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Reassessing Religion and Politics in the Life of Jagjivan Ram¯
religions Article Reassessing Religion and Politics in the Life of Jagjivan Ram¯ Peter Friedlander South and South East Asian Studies Program, School of Culture History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia; [email protected] Received: 13 March 2020; Accepted: 23 April 2020; Published: 1 May 2020 Abstract: Jagjivan Ram (1908–1986) was, for more than four decades, the leading figure from India’s Dalit communities in the Indian National Congress party. In this paper, I argue that the relationship between religion and politics in Jagjivan Ram’s career needs to be reassessed. This is because the common perception of him as a secular politician has overlooked the role that his religious beliefs played in forming his political views. Instead, I argue that his faith in a Dalit Hindu poet-saint called Ravidas¯ was fundamental to his political career. Acknowledging the role that religion played in Jagjivan Ram’s life also allows us to situate discussions of his life in the context of contemporary debates about religion and politics. Jeffrey Haynes has suggested that these often now focus on whether religion is a cause of conflict or a path to the peaceful resolution of conflict. In this paper, I examine Jagjivan Ram’s political life and his belief in the Ravidas¯ ¯ı religious tradition. Through this, I argue that Jagjivan Ram’s career shows how political and religious beliefs led to him favoring a non-confrontational approach to conflict resolution in order to promote Dalit rights. Keywords: religion; politics; India; Congress Party; Jagjivan Ram; Ravidas;¯ Ambedkar; Dalit studies; untouchable; temple building 1. -
EOSG/CENTRAL Dear Mr
UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES POSTAL ADDRESS ADRESSE POST ALE- UNITED NATIONS, N.V. 1OO17 CABLE AODflCSS ADRESSE TELEGRAPHIQUE: I/NATIONS NEWYORK EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL CABINET OU SECRETAIRE GENERAL REFERENCE: 26 January, 2000 EOSG/CENTRAL Dear Mr. Sakai, On behalf of the Secretary-General, I should like to thank you for your letter dated 15 December 1999 and the copy of Special Memorial Issue of "Dharma World". The Secretary-General sends his deepest condolences for the passing away of Rissho Kosei-kai on 4 October 1999. He will be surely missed. I have been asked by the Secretary-General to convey to you his best wishes for continued success hi all your endeavors. Yours sincerely, Gillian Martin Sorensen Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations Mr. Norio Sakai Chairperson Board of Directors Rissho Kosei-kai RISSHO KOSEI-KAI C, A BUDDHIST ORGANIZATION 2-11-1 Wada, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 166-8537, Japan, Tel: 03-3383-1111 lilJLU DEC 2 9 I999 December 15, 1999 Dear Sir/Madam, Special Memorial Issue of Dharrna World I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your friendship with Rissho Kosei-kai. As you may know, Founder Nikkyo Niwano peacefully passed away on October 4, 1999 at the age of 92. The enclosed Special Memorial Issue of Dharma World carries full details of the Founder's funeral ceremonies and a complete review of his life and work. I am very pleased to present this issue to you as a token of our wholehearted appreciation. Founder's posthumous name is "If^JLEIifc—SfbfcfiirlJ" (Kaiso Nikkyo Ichijo Daishi) in Japanese and "The Founder Nikkyo, Great Teacher of the One Vehicle" in English. -
Understanding the Contribution of Satya Shodhaak Samaj and Neo- Buddhism for Social Awakening
IMPACT: International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Literature (IMPACT: IJRHAL) ISSN (P): 2347–4564; ISSN (E): 2321–8878 Vol. 8, Issue 6, Jun 2020, 53–60 © Impact Journals UNDERSTANDING THE CONTRIBUTION OF SATYA SHODHAAK SAMAJ AND NEO- BUDDHISM FOR SOCIAL AWAKENING Prashant V. Ransure & Pankajkumar Shankar Premsagar Assistant Professor, Department of History, Maratha Vidya Prasarak Samaj's Arts Science and Commerce College Ozar MIG, Maharashtra, India Associate Professor, Department of History, Smt. G. G. Khadse College, Muktainagar, India Received: 10 Jun 2020 Accepted: 16 Jun 2020 Published: 27 Jun 2020 ABSTRACT Indian Civilization is the conglomeration of various ethnic traditions; Years of amalgamation and change have led Indian civilization to have, diversity