Table Of Content
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Copyright © Gail Omvedt, 2003
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-
copying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
(cid:19)(cid:5)(cid:14)(cid:8)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:15)(cid:5)(cid:14)(cid:9)(cid:15)(cid:21)
First published in 2003 by
Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd (cid:22)(cid:23)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:9)(cid:25)(cid:2)(cid:26)(cid:13)(cid:9)(cid:19)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:8)(cid:14)(cid:13)
B-42, Panchsheel Enclave (cid:1)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:21)(cid:4)(cid:8)(cid:6)(cid:5)(cid:9)(cid:27)(cid:28)(cid:7)(cid:28)(cid:13)(cid:15)(cid:3)(cid:9)(cid:29)(cid:21)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:26)
New Delhi 110017
(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:14)
Sage Publications Inc Sage Publications Ltd (cid:19)(cid:23)(cid:19)(cid:23)(cid:9)(cid:30)(cid:21)(cid:13)(cid:3)(cid:12)(cid:31)(cid:8)
2455 Teller Road 6 Bonhill Street
Thousand Oaks, California 91320 London EC2A 4PU
Published by Tejeshwar Singh for Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd, Typeset
in 10/12 Class Garamond Normal by C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.,Chennai and
printed at Chaman Enterprises, New Delhi.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Omvedt, Gail.
Buddhism in india: challenging Brahmanism and caste / Gail Omvedt.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Buddhism—Relations—Brahmanism. 2. Brahmanism—Relations—
Buddhism. 3. Buddhism—India—History. I. Title.
BQ4610.B7O49 294.3′0954—dc21 2003 2003006069
ISBN:0–7619–9664–8 (US-Hb) 81–7829–128–2 (India-Hb)
0–7619–9665–6 (US-Pb) 81–7829–129–0 (India-Pb)
Sage Production Team:Praveen Dev, Sayantani Dasgupta, Mathew P.J. and
Santosh Rawat
Copyright © Gail Omvedt, 2003
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-
copying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
(cid:19)(cid:5)(cid:14)(cid:8)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:15)(cid:5)(cid:14)(cid:9)(cid:15)(cid:21)
First published in 2003 by
Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd (cid:22)(cid:23)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:9)(cid:25)(cid:2)(cid:26)(cid:13)(cid:9)(cid:19)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:8)(cid:14)(cid:13)
B-42, Panchsheel Enclave (cid:1)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:21)(cid:4)(cid:8)(cid:6)(cid:5)(cid:9)(cid:27)(cid:28)(cid:7)(cid:28)(cid:13)(cid:15)(cid:3)(cid:9)(cid:29)(cid:21)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:26)
New Delhi 110017
(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:14)
Sage Publications Inc Sage Publications Ltd (cid:19)(cid:23)(cid:19)(cid:23)(cid:9)(cid:30)(cid:21)(cid:13)(cid:3)(cid:12)(cid:31)(cid:8)
2455 Teller Road 6 Bonhill Street
Thousand Oaks, California 91320 London EC2A 4PU
Published by Tejeshwar Singh for Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd, Typeset
in 10/12 Class Garamond Normal by C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.,Chennai and
printed at Chaman Enterprises, New Delhi.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Omvedt, Gail.
Buddhism in india: challenging Brahmanism and caste / Gail Omvedt.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Buddhism—Relations—Brahmanism. 2. Brahmanism—Relations—
Buddhism. 3. Buddhism—India—History. I. Title.
