List_of_converts_to_Buddhism_from_Hinduism

List of converts to Buddhism from Hinduism

List of converts to Buddhism from Hinduism

Notable people who converted to Buddhism from Hinduism


This is a list of notable converts to Buddhism from Hinduism.

B. R. Ambedkar
More information Name, Former Hindu caste/category ...

Organized mass conversions

Since Ambedkar's conversion, several thousand people from different castes have converted to Buddhism in ceremonies including the twenty-two vows.

  • 600,000 People's Mass Conversion (1956) Converted in one assembly led by B.R. Ambedkar at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur. this ceremonial conversion continued after his death, converting 1.5-2 million by March 1959.[31][32]
  • In 1957 Mahastvir Bodhanand's Sri Lankan successor, Bhante Pragyanand, held a mass conversion drive for 15,000 people in Lucknow.[33]
  • A prominent Indian Navayana Buddhist leader and political activist, Udit Raj, organised a large mass conversion on 4 November 2001, where he gave the 22 vows, but the event met with active opposition from the government.[34] A report from the UK daily The Guardian said that some Hindus have converted to Buddhism. Buddhist monks from the UK and the U.S. attended the conversion ceremonies in India. Lalit Kumar, who works for a Hindu nationalist welfare association in Andhra Pradesh, asserted that Dalits should concentrate on trying to reduce illiteracy and poverty rather than looking for new religions.[35]
  • On 14 October 2006, hundreds of people converted from Hinduism to Buddhism in Gulburga (Karnataka).[36]
  • At 50th anniversary celebrations in 2006 of Ambedkar's deeksha.[37] Non-partisan sources put the number of attendees (not converts) at 30,000.[38] The move was criticised by Hindu groups as "unhelpful" and has been criticised as a "political stunt."[38]
  • On 27 May 2007, tens of thousands of Dalits from Maharashtra gathered at the Mahalakshmi racecourse in Mumbai to mark the 50th anniversary of the conversion of Ambedkar. The number of people who converted versus the number of people in attendance was not clear.[39] The event was organised by the Republican Party of India leader Ramdas Athvale.[40]
  • 500,000 OBC's Mass Conversion (2016) in Nagpur[41]
  • 10,000 dalits in Uttar Pradesh district convert to Buddhism [42]
  • 100,000 People's Mass Conversion (2007) in Maharashtra[43]
  • Four Dalit youngsters, who were flogged by self-styled cow vigilantes for skinning a dead cow in Gujarat in 2016, embraced Buddhism along with their families and about 450 others, to protest against discrimination and atrocities against them[44]
  • Rohith Vemula's mother, brother embrace Buddhism.Mother and brother of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide at Hyderabad Central University in January sparking strong protests across the country, embraced Buddhism on the occasion of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary[45]
  • 500 Dalits from various parts of Gujarat embraced Buddhism on Tuesday in three separate programmes held in Ahmedabad, Mehsana and Idar of Sabarkantha district on the occasion of Vijayadashami.[46]

References

  1. "B R Ambedkar: 10 Facts You Probably Don't Know About the Father of the Indian Constitution". The Better India. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  2. Braun, Erik (1 October 2013). "S. N. Goenka, Pioneer of Secular Meditation Movement, Dies at 90". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  3. "Global Goenka Centers". www.dhamma.org. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  4. Malayalam poet embraces Buddhism Rediff – January 24, 2000
  5. Revival of the Buddha Dhamma in India Sunday Observer – April 14, 2002
  6. "One lakh people convert to Buddhism". The Hindu. 28 May 2007. Archived from the original on 21 June 2007. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  7. Joshi, N. V. (1977). Indian Philosophy: From the Ontological Point of View. Mumbai: Somaiya Publications. p. 216.
  8. Varagur, Krithika (11 April 2018). "Converting to Buddhism as a Form of Political Protest". The Atlantic. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  9. 50,000 DALITS EMBRACE BUDDHISM Archived 6 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine – Buddhism Today
  10. Existential dilemmas The Hindus – June 6, 2010
  11. Kaveree Bamzai (10 April 2009). "The young surge". India Today. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013.
  12. "I'm closer to my parents now: Pracheen - Times of India". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2019.
  13. Naval-Shetye, Aakanksha (20 April 2011). "Why celebrities are turning to Buddhism". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  14. "Deeksha Bhoomi, Nagpur – Ambedkar Buddhism Conversion : Photos & Videos". Jai Bhim Ambedkar. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  15. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.maren-bellwinkel.de. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. "50,000 Dalits embrace Buddhism". Buddhism Today. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
  17. "Prominent Indian female politician to embrace Buddhism". The Buddhist Channel. 17 October 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
  18. Prerna Singh Bindra ."Heads, I win...", The Week Magazine, 18 November 2001.
  19. Nithin Belle. "Thousands of Dalits in 'mass conversion'" Archived 11 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Khaleej Times, 28 May 2007
  20. "One lakh people convert to Buddhism". The Hindu. 28 May 2007. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 April 2018.

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