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{{short description|Holy book of Navayana Buddhism}} | {{short description|Holy book of Navayana Buddhism}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} | |||
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2024}} | |||
{{Infobox book | {{Infobox book | ||
| name | | name = The Buddha and His Dhamma | ||
| title_orig | | title_orig = | ||
| translator | | translator = | ||
| image | | image = File:The_Buddha_and_His_Dhamma.png | ||
| caption = | | caption = Title page for ''The Buddha and His Dhamma'' (1957) | ||
| author | | author = [[B. R. Ambedkar]] | ||
| illustrator | | illustrator = | ||
| cover_artist | | cover_artist = | ||
| country | | country = [[India]] | ||
| language | | language = English | ||
| series | | series = | ||
| subject | | subject = [[Navayana Buddhism]] | ||
| genre | | genre = | ||
| publisher | | publisher = Siddhartha College Publications, Mumbai<ref>Ambedkar, B. R. [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ambedkar/ambedkar_buddha/00_fwp.html The Buddha and His Dhamma], retrieved 2008-12-27</ref> | ||
| pub_date | | pub_date = 1957 | ||
| english_pub_date = | | english_pub_date = | ||
| media_type | | media_type = Print | ||
| pages | | pages = 599 | ||
| isbn | | isbn = | ||
| oclc | | oclc = | ||
| preceded_by | | preceded_by = | ||
| followed_by | | followed_by = Dr. Babasheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol. 12. Unpublished writings; Ancient Indian commerce; Notes on laws; Waiting for a visa; Miscellaneous notes, etc. | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''''The Buddha and His Dhamma''''', is a | '''''The Buddha and His Dhamma''''', is a 1957 [[posthumous work]] by the Indian scholar and social reformer [[B. R. Ambedkar]] on [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha's]] life and [[Buddhism|philosophy]]. | ||
It presents Ambedkar's interpretation of [[Buddhism]], reinterpreting traditional teachings in a modern framework that emphasises [[social equality]], [[ethics]], and the rejection of the [[caste system]]. The book serves as a foundational text for [[Navayana]] (also known as Ambedkarite Buddhism), where it is regarded as a [[sacred scripture]] by followers.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Khiamniungan |first=Chiangmong |title=On the Editions of Dr B. R. Ambedkar's The Buddha and His Dhamma |journal=Studies in Indian Politics |volume=11 |issue=1 |year=2023 |doi=10.1177/23210230231166190 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/23210230231166190|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=Rathore>{{cite book |title=The Buddha and His Dhamma: A Critical Edition |last1=Rathore |first1=Aakash Singh |last2=Verma |first2=Ajay |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9780198068679 |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-buddha-and-his-dhamma-9780198068679}}</ref><ref name=Queen-2015>{{cite book |author=Queen, Christopher |editor=Emmanuel, Steven M. |title=A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy |year=2015 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-14466-3 |pages=529–531 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_lmCgAAQBAJ}}</ref> | |||
Ambedkar completed the manuscript shortly before his death and his public conversion to Buddhism in October 1956. | |||
==Publication history== | ==Publication history== | ||
''The | Ambedkar had requested [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] to help him promote the book through government funding. Nehru rejected Ambedkar's request.<ref name="z247">{{cite web | last=Konikkara | first=Aathira | title=The struggle to publish BR Ambedkar's writing | website=The Caravan | date=2021-03-31 | url=https://caravanmagazine.in/history/struggle-publish-br-ambedkar-writing}}</ref> The book was published posthumously in 1957, following Ambedkar's death on 6 December 1956. It was republished in 1979 by the Education Department of the [[Government of Maharashtra]] as Volume 11 of ''Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches'', including a list of sources and an index.<ref>{{cite book |first=Babasheb |last=Ambedkar |author-link=B. R. Ambedkar |year=1979 |orig-year=1957 |title=The Buddha and His Dhamma |url=https://archive.org/download/internetbooksgs/Buddha%20and%20His%20Dhamma%20B%20R%20Ambedkar.pdf}}</ref> | ||
A [[critical edition]], edited by Aakash Singh Rathore and Ajay Verma, was published by [[Oxford University Press]] in 2011. This edition includes annotations, references to Buddhist canonical sources, and analysis of Ambedkar's adaptations of traditional material.<ref name=Rathore/> | |||
Originally written in English, the book has been translated into several Indian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, and Kannada.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20251228104141/https://books.google.co.in/books/about/The_Buddha_and_His_Dharma.html?id=yvWqzgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20251228104349/https://www.amazon.com/BUDDHA-HIS-DHAMMA-Bhimrao-Ambedkar-ebook/dp/B013NO6JH2</ref> | |||
* ''Buddha and Karl Marx'' | |||
* ''Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India'' | == Related works == | ||
Ambedkar viewed ''The Buddha and His Dhamma'' as part of a set of works essential for understanding his vision of Buddhism. The other two are: | |||
