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BUDDHISM PAVED WAY FOR DEMOCRACY AND SOCIALISTIC PATTERN OF SOCIETY
The Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists was held in Ceylon from 25th May to 6th June 1950. Dr. B. R Ambedkar attended the Conference.
Addressing an International gathering at Colombo, on June 6th, 1950, Dr. Ambedkar said,
“Most people who have studied rise and fall of Buddhism in India would admit that this subject had not been adequately dealt with as it should have been. I have not been able to find any authentic material explaining why Buddhism rose to the height it achieved and why it disappeared in India.
To know a subject thoroughly, one must know its relevant traditions exactly and precisely. Similarly, the significance of Buddhism would not be understood unless the exact circumstances which gave birth to it are understood. I disagree with the view that Hinduism has all along been the religion of India. Hinduism is the latest development of social thought in India.
The religion of India has undergone three changes. Vedic religion which was practised first gave way, in course of time, to Brahmanism and this in turn to Hinduism. It was during Brahminic period that Buddhism was born. This was because Buddhism opposed inequality, authority and division of society into various classes which Brahminism had introduced in India.
It is easy to practise the Vedic religion. In it, performance of yagya (yajnas) is the main puja. The Vedic Aryans used to worship innumerable Gods. They used to please them by performing yagyas. The puja to be performed for these Gods should necessarily be sacred and superb. In those Agrarian times, cows were the chief wealth of the Aryans. Therefore, they used to sacrifice cows to honour their deities. In this way, Vedic Dharma encouraged violence. Brahmins succeded in organising the society only by adopting Vedic yagyas. The Brahmins also