INDIAN DEMOCRACY SHOULD ORIGINATE FROM AND CONTINUE TO DERIVE
INSPIRATION FROM BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE
Religious impressions are more radical than political impressions. Religion captures popular imaginations more than politics. Political inclinations may change, but religious loyalty is unchanging. How firmly religion grips the minds of the people! That religious proclivity was utilised by Dr Ambedkar for perpetuating democracy in India through the instrumentality of a democratic religion. Against this background he brought about this conversion. Despite political transformations, democratic framework, Dr Ambedkar planned, should not colapsed and should continue to operate through the choice of Buddhist philosophy. The colour of party governments may change, but change of democratic foundation should be beyond the powers of any governmental change. The psychological foundations of democracy should be unshakable, therefore Buddhism was designed as a shock-absorber of democracy.
This is why democracy in India seems to be more firmly founded than any other democracy in the world. And the credit of this goes to none else but to Dr Ambedkar. The foundations of democracies in other parts of the world are to be traced in the French democracy. But it was Dr Ambedkar who for the first time proclaimed that the origins of the Indian democracy are to be traced to Buddhism. He strongly desired that Indian democracy should not be blind imitation of western democracy but should originate from and continue to derive inspiration from Buddhist philosophy and practice.
To lay firm foundations of and to perpetuate the Indian democracy, he used Buddhism as a soil for it and for that purpose he himself became a Buddhist and brought about mass conversions. Why is the soil of Buddhism necessary for the plant of Indian democracy to grow? Indian democracy differs from western democracy not for the sake of difference only.
Before the plant of Indian democracy could be allowed any growth, attempts could be made to nip it in the bud. There are intrigues against democracy. For the democracy in Russia after Czarism was transformed into dictatorship within no time. Why was this Russian democracy so short-lived? Because it could not take firm roots. It was easy to uproot it. It was uprooted because nobody in Russia knew what democracy means. Therefore Lenin attempted every way not to give fair trial to democracy. That is why democracy did not have firm roots in Russia. Dr Ambedkar desired that this Russian history of democracy should not repeat on Indian soil and democracy should not be transfered into dictatorship. Dictatorship and communism are equal to tyranny.
BUDDHISM HAS SOCIAL MESSAGE
1. It teaches Ahimsa.
2. It teaches Peace.
3. It teaches Justice.
4. It teaches Love.
5. It teaches Liberty.
6. It teaches equality.
7. It teaches Fraternity.
Siddharth Gautama Buddha preached all these Social values to people, but these Social Messages have been buried by modern authors.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM?
A
1. To cleanse the Mind of impurities.
2. To make the world a Kingdom of Righteousness.
B
1.When it makes learning open to all.
2. When it teaches that mere learning is not enough. It may lead to pedantry.
3. When it teaches that what is needed is Pradnya.
C
1. When it teaches that Pradna is not enough. It must be accompanied by Sila.
2. When it teaches that besides Pradnya and Sila what is necessary is Karuna.
3. When it teaches that more than Karuna what is necessary is Maitri.
D
1. Must break down barriers between man and man.
2. Must teach that worth and not birth is the measure of man.
3.Must promote equality between man and man.
THE NEW BUDDHIST WAY OF LIFE IS
NAVAYAN
DO GOOD. BE NO PARTY TO EVIL. COMMITE NO SIN.
SADDHAMMA is NAVAYAN
It is for his own good that man has to love man.
SADDHAMMA
A
1. To cleanse the Mind of its impurities.
2. To make the world a Kingdom of Righteousness.
3. When it makes learning to all.
4. When it teaches that mere learning is not enough. It may lead to pedantry.
5. When it teaches that what is needed is Pradnya.
6. When it teaches that mere Pradnya is not enough. It must be accompanied by Sila.
7. When it teaches that besides Pradnya and Sila what is necessary is Karuna.
8. When it teaches that more than Karuna what is necessary is Maitri.
9. Must beak down barriers between man and man.
10. Must teach that worth and not birth is the measure of man.
11. Must promote equality between man and man
B THE TRAINING OF MIND
1.. That though others may steal, you will not.
2 That though others may not lead the higher life, you will.
3. That though others may lie, traduce, denounce, or prattle, you will not.
4. That though others may be covetous, you will not.
5. That though others may be malignant, you will not be malignant,
6. That though others may be given over to wrong views, wrong aims, wrong speech, wrong actions, and
wrong concentration, you must fallow ( the Noble Eightfold Path in) right outlook, right aims, right
speech, right action, right mode of livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.
7. That though others are wrong about the truth and wrong about the Deliverance, you will be right about
truth and right about Deliverance.
8.. That though others may be possessed by sloth and torpor, you will free yourselves therefrom.
8. That though others may be puffed up, you will be humbled-minded.
9. That though others may harbour wrath, malevolence, envy, jealousy, niggardliness, avarice, hypocrisy,
deceit, imperviousness, arrogance, forwardness, association with bad friends, slackness, unbelief,
shamelessness, unscrupulousness, lack of instruction, inertness, bewilderment, and unwisdom, you will
be reverse of all these things.
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