The Buddha and His Dhamma

The Buddha and His Dhamma
Title page for The Buddha and His Dhamma (1957)
AuthorB. R. Ambedkar
LanguageEnglish
SubjectNavayana Buddhism
PublisherSiddhartha College Publications, Mumbai[1]
Publication date
1957
Publication placeIndia
Media typePrint
Pages599
Followed byDr. 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 Unpublished writings; Ancient Indian commerce; Notes on laws; Waiting for a visa; Miscellaneous notes, etc.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

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.[5]

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.[6][7]

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[8]
  • Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India[9]

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.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ambedkar, B. R. The Buddha and His Dhamma, retrieved 2008-12-27
  2. ^ 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. ^ a b Rathore, Aakash Singh; Verma, Ajay (2011). The Buddha and His Dhamma: A Critical Edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198068679.
  4. ^ Queen, Christopher (2015). Emmanuel, Steven M. (ed.). A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 529–531. ISBN 978-1-119-14466-3.
  5. ^ Ambedkar, Babasheb (1979) [1957]. The Buddha and His Dhamma (PDF).
  6. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20251228104141/https://books.google.co.in/books/about/The_Buddha_and_His_Dharma.html?id=yvWqzgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
  7. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20251228104349/https://www.amazon.com/BUDDHA-HIS-DHAMMA-Bhimrao-Ambedkar-ebook/dp/B013NO6JH2
  8. ^ Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol. 3 (PDF). Government of Maharashtra / Dr. Ambedkar Foundation. 1987. p. 452 onward.
  9. ^ Ambedkar, B.R. "Preface / unpublished". Columbia University.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "A Journey of Samyak Buddha (2013)". IMDb. Retrieved 28 December 2025.

Bibliography

  • 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.
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