’ of Ambedkar
seem to consider the means (political) as the end and conveniently forget the goal.
Disunity even among the victims thwarts away the social endosmosis and globalization as
a virulent form of capitalism denying basic human necessities of many. To be ever
watchful and conscious about the adversaries of democratic society need Pradgna among
the victims. However, education which was denied in the name of Dharma is being
continued in the name of merit. Respect for equal rights of individuals are being
considered as legal concessions but the society is far from realizing the rights as moral
imperative. If we do not reexamine and reconsider our attempts at over coming suffering
the warnings of Dr. Ambedkar “If democracy dies, it will be our doom” are here to come.
Therefore, to defend democracy in its true sense becomes the moral duty of every
Buddhist.

Buddhism in Andhra Pradesh:

The Suttanipata refers to the prevalence of Buddhism even during the time of
Buddha. However, it is during the times of Ashoka the Great, Andhra Pradesh became an
important hub of Buddhist activity. Over 150 sites dating between 400 BC-600 AD under
the aegis of Monks like Nagarjuna, Buddhaghosa, Dignaga, Aryadeva, Buddhapalita,
Dharmakeerti, Buddhism was taken to Burma, Indonesia via Andhra Pradesh. The
Brahmanism later on subverted Buddhist revolution and the latter took several forms as
against the original spirit of Buddha.

It was only after Dr. Ambedkar that Buddhism reemerged in Andhra Pradesh as a
vibrant social revolution. Though the census figures do not attest to the influence of
Buddhism (the Buddhists numbered 6,753 in 1961, 22,153 in 1991 and over 30,000 by
2006 in total of 80 Lacks all over India) in Andhra Pradesh, its influence over the life and
society of people, especially the scheduled castes is substantial. Several organizations
came up along with the Ambedkarite movement, journals, literary works and translations
about the life and teaching of Buddha, his methods of meditation, many centres of
Buddhist meditation and learning are found in every important town of Andhra Pradesh
during the last 50 years.

An over view of Buddhism among the people of Andhra Pradesh, especially the
Bahujans reveals the following:

 Buddhism has been understood and followed by people in different ways.

Some view it as an exercise in Dhyana, some find it as a corollary of
Ambedkarism even, while pursuing methods of direct action and some understand
it as a liberation theology and pursue the Buddhist methods of organization
building. However, we find very few aspects of agreement among the working of
these organizations.

 Iconisation of Buddha along with Ambedkar is a common feature.

Marriages and other life cycle ceremonies in the Buddhist way do not reflect
much in their actual life.

 Multitude of Buddhist practices including the ceremonies like Kalachakra

confuse the enthusiasts, who find that many aspects do not differ from Hinduism.

 The peculiar process of identity formation in Andhra Pradesh refers Dalits

as only those belonging to Scheduled Castes, Bahujan identity is fixed to refer
OBCs and the Scheduled Tribes are known as Adivasis. This constriction of
identities takes different usages to refer OBCs and SCs as Dalit Bahujans. Thus
the original identity of Bahujan as used by Buddha referring to the ignorant
majority does not have any meaning in its current usage.

 The spread of Buddhism among all the scheduled castes is not uniform.
One finds in some places Buddhism being referred as Ambedkarite Mala religion
as majority of the Malas in some districts accedes to this way. This has become
 much more apparent as the Mala-Madiga conflict over categorization stultifying
brotherhood among them.

Fraternity is the corner stone of democratic society and unfortunately it is

difficult to find this value being practiced among those who strive for such a
society. Democratic attitude, enriching the organic filaments leading to social
endosmosis should have been the guiding principle. Unless we as Ambedkarites
practice the civic religion as expounded in the moral values of equality, liberty
and fraternity we will be doomed in the advent of sanctified hierarchy of
Brahmanism currently being rationalized. Therefore the path of Ambedkar by
creating a secular and humanistic civic culture is the only way that can combat the
rising religious nationalism in India today.

Atta Deep Bhava!

References:

1. Ambedkar, B.R., 1936, Annihilation of Caste, Jalandhar, Bhim Patrika

Publications.
2. Ambedkar, B.R., 1997, The Buddha and His Dhamma, Writings and Speeches,
Vol. 11, Bombay, Governemnt of Maharastra.
3. Burra, Neera, 1996, Buddhism, Conversion and Identity: A case study of Village
Mahars, in Caste: Its Twentieth Century Avtaar, Ed. by M.N. Srinivas, New Delhi,
Penguin Books, pp. 152-73.
4. Fitzgerald, Timothy, 1994, Buddhism in Maharastra: A Tripartite Analysis in Dr.
Ambedkar, Buddhism and Social Change, Ed. by A.K. Narain & D.C. Ahir, Delhi,
B.R. Publishing Co., pp. 29-38.
5. Guru Gopal, 2001, The Language of Dalit-Bahujan Political Discourse in Dalit
Identity and Politics Ed. by Ghanshyam Shah, New Delhi, Sage Publications.
6. Nanda, Meera, 2006, A Prophet Facing Forward, New Delhi, Critical Quest.
7. Omvedt, Gail, 2001, Ambedkar and After: The Dalit Movement in India in Dalit
Identity and Politics Ed. by Ghanshyam Shah, New Delhi, Sage Publications.
8. Queen Christopher, 1996, Dr. Ambedkar and the Hermeneutics of Buddhist
Liberation in Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movement in Asia Ed. by
C.Queen and S.B. King, State University of New York Press, pp. 45-72.
9. Shah, Ghanshyam, 2001, Dalit Identity and Politics, New Delhi, Sage
Publications.
10. Zelliot, Eleanor, 1992, From Untouchable to Dalit: Essays on the Ambedkarite
Movement, New Delhi, Manohar.