[ZESTCaste] FW: Disappearance of Buddhism From India: An Untold Story
- Original Message - Subject:Disappearance of Buddhism From India: An Untold Story Date:Thu, 30 Oct 2008 4:54:15 From:Shiva Shankar [EMAIL PROTECTED] ... The various writers of the puranas, too, carried on this systematic campaign of hatred, slander and calumny against the Buddhists. The Brahannardiya Purana made it a principal sin for Brahmins to enter the house of a Buddhist even in times of great peril. The Vishnu Purana dubs the Buddha as Maha Moha or 'the great seducer'. It further cautions against the sin of conversing with Buddhists and lays down that those who merely talk to Buddhist ascetics shall be sent to hell. In the Gaya Mahatmaya, the concluding section of the Vayu Purana, the town of Gaya is identified as Gaya Asura, a demon who had attained such holiness that all those who saw him or touched him went straight to heaven. Clearly, this 'demon' was none other the Buddha who preached a simple way for all, including the oppressed castes, to attain salvation. The Vayu Purana story goes on to add that Yama, the king of hell, grew jealous at this, possibly because fewer people were now entering his domains. He appealed to the gods to limit the powers of Asura Gaya. This the gods, led by Vishnu, were able to do by placing a massive stone on the demon's head. This monstrous legend signified the ultimate capture of Budhdhism's most holy centre by its most inveterate foes. ... - Disappearance of Buddhism From India: An Untold Story Naresh Kumar The complete disappearance of the religion of the Buddha from the land of its birth is one of the greatest puzzles of history. Once holding sway throughout the length and breadth of the subcontinent, Buddhism today survives only in the Himalayan fringes along the Tibetan frontier and in small pockets in northern and western India among recent Ambedkarite Dalit converts. Various theories have been put forward which seek to explain the tragic eclipse of Buddhism from India. According to one view, corruption in the Buddhist sangha or priesthood precipitated Buddhism's ultimate decline. While it is true that with time the Buddhist priests became increasingly lax in the observance of religious rules, corruption alone cannot explain the death of Buddhism. After all, Buddhism was replaced by an even more corrupt Brahminism. Another theory is that Buddhism disappeared from India in the wake of the Arab and Turkish invasions in which many Buddhists were said to have been killed. However, this theory, too, seems not to be convincing as a complete explanation of the extinction of Buddhism in India. After all, in places such as Bengal and Sind, which were ruled by Brahminical dynasties but had Buddhist majorities, Buddhists are said to have welcomed the Muslims as saviours who had freed them from the tyranny of 'upper' caste rule. This explains why most of the 'lower-caste' people in Eastern Bengal and Sind embraced Islam. Few, if any, among the 'upper' castes of these regions did the same. Since Buddhism was replaced by triumphant Brahminism, the eclipse of Buddhism in India was obviously primarily a result of the Brahminical revival. The Buddha was a true revolutionary - and his crusade against Brahminical supremacy won him his most ardent followers from among the oppressed castes. The Buddha challenged the divinity of the Vedas, the bedrock of Brahminism. He held that all men are equal and that the caste system or varnashramadharma, to which the Vedas and other Brahminical books had given religious sanction, was completely false. Thus, in the Anguttara Nikaya, the Buddha is said to have exhorted the Bhikkus, saying, Just, O brethren, as the great rivers, when they have emptied themselves into the Great Ocean, lose their different names and are known as the Great Ocean Just so, O brethren, do the four varnas - Kshatriya, Brahmin, Vaishya and Sudra - when they begin to follow the doctrine and discipline propounded by the Tathagata [i.e. the Buddha], renounce the different names of caste and rank and become the members of one and the same society. The Buddha's fight against Brahminism won him many enemies from among the Brahmins. They were not as greatly opposed to his philosophical teachings as they were to his message of universal brotherhood and equality for it directly challenged their hegemony and the scriptures that they had invented to legitimize this. To combat Buddhism and revive the tottering Brahminical hegemony, Brahminical revivalists resorted to a three-pronged strategy. Firstly, they launched a campaign of hatred and persecution against the Buddhists. Then, they appropriated many of the finer aspects of Buddhism into their own system so as to win over the lower caste Buddhist masses, but made sure that this selective appropriation did not in any way undermine Brahminical hegemony. The final stage in this project to wipe out Buddhism was
Re: [ZESTCaste] Nepal: UN conducts training to help give excluded groups a voice
Can anyone tell me how I make contact with Dalit groups in Nepal? (for a friend) thanks, Gail On Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 11:44 PM, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28629Cr=NEPALCr1= Nepal: UN conducts training to help give excluded groups a voice INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Dalits begin indefinite fast
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Dalits+begin+indefinite+fastartid=wxI5EtwI%7CFs=SectionID=vBlkz7JCFvA=MainSectionID=vBlkz7JCFvA=SEO=SectionName=EL7znOtxBM3qzgMyXZKtxw== By Express Features 31 Oct 2008 02:52:00 AM IST Dalits begin indefinite fast TIRUNELVELI: The Dalits of Panthapuli village observed an indefinite fast at the Kaarisaaththaan hillock on Thursday demanding that the State Government take over the Kannanallur Mariamman Temple at their village, near Sankarankovil. Meanwhile, six women and a boy, who suffered from fever, have been taken to the Kalingapatti Primary Health Centre. The Dalits, who refused to participate in the peace meet convened at Sankarankovil on Wednesday, commenced their fast along with their children. They decided not to give up the protest until the takeover of the temple by the State government. They also wanted the government to ensure their safety, allow entry into the temple and withdraw cases registered against two Dalits in connection with the stone pelting incident on October 27. When contacted, District Collector G Prakash said the issue would be sorted out. All necessary health care and law and order had been provided in the hill area, he said. It may be recalled that for years, the Dalits of Panthapuli are denied permission by the caste Hindus to offer prayers at Kannanallur Mariamman Temple at Panthapuli, near Sankarankovil. Following regular clashes between the two groups, the temple was closed 10 years ago. The Dalits then approached the Sankarankovil sub-court which directed the police department and village administration officer to ensure the entry of Dalits into the temple. However, till date, they are unable to gain entry in to the temple.