BQ4610.B7O49 294.3′0954—dc21 2003 2003006069
ISBN:0–7619–9664–8 (US-Hb) 81–7829–128–2 (India-Hb)
0–7619–9665–6 (US-Pb) 81–7829–129–0 (India-Pb)
Sage Production Team:Praveen Dev, Sayantani Dasgupta, Mathew P.J. and
Santosh Rawat
(cid:1)(cid:21)(cid:6)(cid:15)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:15)(cid:13)
Preface ix
Introduction: Reconstructing the World 1
1. The Background to Buddhism 23
2. The Dhamma: The Basic Teachings of Buddhism 53
3. Transitoriness and Transformations 86
4. Buddhist Civilisation 117
5. The Defeat of Buddhism in India 149
6. After Buddhism: The Bhakti Movements 186
7. Colonial Challenges, Indian Responses and
Buddhist Revival 217
8. Navayana Buddhism and the Modern Age 243
9. Conclusion 266
Bibliography 283
Index 299
About the Author 315
(cid:1)(cid:21)(cid:6)(cid:15)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:15)(cid:13)
Preface ix
Introduction: Reconstructing the World 1
1. The Background to Buddhism 23
2. The Dhamma: The Basic Teachings of Buddhism 53
3. Transitoriness and Transformations 86
4. Buddhist Civilisation 117
5. The Defeat of Buddhism in India 149
6. After Buddhism: The Bhakti Movements 186
7. Colonial Challenges, Indian Responses and
Buddhist Revival 217
8. Navayana Buddhism and the Modern Age 243
9. Conclusion 266
Bibliography 283
Index 299
About the Author 315
(cid:11)(cid:5)!(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:5)
India in 2003 is at a turning point. On one hand, even as this book
was being written, a raging ‘Hindutva’ force had turned the move-
ment for ‘Ram mandir’ into pogroms against Muslims, spreading
death and fire over the entire state of Gujarat, displaying a face of
India etched in terror. On the other, growing interest in Buddhism
as well as a growing reconsideration of the role of Christianity
and Islam in India, is leading to a far-ranging reassessment of the
cultural, spiritual and artistic heritage of the subcontinent.
Questions such as ‘who are we?’ and ‘what is really our heritage’?,
questions which cut at the heart of the attempt to foist a Hindu
identity on the Dalit-Bahujan masses, are being debated with new
fervour.
This book grew, in an unintended and almost spontaneous
process, out of the ‘Dalit Visions’ project sponsored by the Karuna
Trust in England. ‘Dalit Visions’ was conceived of in discussions
with G. Aloysius, Raj Kumar, Bharat Patankar and others as an
open-ended project of translation that would bring forward the
philosophical, ideological and historical contributions of the major
men and women intellectuals of India’s radical anti-caste move-
ments. The first round of the project included translations of the
writings of Jotirao Phule (Maharashtra), Iyothee Thassar (Tamil
Nadu) and Bhima Bhoi (Orissa) done throughout the 1999–2002
period. These were originally to be accompanied with a survey,
provided by me, of Buddhism in modern India, which would pro-
vide a framework for looking at these works. This was what turned
into a project much longer than at first envisaged. Looking at
Buddhism in modern India required some knowledge of the origi-
nal texts; this led me first into an intensive reading of translations
of Pali literature and then into looking at interpretations of these
and using the perspective for a re-study of the history of ancient
India. It has been an absorbing and exciting process, reshaping
much of my own understanding of Indian history and society. The
results are visible in the book before you.
(cid:11)(cid:5)!(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:5)
India in 2003 is at a turning point. On one hand, even as this book
was being written, a raging ‘Hindutva’ force had turned the move-
ment for ‘Ram mandir’ into pogroms against Muslims, spreading
death and fire over the entire state of Gujarat, displaying a face of
India etched in terror. On the other, growing interest in Buddhism
as well as a growing reconsideration of the role of Christianity
and Islam in India, is leading to a far-ranging reassessment of the
cultural, spiritual and artistic heritage of the subcontinent.
Questions such as ‘who are we?’ and ‘what is really our heritage’?,
questions which cut at the heart of the attempt to foist a Hindu
identity on the Dalit-Bahujan masses, are being debated with new
fervour.
This book grew, in an unintended and almost spontaneous
process, out of the ‘Dalit Visions’ project sponsored by the Karuna
Trust in England. ‘Dalit Visions’ was conceived of in discussions
with G. Aloysius, Raj Kumar, Bharat Patankar and others as an
open-ended project of translation that would bring forward the
philosophical, ideological and historical contributions of the major
men and women intellectuals of India’s radical anti-caste move-
ments. The first round of the project included translations of the
writings of Jotirao Phule (Maharashtra), Iyothee Thassar (Tamil
Nadu) and Bhima Bhoi (Orissa) done throughout the 1999–2002
period. These were originally to be accompanied with a survey,
provided by me, of Buddhism in modern India, which would pro-
vide a framework for looking at these works. This was what turned
into a project much longer than at first envisaged. Looking at
Buddhism in modern India required some knowledge of the origi-
nal texts; this led me first into an intensive reading of translations
of Pali literature and then into looking at interpretations of these
and using the perspective for a re-study of the history of ancient
India. It has been an absorbing and exciting process, reshaping
much of my own understanding of Indian history and society. The
results are visible in the book before you.
