1. 1 Buddhist Engagements with Social Justice: A comparison between exiled Tibetan Buddhists in Dharamsala and Dalit Buddhists of Pune. Tamsin Bradley & Zara Ramsay

2.  Focus on two Indian locations: Pune and Dharamsala (home to Dalai Lama & Tibetan refugees)  Reasons for this comparative paper: Monolithic perceptions of religion amongst western NGO workers in India  Core argument: Buddhism both shapes and is shaped by local socio-political environments; its impact on development visions/approaches must be evaluated by context 2

3.  Dharamsala: 1. Tibetans persecuted because of faith 2. Long-standing Buddhist beliefs have shaped the Tibetan response to persecution – gentle, even passive  Pune: 1. Ambedkarite Buddhism was created in order to tackle social injustice – vocal, potentially aggressive 3

4.  Individuality is an illusion  Spiritual liberation (nirvana) = ultimate realisation of ‘oneness’  Consequent rejection of human division/ stratification, linked to Buddhist focus on compassion (karuna) and loving kindness (metta) 4

5.  To demand Tibetan sovereignty = assertion of inherent division between humans  Dalai Lama “allows the Chinese to take advantage of Tibet as long as there is some level of dignity” 5

6.  Interconnection/oneness must be taught to ALL people – Dalits should demand this recognition  Dalits should also demand compassion from others; should expect the assistance of others in process of their development 6

7.  The notion that one is cosmically punished/rewarded for one’s actions, usually in one’s next incarnation  Has frequently been interpreted as fatalism 7

8.  Fatalism? Debates have even questioned whether Tibetan Buddhists would say that Jewish people ‘deserved’ the Holocaust  Not entirely fatalistic; a psychological tool for acceptance/peace of mind 8

9.  Rejects the multiple-birth interpretation of karma  Emphasises the karmic response in current lifetime  Encourages hope and effort for development 9

10.  Pune:  Struggle for social equality is based on desire for development. Buddhism provides a practical methodology for this.  Dharamsala:  Struggle for development is based on desire for religious and national freedom. Buddhism is the priority and the goal, as well as the methodology. 10

11.  Tibetan Buddhism and Ambedkarite Buddhism promote very different attitudes towards the struggles for social justice and development  Not only are the approaches to these struggles different, but the relative importance of religion vis-a-vis development is very different in each place too. 11