Theravada Buddhism and Modernization: Anagarika Dhammapala and B.R. Ambedkar
The twentieth century saw a revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and India. Though in both countries it was an instrument of choice it played different roles. The Buddhist revival in Sri Lanka led by Anagarika Dhammapala (1864-1993) though a "spin-off" from the Theosophical movement, became a...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
1999
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| In: |
Journal of Asian and African studies
Year: 1999, Volume: 34, Issue: 1, Pages: 33-45 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The twentieth century saw a revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and India. Though in both countries it was an instrument of choice it played different roles. The Buddhist revival in Sri Lanka led by Anagarika Dhammapala (1864-1993) though a "spin-off" from the Theosophical movement, became a basis for the Simhala renaissance involving a restatement of the faith and reaffirmation of its cultural values. In India Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (1891-1956) turned to Buddhism in his search for an alternate cultural identity for millions of untouchables (particularly the Mahar community) in his rebellion against the Hindu caste system and its ancialliary social by-product, untouchability. In both cases what was once perceived as an ascetical and renunciatory paradigm was turned into an instrument of political action and social activism. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-2538 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Asian and African studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/156852199X00158 |