* ''Buddha and Karl Marx''<ref>{{cite book |title=Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol. 3 |publisher=Government of Maharashtra / Dr. Ambedkar Foundation |year=1987 |url=https://www.mea.gov.in/Images/attach/amb/Volume_03.pdf |page=452 onward}}</ref> | |||
* ''Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ambedkar/ambedkar_buddha/00_pref_unpub.html |title=Preface / unpublished |author=Ambedkar, B.R. |publisher=Columbia University}}</ref> | |||
==In popular culture== | ==In popular culture== | ||
The 2013 Hindi-language biographical film ''[[A Journey of Samyak Buddha]]'', directed by Pravin Damle, is based on the book and depicts the life of Gautama Buddha from birth to enlightenment.<ref>{{cite web | title=Film on Buddha based on Ambedkar's book to be released on March 15 | date=13 March 2013 | newspaper=[[The Times of India]] | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Film-on-Buddha-based-on-Ambedkars-book-to-be-released-on-March-15/articleshow/18944610.cms | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115025328/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-13/nagpur/37681977_1_lord-buddha-film-director-dhamm | url-status=live | archive-date=15 November 2013 | access-date=19 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A Journey of Samyak Buddha (2013) |publisher=IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3056820/ |access-date=December 28, 2025}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| Line 44: | Line 51: | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist | {{reflist}} | ||
==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||
* {{cite book |last=Ambedkar |first=Bhimrao Ramji |year=2011 |editor1-last=Rathore |editor1-first=Aakash Singh |editor2-last=Verma |editor2-first=Ajay |title=The Buddha and his Dhamma: A critical edition |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780198068679}} | * {{cite book |last=Ambedkar |first=Bhimrao Ramji |year=2011 |editor1-last=Rathore |editor1-first=Aakash Singh |editor2-last=Verma |editor2-first=Ajay |title=The Buddha and his Dhamma: A critical edition |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780198068679}} | ||
* Baumann, Martin (1991). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/23894665 "Neo-Buddhistische Konzeptionen in Indien und England: Zum 100. Geburtstag Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkars"]. ''{{ill|Zeitschrift für Religions- und Geistesgeschichte|de}}'', ''43'' (2), pp. | * Baumann, Martin (1991). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/23894665 "Neo-Buddhistische Konzeptionen in Indien und England: Zum 100. Geburtstag Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkars"]. ''{{ill|Zeitschrift für Religions- und Geistesgeschichte|de}}'', ''43'' (2), pp. 97–116. | ||
* Fiske, Adele & Emmrich, Christoph (2004). The use of Buddhist scriptures in B.R. Ambedkar's ''The Buddha and His Dhamma''. [In] Jondhale, Surendra; Beltz, Johannes (eds.). ''Reconstructing the World: B.R. Ambedkar and Buddhism in India''. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. | * Fiske, Adele & Emmrich, Christoph (2004). The use of Buddhist scriptures in B.R. Ambedkar's ''The Buddha and His Dhamma''. [In] Jondhale, Surendra; Beltz, Johannes (eds.). ''Reconstructing the World: B.R. Ambedkar and Buddhism in India''. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. | ||
* {{cite book |last=Sangharakshita |year=1986 |chapter=The Buddha and his Dhamma |title=Ambedkar and Buddhism |publisher=Windhorse |edition=1st |url=https://www.sangharakshita.org/_books/Ambedkar_and_Buddhism.pdf}} | * {{cite book |last=Sangharakshita |year=1986 |chapter=The Buddha and his Dhamma |title=Ambedkar and Buddhism |publisher=Windhorse |edition=1st |url=https://www.sangharakshita.org/_books/Ambedkar_and_Buddhism.pdf |archive-date=23 September 2020 |access-date=3 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923115754/https://www.sangharakshita.org/_books/Ambedkar_and_Buddhism.pdf |url-status=dead }} | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| Line 56: | Line 63: | ||
{{Buddhism topics}} | {{Buddhism topics}} | ||
{{Authority control}} | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buddha And His dhamma, The}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Buddha And His dhamma, The}} | ||
Latest revision as of 12:45, 28 September 2026
 Title page for The Buddha and His Dhamma (1957) | |
| Author | B. R. Ambedkar |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Navayana Buddhism |
| Publisher | Siddhartha College Publications, Mumbai[1] |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 599 |
| Followed by | Dr. Babasheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol. 12. Unpublished writings; Ancient Indian commerce; Notes on laws; Waiting for a visa; Miscellaneous notes, etc. |
The Buddha and His Dhamma, is a 1957 posthumous work by the Indian scholar and social reformer B. R. Ambedkar on Buddha's life and philosophy. It presents Ambedkar's interpretation of Buddhism, reinterpreting traditional teachings in a modern framework that emphasises social equality, ethics, and the rejection of the caste system. The book serves as a foundational text for Navayana (also known as Ambedkarite Buddhism), where it is regarded as a sacred scripture by followers.[2][3][4] Ambedkar completed the manuscript shortly before his death and his public conversion to Buddhism in October 1956.
