Buddhist Revival in India: Aspects of the Sociology of Buddhism

The book is organized into two principal parts. Part One, “Buddhism and Brahmanism,” contains four chapters: “Alienated Hindus,” which studies the Buddhist way for India’s Untouchables, the Hindu social order, and the growth of dissent; “Buddhist Popularity in India,” which asks what became of Indian Buddhism, examines varieties of Buddhist culture, Max Weber’s study of Buddhism, and the relationship between Buddhists and the political order; “Buddhist Decline in India,” which surveys explanations of decline, Buddhism in Bengal, Chinese pilgrim evidence, Buddhism and popular cults, and Brahmanical hostility; and “Buddhism in India Today,” which discusses the secular Republic of India, modern Indian Buddhism, Tibetan and Burmese Buddhist communities in north-east India, and the potential for Buddhist resurgence. Part Two, “Anti-Brahmanism and Neo-Buddhism,” examines the Hindu social order in the early twentieth century, Ambedkar’s critique of Brahmanism, Ambedkar’s position between Marxism and Buddhism, Buddhist economic values, and neo-Buddhism as a social and religious movement among former Untouchables.