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Buddhism
Karuna believes that suffering is eased through gradual but profound shifts in individual attitudes and consciousness.
"The greatest thing that the Buddha has done is to tell the world that it can not be reformed except by the reformation of the mind of man, and the mind of the world." Dr B R Ambedkar
These are the words of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the revered leader of India’s Dalit communities, who converted to Buddhism in 1956 to escape the Hindu caste system. This decisive act, which hundreds of thousands of Dalits followed, inaugurated the movement of peaceful social and spiritual uplift within which Karuna is working today.
Dr Ambedkar chose Buddhism because it has always been totally opposed to caste, has no place for blind belief or superstition, and encourages self-respect and compassion as the basis of a just and humane society.
One of Dr Ambedkar’s key supporters was the English Buddhist Sangharakshita. After Ambedkar’s sudden death just 6 weeks after his conversion to Buddhism, Sangharakshita became a leading figure in India working for the emancipation of Dalit communities. Karuna’s Buddhist projects are run as a partnership between western and Indian disciples of Sangharakshita, members of an international Buddhist movement, known in the west as the Triratna Buddhist Community.
Karuna believes that suffering is eased through gradual but profound shifts in individual attitudes and consciousness towards greater awareness, compassion and self-confidence. This belief underlies all our social work, much of which is run by Dalit Buddhists who are trying to make this shift in their minds a reality.
Karuna also funds explicitly Buddhist projects that are helping other poor Dalit Buddhists to practice their religion - to transform their minds and so their lives. For example, Karuna funds two rural meditation retreat centres, where slum-dwelling Dalits can go for a rare experience of beauty and calm. This Buddhist aspect of our work is funded separately from the social projects, so supporters can decide whether or not they wish some of their donation to be used in this way.
