Buddhism and Politicization of Religion in India: Bhimrao Ambedkar’s Navayana

The paper deals with the political, social and religious activities by Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, the founder of the Navayana movement that is a modernized Buddhism in India. Being an outstanding politician and lawyer, Ambedkar devoted his life to the struggle for the rights of the untouchables to which he himself belonged. Ambedkar was convinced that the Hindu traditions namely varna-caste system were the main problems of India that prevented the formation of a united nation and civil society based on equality and freedom. To overcome traditional social organization and win over Hinduism, he turned to Buddhism which contained qualities to unite the nation and resist the Hindu rigid social stratification and hierarchy. According to Ambedkar, Navayana is most close to the traditional Teaching and, at the same time, is not monastic. In Navayana, Ambedkar sought the worldview alternative to Hinduism and ways to egalitarianism and democratization in the Indian society. In the course of struggle for independence, when Indian nationalism was built on the ideas of M.K. Gandhi who was closely associated with politicized Hinduism, Ambedkar did not put forward a national program of action and remained the leader of the untouchables that constituted a significant social group and were one of the objects of M.K. Gandhi’s and the Indian National Congress’s agitation. Gandhi. As a result, Ambedkar stood in opposition to the Hindu leaders, however gained political weight among various strata of Indian society. After achieving independence, Ambedkar actively joined the work for the creation of Indian legislative framework and became the ‘Father of the Indian Constitution.’ At the same time, he hoped to reform Hindu traditional law towards egalitarianism and democracy so as to improve the status of women and India’s underclass which reportedly included the untouchables and minor tribes. However, when the attempts failed, Ambedkar became more decisive in his anti-Hindu agitation among the outcastes. The main event in Ambedkar’s life was his own and his supporters’ conversion to Buddhism in 1956. Modernized Buddhism ― Navayana ― is based on the principles that were formulated by Ambedkar according to the original Teachings of the Buddha as had been preserved in the Pali Canon. The number of Ambedkarian Buddhists grows as a result of the refusal of untouchables from Hinduism when India’s supreme authorities stand on the positions of right Hindu nationalism and have no intention to change life of the most depressed social groups. The Navayana Buddhism and Ambedkar became the slogan and symbol of political parties and organizations, although today their weight in Indian politics is not that impressive. However, the growing number of supporters witnesses the fact that the ideas of egalitarianism and democracy once put forward by Ambedkar are getting increasingly widespread in India.

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