of culture religion, language, and caste groups. Indian Civilization is the conglomeration of various ethnic traditions; Years of amalgamation and change have led Indian civilization to have diversity of culture religion, language, and caste groups.1 The social reform movements, tried for the emancipation of these low caste people, before coming of these social reformers, many of the low caste people had chosen to come out from the caste system is by getting religious conversion, getting converted either to Christianity or to Islam, prior to these social reformers the saints like Kabir, Ravidas, Namdev, like wise and many other fought for the abolition of the caste system and emancipate the low caste from the social bondages.2 The other way for the untouchables was to get converted to either Islam or to Christianity, this was to get rid of the bondages of the humiliations of the caste system, but the conversion was not confined to the weaker sections, but in the medieval period too many people got converted to Islam or Christianity either by force or by their will. -
Recasting Caste: Histories of Dalit Transnationalism and the Internationalization of Caste Discrimination
Recasting Caste: Histories of Dalit Transnationalism and the Internationalization of Caste Discrimination by Purvi Mehta A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology and History) in the University of Michigan 2013 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Farina Mir, Chair Professor Pamela Ballinger Emeritus Professor David W. Cohen Associate Professor Matthew Hull Professor Mrinalini Sinha Dedication For my sister, Prapti Mehta ii Acknowledgements I thank the dalit activists that generously shared their work with me. These activists – including those at the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights, Navsarjan Trust, and the National Federation of Dalit Women – gave time and energy to support me and my research in India. Thank you. The research for this dissertation was conducting with funding from Rackham Graduate School, the Eisenberg Center for Historical Studies, the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, the Center for Comparative and International Studies, and the Nonprofit and Public Management Center. I thank these institutions for their support. I thank my dissertation committee at the University of Michigan for their years of guidance. My adviser, Farina Mir, supported every step of the process leading up to and including this dissertation. I thank her for her years of dedication and mentorship. Pamela Ballinger, David Cohen, Fernando Coronil, Matthew Hull, and Mrinalini Sinha posed challenging questions, offered analytical and conceptual clarity, and encouraged me to find my voice. I thank them for their intellectual generosity and commitment to me and my project. Diana Denney, Kathleen King, and Lorna Altstetter helped me navigate through graduate training. -
Navayana – a Reformation of Buddhism
Journal of Ethnophilosophical Questions and Global Ethics – Vol. 1 (1), 2017 Navayana – A reformation of Buddhism Timo Schmitz Buddhism traditionally has three variants: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. The oldest one is Theravada, which is an orthodox tradition practiced in South Asia, later Mahayana developed as lay- follower tradition, mainly in East Asia. However, in times of globalization, Buddhism is confronted with new issues and also found its way to the West, as well as to political spheres. As George Boeree states: “Many of us, easterners and westerners, have been profoundly influenced by our study of Buddhism, and yet do not find ourselves attached to any one particular sect or interpretation of Buddhism. Further, many of us, especially westerners, find the fundamental ideas of Buddhism deeply meaningful, but cannot, without being dishonest with ourselves, accept certain other ideas usually associated with Buddhism” (Boeree, 2002). In recent years, new branches such as Secular Buddhism or Engaged Buddhism have found its way into philosophical and practical main streams. The need to reform Buddhism arouse out of the fact that Buddhism gained attraction for non-conformity and non-dogmatism, something which religion in the West seemingly could not give Westerners, just to find out that Buddhism has the same matters. As Timo Schmitz points out: “Many people want to find the way to Buddhism because they are against any doctrines. Therefore, one can study the Theravada teachings, which leads to a disadvantage in the eyes of many Westerners since it focusses on monk communities. Other people are fascinated by Vajrayana, but since it has a very organized structure, concerning hierarchy and practice, one will probably see the Vajrayana tradition to be a religiously-organized branch, which in the Western view can be seen as dogmatic again. -
