Learned a new word today: Bhimta.
No, not Bhima, the hero with a mace who sired Ghatotkacha, who threatened to kill an entire army and forced Karna to use a single-use astral weapon.
This is a social thing.
No, not Bhima, the hero with a mace who sired Ghatotkacha, who threatened to kill an entire army and forced Karna to use a single-use astral weapon.
This is a social thing.
Have you ever wondered, when listening to someone describe a caste system, why the lower castes don't just defect?
I mean if it sucks that much, you'd take any other ticket out of town, right? That's the "economically rational" thing to do.
I mean if it sucks that much, you'd take any other ticket out of town, right? That's the "economically rational" thing to do.
Well, they couldn't when India was ruled by Hindus, but apparently 500,000 Dalits did just that after the British took over.
Only, they couldn't quite decide what to be next.
Identity is tricky like that.
Only, they couldn't quite decide what to be next.
Identity is tricky like that.
So apparently - and I am oversimplifying here - Ambedkar, a foreign-educated Dalit returnee, had a conference of all major religions, and tried to decide which one to follow now that he intended to leave Hinduism.
He rejected the Muslim, Christian, and Sikh representatives.
He rejected the Muslim, Christian, and Sikh representatives.
Only Buddhism appealed to him - but he rejected the Four Noble Truths, along with the idea that the "self" as it is commonly understood is an illusion.
When he converted, about 300k Hindus converted with him, and another 300k later.
When he converted, about 300k Hindus converted with him, and another 300k later.
Now, Buddhism IS an Indian religion. It was invented by an Indian prince. So insofar as Ambedkar was giving up one traditional Indian religion for another, and urging others to do the same, well, many Indians found that understandable.
But.
He gutted Buddhism.
#history
But.
He gutted Buddhism.
#history
The Four Noble Truths and the understanding that the self is an illusion are core tenets of Buddhism. It's therefore debatable whether the new religion he formed was actually Buddhism, as it was dramatically at odds with the existing Theravada, Tantric, and Mahayana schools.
So the Indian traditionalists wanted a term to describe Ambedkar and those who followed him in giving up Hinduism for (as they saw it) not-quite-Buddhism.
One term they settled on was Ambedkarites. Another was Bhimta, derived from Ambedkar's first name Bhimrao.
#history
One term they settled on was Ambedkarites. Another was Bhimta, derived from Ambedkar's first name Bhimrao.
#history
Ambedkar was a contemporary of Gandhi whose plans were often derailed by Gandhi's dramatic actions. It's interesting to read contemporary Indian criticisms of a man the entire world has called great.
A nice reminder that modern #history is oversimplified propaganda.
A nice reminder that modern #history is oversimplified propaganda.
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