Buddhism, Secular Humanism and Another Way of Being: Some thoughts on Ambedkar’s Conversion in 1956— Prof. Uma Chakravarti

• I was born in the year 1941, six years before the partition (1947). And I can't think out of the box as the contemporary conditions shaped me. I was 15 when Ambedkar took on Buddhism; it was a public event organized in Nagpur in the year 1956. I remember it was the same year when the 'Department of Pali' was established at the University of Delhi. Buddhism interested me at that time also, I learnt Pali for my research and wrote my thesis which later came out in the form of a book titled "The Social Dimensions of Early Buddhism."

• I would look at the given theme as a multiplicity of tradition rather than syncretic traditions. Think!

• If you look at historical conditions prevailing in the 6th century BCE, you will find that it was the age of questioning not in India but all over the world we know. It was the time period of Confucius and Zoroaster (Zarathustra), and the reflections of the contemporary ideas of these philosophers can be seen in Buddhism as well. They were questioning each and everything under the sun. They were observers of renunciate existence. 

• Those times were very interesting, covering the spectrum of varied ideas, a lot of changes witnessed by the society, new kingdoms were emerging, institutions churning, and various philosophies, including Chārvaka, were there. Those were the times of changes. 

• What then survived pre-dominantly were ideas of Jainism and Buddhism and their cultures. There was contestation with the Ajīvikās, who didn't rely upon the actions (karma) upon which the Buddha relied.

• In Buddhism, there is a centrality of dúkkha, the existential condition that you can't escape. Also, dúkkha is something that can be created through social conditions, etc. Considering the social dimensions of Buddhism, the Buddha was among the people who considered that there is dúkkha because of 'ceaseless desire.'

Dúkkha is central: suffering is inevitable, which can be ceased by reaching a stage, i.e., desireless. And the practical side is to follow Madhyamamārga, the middle path—a path of compromise and reconciliation that avoids the extremities.

• At that time a lot of rituals were happening simultaneously that Upanishadic traditions critiqued, and it is the meaninglessness of those rituals that became Buddha's central critique as well, which he substituted with 'Ethics' that were central to Buddha's teachings.

• Karuna (compassion) and Maītri (good fellow relationship, good friendship) are the core ideas through which dúkkha can be countered. Buddha didn't involve himself in pondering over questions related to the existence or non-existence of God. There was a list comprising ten futile questions. For him, what is important is how you live your life.

• I want to cite two stories containing the element of generosity that was influenced from Buddhism:

One is from the Vessantara Jātaka, in which Prince Vessantara gives away dāna and everything he had, displaying the virtue of perfect generosity. It is also known as the Great Birth Sermon.

Second is from Maṇimēkalai (one of the Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature), in which Manimekalai, the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavi and also a Buddhist nun, articulated this philosophy. In the story, she used the magic bowl to give alms to prisoners and the poor who had no food to eat.

• In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were waves of revivalism of Buddhism; people tried to get re-access to Buddhism. We have Rahul Sankrityayan, Acharya Narendra Dev, Dharmananda Damodar Kosmbi (D.D. Kosambi's father), P. Lakshmi Narasu, and B.R. Ambedkar under this category.

• Ambedkar emphasized looking for solutions within the traditions. He got himself involved in movements related to temple entry, the Mahad Satyagraha. What then we need to ask is what the relation is with ideas of reason and rationality here. These were the moments of deriving dignity.

This session was a part of a seminar on "The Syncretic Traditions in the Subcontinent over the Ages: Contemporary Challenges," conducted by the India International Centre and the Dara Shikoh Centre for the Arts on 26th November, 2024.

Uma Chakravarti is a historian, retired professor of University of Delhi and filmmaker whose body of work has focused on history of Buddhism and that of ancient and 19th century India.