[ZESTCaste] Desert Warriors
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Ne081108Desert_Warriors.asp From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 44, Dated Nov 08, 2008 CURRENT AFFAIRS Desert Warriors Caste-based militias are gearing up to fight for a piece of the pie, reports ANIL VARGHESE from Rajasthan. Photographs by TRILOCHAN S KALRA STUNG BY political neglect, caste favouritism and poll promises — easily made and easily broken — Rajasthan's society is in a state of unrest. To fight for perceived rights and to right injustices done to them, caste 'armies' have sprung up, unsettling those in power. Patoli in the summer of 2007 and Dausa this year, witnessed massive Gujjar agitations for reservation. Incensed by perceived humiliation and political neglect, an army of Gujjars with their Devnarayan Sena at the forefront, turned up to make itself heard. This Sena is not alone. Marching through the streets of Karoli and Sawai Madhopur districts — microcosms of the state — are the Karni Sena of the Rajputs and the Parashuram Sena of the Brahmins. The Parashuram Sena, fighting in the same breath against terrorism and for reservations for Brahmins, is the latest avatar of the Support base Shyam Lal Meena is the face of the new generation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Mahendra Upadhaya, who claims to have been the first to plant the RSS flag on the Babri Masjid, heads the 1,100-strong Sawai Madhopur unit of the Sena, which is demanding reservations for Brahmins and other caste Hindus. Reservations have uplifted about 20 percent of Meenas, a community which has benefited greatly from ST status. SS Kemri, Karoli district chief of the All India Gujjar Mahasabha says, The Meenas have taken over the bureaucracy and the government. We do not even have one IAS/IRS officer. More than mere pride is at stake — they live out this disparity in everyday life. Meenas enjoy special legal protection thanks to their ST status and as Tej Ram Gujjar of Gadmora claims, they are out to frame Gujjars by provoking them and then slapping false charges of atrocities against STs against them. Naresh Sharma, SHO of Gangapur City kotwali, concedes that a number of FIRs filed in his station are of this nature. Added to this is the favouritism shown by the district administration. Paanchna Dam in Gudala, Karoli district, is an example. The BATTLE OF THE BENEFICIARIES Younger Meenas resent that the older generation is not giving them patronage WHILE GUJJARS, Brahmins and Rajputs complain about official neglect, Meenas say their own leaders, now an elite core nurtured with government patronage, are neglecting them. We fight the outsiders who wish to steal our rights but we also have an ongoing battle within our community, says Ram Bhajan Meena, the State President of the Akhil Bharatiya Meena Sangh, referring to the earliest Meena beneficiaries of reservations. These few who moved up the social ladder thanks to reservations, continue to reap the benefits. Eighty percent of Meenas have never availed of reservations and struggle to make ends meet. An example of their lopsided development is the Bamanwas region of Sawai Madhopur district, some 30 kilometres from Gangapur. It is said here that every other house has an IAS officer. Moreover, Union Minister of State for Environment Namo Narain Meena is the current MP. Ironically, however, the local town shows no signs of environmental consciousness. Shyam Lal Meena, 38, a young Congressman, points to the mountains of garbage, as an example. Two leaders, Kunji Lal Meena and Bharat Lal Mina, both former MLAs, have occupied, between them, all local political posts. Whenever they have not been MLAs, they have been sarpanches of one of the two gram panchayats in the tehsil — Pattikhurd and Pattikala, which are adjacent to one another in reality but happen to be seven kilometres apart in the government records. These records would have to be amended for Bamanwas to have a municipality — a prerequisite for garbage disposal. reservoir, built in the 1980s, sits on Gujjar land, yet no water from it reaches them, explains Ram Dev Singh Gujjar, a circle officer from Gangapur who visited the area when local Gujjars besieged the dam last November. This is not all. Though originally built to irrigate the drought-prone Gujjar-dominated Nandoti, Meenas in the state government intervened to divert the water to a few Meena villages in the area and distant Bamanwas, a Meena bastion in neighbouring Sawai Madhopur. Five hundred Gujjar homes in Gadmora remain in darkness while a thousand others in the same village have electricity. Raisna, another Meena stronghold with just 200 homes, gets the Primary Health Centre originally meant for 2,000-home Gadmora, which has a significant Gujjar presence. Gujjar anger is palpable. Rajasthan could become another Kashmir if the Meenas get more reservation in 2010. Six Gujjars are born every hour in Kemri alone. We will be a force to reckon with, warns a grave