Revivals of Ancient Religious Traditions in Modern India: Sāṃkhyayoga And
Revivals of ancient religious traditions in modern India: S khyayoga and Buddhism āṃ KNUT A. JACOBSEN University of Bergen Abstract The article compares the early stages of the revivals of S khyayoga and Buddhism in modern India. A similarity of S khyayoga and Buddhism was that both had disappeared from India andāṃ were re- vived in the modern period, partly based on Orientalistāṃ discoveries and writings and on the availability of printed books and publishers. Printed books provided knowledge of ancient traditions and made re-establishment possible and printed books provided a vehicle for promoting the new teachings. The article argues that absence of com- munities in India identified with these traditions at the time meant that these traditions were available as identities to be claimed. Keywords: Sāṃkhya, Yoga, Hariharānanda Āraṇya, Navayana Buddhism, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries both S khyayoga and Indian Buddhism were revived in India. In this paper I compare and contrast these revivals, and suggest why they happened. S khyayogaāṃ and Buddhism had mainly disappeared as living traditions from the central parts of India before the modern period and their absence openedāṃ them to the claims of various groups. The only living S khyayoga monastic tradition in India based on the Pātañjalayogaśāstra, the K pil Ma h tradition founded by Harihar nanda ya (1869–1947), wasāṃ a late nineteenth-century re-establishment (Jacob- sen 2018). There were no monasticā ṭ institutions of S khyayoga saṃānyāsins basedĀraṇ on the Pātañjalayogaśāstra in India in 1892, when ya became a saṃnyāsin, and his encounter with the teachingāṃ of S mkhyayoga was primarily through a textual tradition (Jacobsen 2018). -
Revised Syllabus for Sem III and Sem IV Program: MA
AC / /2017 Item no. UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI Revised Syllabus for Sem III and Sem IV Program: M.A. Course: History and Archaeology (Choice Based Credit System with effect from the Academic year 2017-2018 MA Degree Program – The Structure Semester III: Five Groups of Elective courses from parent Department Semester IV: Three Groups of Elective Courses from parent Department ------------------------------------------------------------ SYLLABUS SEMESTER – III List of Courses Elective Group I: A. History of Art and Architecture in Early India B. History of Art in Medieval India C. History of Architecture in Medieval India D. History of Art in Modern India E. History of Architecture in Modern India F. History, Culture and Heritage of Mumbai (1850 CE – 1990 CE) G. History of Tribal Art and Literature H. History of Indian Cinema and Social Realities I. History of Travel and Tourism in India J. History of Buddhism K. Philosophy of Buddhism L. History of Jainism M. History of Sufism in India Elective Group II: A. History of Indian Archaeology B. History of Travelogues in Ancient and Medieval India C. History of India‟s Maritime Heritage (16th and 17th Centuries) D. History of Labour and Entrepreneurship in India (1830 CE – 2000 CE) E. History of Science and Technology in Modern India 2 F. Environmental History of India (19th - 20th Centuries) G. History of Indian Diaspora H. History of Modern Warfare I. History of War and Society in 20th Century India J. Historical Perspectives on India‟s Foreign Policy Elective Group III: A. Builders of Modern India B. Indian National Movement (1857 CE to 1947 CE) C. -
Mudasir Rahman Najar Email
