z:\ ambedkar\vol 011\vol11 04.indd MK SJ+YS 5 10 2013/YS 18 11 2013 250
250 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
- If man is free, then every event must be the result of man’s action or of an act of Nature. There cannot be any event which is supernatural in its origin.
III
It may be that man is not able to discover the real cause of the occurrence of an event. But if he has intelligence he is bound one day to discover it.
In repudiating supernaturalism the Buddha had three objects.
His first object was to lead man to the path of rationalism.
His second object was to free man to go in search of truth.
His third object was to remove the most potent source of superstition, the result of which is to kill the spirit of inquiry.
This is called the law of Kamma or Causation.
This doctrine of Kamma and Causation is the most central doctrine in Buddhism. It preaches Rationalism and Buddhism is nothing if not rationalism.
That is why worship of the supernatural is Not—Dhamma.
§ 2. Belief in Ishwara (God) is Not Essentially Part of Dhamma
Who created the world is a common question. That the world was created by God is also a very. common answer.
In the Brahmanic scheme this God is called by a variety of names—Prajapati, Ishwar, Brahma or Maha Brahma.
To the question who this God is and how He came into being there is no answer.
Those who believe in God describe Him as a being who is omnipotent, i.e., all-powerful, Omnipresent, i.e., he fills the whole universe, and Omniscient, i.e., he knows everything.