[ZESTCaste] An unwanted destiny: Dalits in India
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/thestatewerein/otherstates/081101-dalits An unwanted destiny: Dalits in India By Piya Kochhar 31-10-2008 The caste system in India is about 3000 years old. I always thought it was a relic of this country's past until I spoke with those at the lowest end of the caste spectrum, the Dalits. For them, despite a rapidly modernizing country, caste is still very present...sometimes subtly and sometimes overtly. They say that their caste is their destiny... which works great when you're at the top of the hierarchy, such as a Brahmin, but when you're at the lowest end of the caste spectrum, each day is a fight for dignity and equality. That's what I learned when I spoke with a spirited young lady named Smita Patil, pictured right, who shared some of her experiences of being Dalit with me. She told me that Dalits have been called the untouchables; they're the laborers, the garbage pickers, the people on the margins of this culture...their caste and class puts them at the bottom of this society. Old mindset Smita has broken away from her past in a sense. She and her family converted to Buddhism (a common practice amongst those in the lower castes) and she has just completed her PhD on Dalit women's rights from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. But Smita says that this still doesn't change the way people treat her. India claims to be modern but the mindest is not very modern. Your religion doesn't matter but your caste is very important. Because whatever you are in your original; your past will always haunt you in the present. Smita told me stories of Brahmin classmates of hers not taking a glass of water touched by her because they didn't want to get polluted, or of friends not inviting her to dinner because their parents wouldn't be ok with their children associating with Dalits. This is in a modern India; in the villages, Dalits often face graver injustices... and Smita says that many of their stories are never heard. Extraordinary love story I also spoke with a couple who are taking a very personal stand against this type of injustice. Rakesh Singh and Chanda Nigam, pictured right, have created an NGO called Safar to advocate for minority rights. Rakesh is from the upper-caste and Chanda is a Dalit, so theirs is an intercaste marriage, considered a taboo in this society. They invited me over to their house for dinner, and even though in many ways they're an ordinary Indian couple, there is something extraordinary about their love story and the happy space they've created for themselves and their family. It is chance that we became husband and wife. But the aim behind this meeting was work, social work. I mean there should be no discrimination in this society on the basis of anything. But today we have discrimination... Gender based discrimination, religion based discrimination, caste based discrimination... you name it, we have it. So we think if we can contribute even a little bit ...even an inch... we will have done something.
[ZESTCaste] Tripura CPM leader resigns, says no party democracy exists
http://www.ptinews.com/pti/ptisite.nsf/0/0D404E36F6E96588652574F3003BF532?OpenDocument Tripura CPM leader resigns, says no party democracy exists Agartala, Oct 31 (PTI) A prominent member of the CPI(M) Tripura committee, Jiten Sarkar, has resigned from the party accusing the leadership of autocratic and undemocratic behaviour. Sarkar, former speaker of the Tripura Assembly, told reporters today that he had sent his resignation letter to the state party secretary, Bijan Dhar, recently. There is no inner party democracy and if any body raises any question, he would be heckled because the party has become very autocratic in nature, he said. Sarkar, along with a group of party workers, joined the newly-formed Dalit Samajtantrik Dal, recently floated by another former MLA and leader of CPI(M) Nakul Das. He also alleged that scheduled caste people were dominated by members of other castes within the party and many able leaders were jettisoned only because they belonged to the scheduled caste. Sarkar has been elected from Teliamura constituency for consecutive five terms since 1978 and was the speaker of the Assembly for two terms from 1994. In 1995, a party stalwart and long-standing chief minister of Tripura, Nripen Chakraborty, was ousted from the CPI(M) on the charge of criticising the party leadership especially Jyoti Basu. He had also alleged that there was no democratic centralism in the party. PTI