ADALYA JOURNAL ISSN NO: 1301-2746 Research scholar: Mudasir Rahman Najar Email: [email protected] University: Sri Satya Sai University Sehore India College: Govt. Degree College Anantnag Kashmir. Volome 8, Issue 8, August 2019 30 http://adalyajournal.com/ ADALYA JOURNAL ISSN NO: 1301-2746 De- essentializing the Practice of Casteism as an inhuman Practice in the Contemporary Times Abstract This paper is written to attempt to highlight the historical wrongs that have been done to certain mistakenly defined marginalized communities. These communities have been made to suffer due to some social, cultural, and religious myths that have unjustly been consolidated throughout the ages. Factually, there has been some apparent evidence on- ground situation that are inhuman and illogical from ethical point of view. An urgent need arises to highlight the unjust state of so-called low caste communities and the immediate initiative must be taken by the guardians of the nation to reclaim the lost respect related to these marginalized communities. Only then there would be caste-free society wherein multicultural, and good inter-caste relations would be possible in terms of social harmony and that an elevated mental state with co-operative spirit for tolerance would be a step forward to humanism. Keywords: Society, class, Caste, Justice, Economy, Human right, Essentialism Volome 8, Issue 8, August 2019 31 http://adalyajournal.com/ ADALYA JOURNAL ISSN NO: 1301-2746 De- essentialising the Practice of Casteism as an inhuman Practice in the Contemporary Times It has been proved a gross inhuman error to practice the heinous custom of casteism that too on the tragic basis of religious assertion across the gloomy pages of history. -
Leaving Hinduism
Chapter 2 Leaving Hinduism Clemens Cavallin 1 Introduction To know whether you have left a country or not, it is essential to know where the border is. Such a demarcation of territory is contingent in the sense that the demarcation could have been drawn elsewhere; and probably has been. Sometimes, the borders are first drawn on a map to create the country in ques- tion and then are implemented later. Sometimes, however, the boundaries grow organically through centuries of warfare and cultural negotiations and follow the natural terrain of rivers and mountains. The notion of Hinduism as a world religion has both this artificial, neat character and the fuzzy boundaries resulting from the accumulation of reli- gious ideas, practices, and cultural traits over millennia. As Knut Jacobsen re- marks in his introduction to Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Hinduism “does not refer to a homogeneous religious tradition but a conglomerate of rituals, religious narratives, art, music, institutions, traditions, theologies, artefacts, and activities” (Jacobsen 2013). Therefore, leaving “Hinduism” is both easy and exceedingly challenging. Adding to the difficulty of locating the borders of Hinduism—of know- ing when one has actually left it behind—the modern notion of Hinduism is closely bound up with British India, from its inception in the seventeenth century up to its 1948 division into the dominions of Pakistan and India (Gott- schalk 2012: Ch. 5). The partition of British India in accordance with the so- called two nation theory—which held that Indian Muslims constituted a separate nation—led to massive amounts of people crossing the border to be on the “right” side of the religious divide and to clashes in which eighteen million people were displaced and several hundred thousand, if not a mil- lion, died (Talbot 2008: 420). -
THE PATH to a NEW AWAKENING: B. R. AMBEDKAR's TRANSFORMATION of BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY MACARENA ALAMO SANTOS Thesis Submitted To
THE PATH TO A NEW AWAKENING: B. R. AMBEDKAR’S TRANSFORMATION OF BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY MACARENA ALAMO SANTOS Thesis submitted to the University of Ottawa in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Philosophy Department of Philosophy Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa © Macarena Alamo Santos, Ottawa, Canada, 2021 Abstract The objective of this thesis is to analyze the philosophical implications of Ambedkar’s approach to Buddhism. This approach created a new social philosophy based on Buddhist ideas and a political commitment to social justice, particularly for the Dalits of India. What was the purpose of this social philosophy? To transform Buddhist philosophy? Or rather, to oppose Brahmanism and empower the lower castes? After a twenty-year-long study of Indian society and history, and Indian philosophical and religious traditions, Ambedkar came to the conclusion that Buddhism could have the power to transform the situation of the Untouchables. Why did he think that