DR. Ambedkar's Vision of Dhamma-An Assessment

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Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (1891-1956), who brought millions of people to the fold of Buddhism in India on 14 October 1956 has been hailed as a modern Bodhisattva. One of the duties of a Bodhisattva is to re-interpret the Dhamma, according to the requirements of his time, and the growing spiritual and social consciousness of humanity. Dr. Ambedkar endeavoured to accomplish this task through his monumental work, The Buddha And His Dhamma. Neatly divided into eight books this magnum opus embraces the whole compass of the life and personality of the Buddha and gives an analytical, expository and critical presentation of the Buddha's teaching based on the evidence of the canonical and other writings. Not only the field covered by the author is vast but in some cases he has broken new ground as well.

Ever since its publication in November 1957, Dr. Ambedkar's work has been a subject of critical comments by some orthodox Buddhists. Therefore, this study is designed to present a comprehensive analysis and critical assessment of Dr. Ambedkar's Vision of Dhamma, as reflected in his work, The Buddha And His Dhamma.

For better appreciation of Dr. Ambedkar's Vision of Dhamma, we begin with an introductory chapter on the Liberation Movement of the Untouchables which began at Mahad in 1927 and ultimately led to their conversion to Buddhism at Nagpur in 1956.

**Contents and Sample Pages**