u/Glittering_Quote_581

>Was curious to read after seeing this lecture. I had read Ambedkar's Buddha and Marx, but had no clue about this book.

>Most of it has been covered line by line in the video mentioned above, still it was good to read Ambedkar's writing on Buddha.

>What I loved:

• The rationality with which Ambedkar approaches history, and traditions regarding Buddha. The questions he raised are quite reasonable, even the rationalist Buddha would agree today!
• He's quite bold, unafraid to put forth his analysis and interpretation.
• Fav section is his logical approach towards Buddhist "rebirth" and "karma". Very naturalistic. I like it, but can also see why many wouldn't.
• Another section is Buddha's Enemies. From murder charge to pregnancy slander ... Very Interesting to see Buddha's responses to them. It's a good practice to be as calm and witty when responding to any false remarks, as he replied smilingly to a false pregnancy charge by Chincha - "Sister, whatever you've said, true or false, is known only to both of us"....as truth soon came forth automatically.
• To explain rebirth without soul(eternal), there's a beautiful Mango seed/tree analogy. I love such analogies in Indian philosophies (rope/snake, chariot/self etc)
• Interestingly, I remember Osho's discourse on Buddha, where he mentioned the difference between history and puranas: That puranas/myths were meant to capture the emotions of the followers, it's poetry and metaphors, to capture what dates and events cannot...not to be taken literally! One example he'd given was how every important event related to Buddha apparently happened on Full moons! Rationally speaking, it's highly improbable, but the scriptures were trying to emphasize the significance of that event, not the event itself. It made me appreciate puranas/poetry in general more, though I still struggle with them.
• I was delighted to identify the Cipolla framework for Stupidity here, i.e, the Best Man/Just and Good Man is one who strives for welfare for all, including himself. 2000+ years of separation, yet same idea. Now Cipolla's book really looks silly, an expensive joke 😆 But that has taught me interdependence and transience again! My perception of that book has changed now (for the worse), but that's also why I don't like to rate my reads...every other book I read seems to alter it. Any rating is momentary, transient!
• This is just an opinion - but I'm more inclined to believe a naturalist explanation for rebirth and karma. Ambedkar too echoes as rational as an approach as he could, energy being the substrate, and rebirths being of energy/matter etc. (~conservation laws). Again, very few would agree with this interpretation, but that's what I understood here.
• Another interesting thing about the humble Buddha I learnt here - followers would travel from perilously far just to catch a glimpse of Buddha, and he'd reply simply - "What good is there in you seeing my vile body? Focus instead on the 8-fold path, the Dhamma! If you see that, you've seen me".

>What I didn't like:

• Not a big fan of using old english/Abrahamic terms in certain dialogues - like "thee, thy, thou, Blessed Lord, sin, church...". I understand it's to make it sound ancient and profound, but it wasn't required I feel.
• the Koli vs Sakyas dispute being the main cause for Parivraja(renunciation) of Buddha: It's an interesting theory, but couldn't find any source. Regardless, pondering on exact details is pointless - In relation to Buddha, I always remind myself of the poisoned arrow story, then things become clearer. {I.e, would you look for the hunter or cure yourself first? Would you ponder first metaphysics then ethics? History over Values?}
• This edition has many minor typos, not a hindrance to my reading experience, but just be aware of it. I wanted a hardcover edition for this, and this is alright.
• Why are the sentences numbered idk, to make it for easy reading? To literally make it a Bible? Like chapter.section.verse? Don't know if it's so in all editions or not. It makes for an easy reading but then a detailed index would have been better.
• It would have been real nice if the sources were mentioned as footnotes/bibliography. Any new edition can rectify this small change, it'll be of huge utility. I was confused multiple times whether a sermon/example was from scripture or Ambedkar's own views. (Mostly it was scriptural)

>>Conclusion:

A great compendium of Buddhism, presented in a systematic manner (Historical context, Buddha's life, Teachings, Interpretations, Sangh Rules, Contemporaries...) and rational worldview. If you can forgive the typos and editing style, this is a great read. There must be other compendiums too, but to read one compiled by Ambedkar is something else. You can see where Navayana got it's fire, why Ambedkar found a way in Buddhism instead of anything else. A religion without metaphysics, focused on fraternity, equality and compassion.

>>Rating: 7/8 (☸️8:ashtang marg, 1 deduction for the sloppy editing)