Category: Buddhism

THE REVOLUTIONARY 22 VOWS OF DR B.R. AMBEDKAR

BACKGROUND:  Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar  prescribed these vows so that: 1. There may be complete severance of bond with the old Hindu customs that promote superstition and caste which in turn hinders fraternity, human progress and scientific temper 2. To protect Buddhism from unnecessary confusion, contradictions and adulteration These vows were administered by Babasaheb […]

“Act of Commitment” pledged by the UK Interfaith community, on the first Bodhi Tree Day, led by Shekhar Bodhakar, 9th Sept 2017

BODHI-TREE DAY and INTERFAITH ACT OF COMMITMENT DAY were, for the very first time, jointly celebrated on 9th September 2017 in London.  Other than building inter-faith understanding and tolerance, the interfaith community’s achievements were: 1) A historic initiative taken by a London Ambedkarite, Shekhar Bodhakar, resulting in drafting of The Interfaith “Act of Commitment” document, which includes the […]

एक महान भिक्खु की हत्या का एक और दिन।

कार्तिक अमावस्या के दिन ही दीपावली तथा दीपदान उत्सव क्यों मनाए जाते हैं ? दीपावली बसंत का त्योहार है। फिर इसे सर्दियों में ही क्यों मनाया जाता है? यह दिन बौद्ध कैलेंडर में एक ऐसा दिन था जब एक महान बौद्ध भिक्खु, महा मोगल्लान की हत्या कर दी गई थी। कार्तिक अमावस्या को किसी भी […]

ANOTHER DAY OF MURDER OF A GREAT BHIKKHU

DIWALI IS A SPRING FESTIVAL. THEN WHY IS IT CELEBRATED IN WINTER? Some Buddhists have replaced the Brahmanic festival of Diwali with the CELEBRATION of what they call Deepdan Utsav. Deepdan Diwas/Day (symbolic representation: a lit candle/s or dipa) is NOT a day of CELEBRATION but a day of REMEMBRANCE for Buddhists. Its a day […]

“History of India is nothing but the battle between Buddhism and Brahmanism.” – Dr. B R Ambedkar

In India, the followers of so called Hinduism are gullible masses, who are following Brahmanism in sugar coated Hinduism. For generations Brahmans have concocted and spread crooked stories to be-fool the masses and keep the Shudras and Ati-Shudras, the achhut (Untouchables) following Brahmanical culture without even knowing what they are following and doing. This deception […]

QUESTION 1: As a practicing Buddhist, can you lie to save a life and can you mortally wound someone who is trying to kill you

Question 1: As a practicing Buddhist, can you lie to save a life and can you mortally wound someone who is trying to kill you? Answer by Shekhar Bodhakar: “Can you?” is not same as “should You?” Can you?.. of course yes, if you want to. Should you?.. depends on your intentions, which no one external dictates or […]

DID DR. AMBEDKAR OR ASHOKA-THE-GREAT “CELEBRATE” DEEPDAN UTSAV?

The day that Asoka the Great embraced Buddhism is called Asoka Vijay Dashmi (AVD). Centuries after the first celebration of AVD, the Brahmin Dharma festival of Dussehera started being celebrated on the same day. Eventually AVD was almost forgotten until the revival of Buddhism in India during the 20th century. It is said that when […]

MY THOUGHTS ON “CELEBRATING” DEEPDAN DIWAS ON DIWALI

The Indian Buddhist community is still going through a discovery and development phase trying to figure out what is the right thing to do regarding certain days/festivals/rituals etc. Many try to justify celebrating /not celebrating, to fit their personal agendas and views. On Karthik Amawassiya in the Buddhist calendar, the enlightened Ven Maha Moggallana was […]

Why did Dr. B. R. Ambedkar convert to Buddhism? What makes it so special?

Let Babasaheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar give you a BRIEF explanation of what initially attracted him to Buddhism, IN HIS OWN WORDS. The following text is the UNPUBLISHED PREFACE to one of his masterpieces, the “Buddha and his Dhamma” For clarity, I have written the Preface in TWO parts. PART 1 sufficiently answers the question posed. PART 2 […]

What are the settings of the book “The Buddha and His Dhamma” by B. R. Ambedkar?

The Buddha and His Dhamma, by Dr B. R. Ambedkar, is a bible in the sense it is a collection of eight books of various sizes. Each book is divided into three to eight named parts.The parts are further divided into numbered and named chapters containing numbered verses. It has 347 pages. The complete book […]