Buddhism would have this radical transformative impact not only for Dalits, but for Indian society as a whole? In 1956, in what became a historical event, he led a movement of conversion of more than five hundred thousand Untouchables from Hinduism to Buddhism. Ambekdar saw Buddhism as a way and as a tool to empower the lower castes of India. But what type of Buddhism did he envision? In 1956, in that historical event, Ambedkar founded what he called Navayana Buddhism. He used the word Navayana to refer to the birth of a new school. Nava means “new,” Yana means “vehicle”. Was he indeed creating a new yana, or new vehicle? What type of Buddhist school was this? What innovations did he introduce? Is the result still Buddhism, given Ambedkar's vision? This thesis aims to address all these questions. -
October-December 2006, Volume 33(PDF)
Cover photo: Rev. Nikkyo Niwano, October-December 2006 Vol. 33 founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, in dialogue with Ven. Ryokei Onishi, former chief priest of the temple known as Kiyomizu DHARMA WORLD dera and founder of the Kita Hosso sect, on for Living Buddhism and Interfaith Dialogue May 30, 1974, at Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. CONTENTS Special Feature Buddhism in Dialogue The Obligations of Religions in the Twenty-first Century by Yasutaka Watanabe 3 From Disagreements to Dialogue and Understanding From Disagreements to Dialogue by Yasuaki Nara 4 and Understanding 4 Buddhism in Dialogue: Without Suspicion and Fear DHARMA WORLD presents Buddhism as a by Gerhard Kober/in 7 practical living religion and promotes in We're All Together on the Alluvial Plain: terreligious dialogue for world peace. It Anecdotal Accounts of the Necessity for, and Challenges to, espouses views that emphasize the dignity Interreligious Dialogue by Kenneth K. Tanaka 10 of life, seeks to rediscover our inner na ture and bring our lives more in accord Buddhist-Islamic Dialogue: Present Status and Future Outlook with it, and investigates causes of human by Yoshiaki Sanada 15 suffering. It tries to show how religious principles help solve problems in daily life "To Forget the Self and to Serve Others" by Stephen Covell 18 and how the least application of such principles has wholesome effects on the Buddhist-Islamic Dialogue 15 Notes from Nerima: Putting Interfaith Dialogue into Practice world around us. It seeks to demonstrate by Kotara Suzuki 22 truths that are fundamental to all reli gions, truths on which all people can act. -
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The Niwano Peace Foundation, acting on the rec ommendation of the Niwano Peace Prize Screening Commmittee, has decided to award the sixth Niwano Peace Prize to His Eminence Etai Yamada, chief abbot of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. His combination of learning and virtue renders Etai Yamada a paragon for not only Tendai Buddhism but also modern Japan's religious world as a whole. His zeal for peace and his vigorous peace activities provide a model for all people of religion and have won him honor and acclaim the world over. His Buddhist approach to bringing about peace is grounded in his strong belief that true peace is to be realized through individuals' aware ness and exercise of their innate value. Especially note worthy are his accomplishments in two areas: cultiva tion of a religious spirit and promotion of interreligious ~~~mM~~.~~~m••~~.~~~~~~~~. cooperation. ~6@~~~m.~.~~m~.wrn ••m~~.~~t Cultivation of a religious spirit: Grieved that in ~~~(,>t.: ~;:t L,,1.: o today's society religion is not always reflected in daily wrn ••m~~$••A~~~.~~*~~~~~m life, and convinced that religious life is indispensable to {-~B**~Jl!.~gffi~l"i19f:J. ~fDfL:X1T ~~~ HTilJfj:* a truly peaceful society, Etai Yamada has striven to foster religious sentiment within the home by promoting ~~O)_~ t ~ -Ct!tJl!.O)AJ< 1J> ~Jf:/IDI: t .~H~~ (,> ;:t To the "Light Up a Corner of the World Movement." m~O)~mWm~X1T~~f:Jm~~~~O)n.~~.AOO Through this movement he teaches the importance of O)*.O)Jf~~-A-AM~.T~~t~~~~~~*~ forgetting oneself and working for the benefit of others as he devotes himself to the creation of a society based O)~fD1J~ tJ t.: ~ ~ n~ t 0)5$(,>m~0)~fL: ~ ~ n.~fL: 1'* on a spirit of gratitude and service informed by religious ~i¥J*~tifl~Mi~.!J 1i'*~i1.JiJ:1JO):l1b1!.!J ~~J{~:XfL::to (,> ~ Jm:*~ awareness.