Publication history[edit | edit source]
Ambedkar had requested Jawaharlal Nehru to help him promote the book through government funding. Nehru rejected Ambedkar's request.[5] The book was published posthumously in 1957, following Ambedkar's death on 6 December 1956. It was republished in 1979 by the Education Department of the Government of Maharashtra as Volume 11 of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, including a list of sources and an index.[6]
A critical edition, edited by Aakash Singh Rathore and Ajay Verma, was published by Oxford University Press in 2011. This edition includes annotations, references to Buddhist canonical sources, and analysis of Ambedkar's adaptations of traditional material.[3]
Originally written in English, the book has been translated into several Indian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, and Kannada.[7][8]
Related works[edit | edit source]
Ambedkar viewed The Buddha and His Dhamma as part of a set of works essential for understanding his vision of Buddhism. The other two are:
In popular culture[edit | edit source]
The 2013 Hindi-language biographical film A Journey of Samyak Buddha, directed by Pravin Damle, is based on the book and depicts the life of Gautama Buddha from birth to enlightenment.[11][12]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Ambedkar, B. R. The Buddha and His Dhamma, retrieved 2008-12-27
- ↑ Khiamniungan, Chiangmong (2023). "On the Editions of Dr B. R. Ambedkar's The Buddha and His Dhamma". Studies in Indian Politics. 11 (1). doi:10.1177/23210230231166190.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rathore, Aakash Singh; Verma, Ajay (2011). The Buddha and His Dhamma: A Critical Edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198068679.
- ↑ Queen, Christopher (2015). Emmanuel, Steven M. (ed.). A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 529–531. ISBN 978-1-119-14466-3.
- ↑ Konikkara, Aathira (31 March 2021). "The struggle to publish BR Ambedkar's writing". The Caravan.
- ↑ Ambedkar, Babasheb (1979) [1957]. The Buddha and His Dhamma (PDF).
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20251228104141/https://books.google.co.in/books/about/The_Buddha_and_His_Dharma.html?id=yvWqzgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20251228104349/https://www.amazon.com/BUDDHA-HIS-DHAMMA-Bhimrao-Ambedkar-ebook/dp/B013NO6JH2
- ↑ Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol. 3 (PDF). Government of Maharashtra / Dr. Ambedkar Foundation. 1987. p. 452 onward.
- ↑ Ambedkar, B.R. "Preface / unpublished". Columbia University.
- ↑ "Film on Buddha based on Ambedkar's book to be released on March 15". The Times of India. 13 March 2013. Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ↑ "A Journey of Samyak Buddha (2013)". IMDb. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
- Ambedkar, Bhimrao Ramji (2011). Rathore, Aakash Singh; Verma, Ajay (eds.). The Buddha and his Dhamma: A critical edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198068679.
- Baumann, Martin (1991). "Neo-Buddhistische Konzeptionen in Indien und England: Zum 100. Geburtstag Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkars". Zeitschrift für Religions- und Geistesgeschichte, 43 (2), pp. 97–116.
- Fiske, Adele & Emmrich, Christoph (2004). The use of Buddhist scriptures in B.R. Ambedkar's The Buddha and His Dhamma. [In] Jondhale, Surendra; Beltz, Johannes (eds.). Reconstructing the World: B.R. Ambedkar and Buddhism in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
- Sangharakshita (1986). "The Buddha and his Dhamma". Ambedkar and Buddhism (PDF) (1st ed.). Windhorse. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
External links[edit | edit source]
- "The Buddha And His Dhamma". Columbia University. Book Online
