Why Buddhism?
I just finished reading Buddha or Karl Marx By Dr. Ambedkar. It's just a long essay or Booklet. The thing that caught my attention is the summary of Buddhist Tripiṭaka. I think this summary is the best I have read about Buddhism and why its required. The below points are quoted from Buddha or Karl Marx.
- Religion is necessary for a free Society.
- Not every Religion is worth having.
- Religion must relate to facts of life and not to theories and speculations about God, or Soul or Heaven or Earth.
- It is wrong to make God the centre of Religion.
- It is wrong to make salvation of the soul as the centre of Religion.
- It is wrong to make animal sacrifices to be the centre of religion.
- Real Religion lives in the heart of man and not in the Shastras.
- Man and morality must be the centre of religion. If not, Religion is a cruel superstition.
- It is not enough for Morality to be the ideal of life. Since there is no God it must become the Jaw of life.
- The function of Religion is to reconstruct the world and to make it happy and not to explain its origin or its end.
- That the unhappiness in the world is due to conflict of interest and the only way to solve it is to follow the Ashtanga Marga.
- That private ownership of property brings power to one class and sorrow to another.
- That it is necessary for the good of Society that this sorrow be removed by removing its cause.
- All human beings are equal.
- Worth and not birth is the measure of man.
- What is important is high ideals and not noble birth.
- Maitri or fellowship towards all must never be abandoned. One owes it even to one's enemy.
- Every one has a right to learn. Learning is as necessary for man to live as food is.
- Learning without character is dangerous.
- Nothing is infallible. Nothing is binding forever. Every thing is subject to inquiry and examination. 21. Nothing is final.
- Every thing is subject to the law of causation.
- Nothing is permanent or sanatan. Every thing is subject to change. Being is always becoming.
- War is wrong unless it is for truth and justice.
- The victor has duties towards the vanquished.