Buddhism in India Buddhism in India Challenging Brahmanism and Caste Gail Omvedt SAGE Publications New Delhi • Thousand Oaks • London Buddhism in India Challenging Brahmanism and Caste Gail Omvedt SAGE Publications New Delhi • Thousand Oaks • London 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. Dedicated to First published in 2003 by Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd T.W. Rhys Davids B-42, Panchsheel Enclave Caroline Augusta oley New Delhi 110017 and Sage Publications Inc Sage Publications Ltd D.D. Kosambi 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. Dedicated to First published in 2003 by Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd T.W. Rhys Davids B-42, Panchsheel Enclave Caroline Augusta oley New Delhi 110017 and Sage Publications Inc Sage Publications Ltd D.D. Kosambi 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 Contents 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 Contents 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 Preface 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. Preface 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. x Buddhism in India Preface xi The publication of this book is thus a culmination of over three avoid errors and imposition. People who are used to pronouncing years of research and writing, and a much longer period of discussion, it as ‘Ashoka’ are free to continue doing so. debate and research on the issues involved. In some ways it is being Even the important dental–retroflex distinction (which can only published too soon and I am aware of the incomplete, even tenta- be indicated by diacriticals or awkward-looking capitalising) has tive nature of the project. Just as Buddhist stupas, carvings and both regional and social variations. For example, in modern caves of all kinds are continually being unearthed in various parts Marathi, the ‘pani-loni’ words won a certain fame in the context of of India, old sources on the themes of this book are constantly the non-Brahman movement: Brahmans pronounce a retroflex ‘n’; coming to my attention and new studies and interpretations are non-Brahmans a dental ‘n’ (though today some overcompensate constantly being published. Wherever you dig in the soil of India, and use the retroflex too extensively, where the ‘correct’ version is Buddhist remains are likely to be found; wherever you look in the dental) Beyond this there are complex north–south gradations and fields of scholarship and intellectual life, something new and arrest- Dravidian elements in the use of retroflex sounds. In this case any ing is being said. However, given the growing demand for literature imposition of a ‘correct’ pronunciation—which the use of diacriti- on Buddhism and the Buddhist aspects of Indian history, I have felt cals would force us to choose—would be wrong; the choice itself the need to stop, to publish and throw the work open for debate. should be avoided as going counter to the linguistic insight that This volume is designed both as an academic and a popular book.