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Buddhist Engagements with Social Justice: A comparison between exiled Tibetan Buddhists in

Dharamsala and Dalit Buddhists of Pune.

Tamsin Bradley & Zara Ramsay

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Focus on two Indian locations: Pune and Dharamsala (home to Dalai Lama & Tibetan refugees)

Reasons for this comparative paper: Monolithic perceptions of religion amongst western NGO workers in India

Core argument: Buddhism both shapes and is shaped by local socio-

political environments; its impact on development visions/approaches must be evaluated by context

Overview

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Dharamsala: 1. Tibetans persecuted because of faith 2. Long-standing Buddhist beliefs have shaped the Tibetan response to persecution – gentle, even passive

Pune:1. Ambedkarite Buddhism was created in order to tackle social injustice – vocal, potentially aggressive

Contrasts

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Individuality is an illusion

Spiritual liberation (nirvana) = ultimate realisation of ‘oneness’

Consequent rejection of human division/ stratification, linked to Buddhist focus on compassion (karuna) and loving kindness (metta)

Buddhist principles: Interconnection and compassion

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To demand Tibetan sovereignty = assertion of inherent division between humans

Dalai Lama “allows the Chinese to take advantage of Tibet as long as there is some level of dignity”

Tibetan Buddhism: Interconnection and compassion

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Interconnection/oneness must be taught to ALL people – Dalits should demand this recognition

Dalits should also demand compassion from others; should expect the assistance of others in process of their development

Ambedkarite Buddhism: Interconnection and compassion

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The notion that one is cosmically punished/rewarded for one’s actions, usually in one’s next incarnation

Has frequently been interpreted as fatalism

Buddhist principles:Karma

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Fatalism? Debates have even questioned whether Tibetan Buddhists would say that Jewish people ‘deserved’ the Holocaust

Not entirely fatalistic; a psychological tool for acceptance/peace of mind

Tibetan Buddhism:Karma

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Rejects the multiple-birth interpretation of karma

Emphasises the karmic response in current lifetime

Encourages hope and effort for development

Ambedkarite Buddhism:Karma

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Pune: Struggle for social equality is based on

desire for development. Buddhism provides a practical methodology for this.

Dharamsala: Struggle for development is based on desire

for religious and national freedom. Buddhism is the priority and the goal, as well as the methodology.

Reasons for social justice

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Tibetan Buddhism and Ambedkarite Buddhism promote very different attitudes towards the struggles for social justice and development

Not only are the approaches to these struggles different, but the relative importance of religion vis-a-vis development is very different in each place too.

Summary