Vol. 17, Part III · pages 576–580

547THE BUDDHA...............THE WORLD Year. The Buddha Sasana Council and Buddhists of Burma are greatly overjoyed to know that millions of the country-men of the Buddha are now beginning to come back into the light enkindled by the Buddha with your leadership. We are confident that Buddha Sasan would be re-established in all parts of India. I have, on my part, been able, in a small scale, to follow up what you have started, while in Burma during the third WFB Conference. On the 28th of last month about 5,000 Tamils formally accepted Buddhism in a very impressive ceremony held in the Chatta Sangayana Great Cave in the presence of Mahatheras. Cabinet Ministers and Buddhist leaders, many more of the Tamils in Rangoon and other parts of Burma are being aroused to follow your lead. I owe you a good deal of explanation and thousands of apologies for not being able to write to you earlier. I have been very busy with the Chatta Sangayana work and other activities connected with the propagation of Buddhism abroad, particularly in Japan. You would perhaps be glad to learn I have been able to get a large number of influential Buddhist leaders in Japan to form a society for the establishment of Therawada Buddhism in Japan ; there centres are going to be set up by May 1957 with about 15 Mahatheras from Burma. Building constructions are already underway at Moji and Isoshira. A delegation from the Japanese Society is already here and is engaged in discussions with me from day-to-day since the 27th of last month. As regards the contribution towards the cost of publication of your work on Buddhism, I did write to you earlier as I was not able to get aid from the Asia Foundation, because of the change of representative. The representative who had a talk with you while you were here was soon transferred to Manilla and the new representative does not seem to take much interest in matters of this kind. I was hoping that I would be able to do something about the matter, but I find there is no hope for it for some time to come.

548 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES As regards the scholarships for students by essay competition, I have been able to get the important members of the Buddha Sasana Council to agree to the idea in principle. So I would like you or Mrs. Ambedkar to send us a detailed scheme to be put up to the Council. Nine persons, including U Nu, the Chief Justice U Thein Maung, and myself, are coming to join in the Jayanti celebrations at New Delhi on the invitation of the Indian Jayanti Celebrations Committee. I am leaving for Khatmandu, leading a delegation of about 10 persons from Burma, to attend the 4th WFB Conference. My wife will also be accompanying me. We shall proceed from Lumbini to New Delhi. We expect to be in New Delhi on or about the 22nd of this month. Please convey my best regards to Mrs. Ambedkar and also to other colleagues of yours. Yours in the Dhamma, (Signed) U CHAN HTOON, Judge, Supreme Court, Union of Burma, Rangoon. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, M. A., Ph.D., D.Sc, LL,D., D.Litt., Barrister-at-Law, Member, Council of States, 26, Alipur Road, Civil Lines, New Delhi, India.” 1 zz 1. : Khairmode, Vol. 12, Pp. 93-94.

159 BUDDHA OR KARL MARX “An address by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was arranged on 20th Nov. 1956, just before the conclusion of the world Buddhists Council Conference at Kathmandu. This lecture was delivered in the palace of the King of Nepal. To propagate Buddhism with all its merits in such a country as Nepal, where the Hinduism based on Maws of Manu’ was prevailing officially, was a revolutionary incident. In this speech Dr. B. R. Ambedkar stressed the basic angle to look at Buddhism. Dr. G. P. Malalshekar (Srilanka) President, World Buddhist Council, requested Dr. B. R. Ambedkar to talk on “Non-violence in Buddhism” to which he consented. However, the majority delegates of the conference insisted upon Dr. B. R. Ambedkar to talk on “Buddha or Karl Marx”. Mr. U. Chan Htoon, former President of World Buddhist Council and Hon’ble Judge of the Supreme Court of the Union of Burma alongwith his wife escorted Dr. B. R. Ambedkar to the dais and all the delegates of the conference showed due respect to him, Mahendra Vir Vikram Sahdeo, the King of Nepal, occupied a specially decorated chair on the dais. Hon. Chandramani Mahasthavir, G. P. Malalsekhar, Hon. Amrutanand Mahasthavir and U. Chan Htoon also occupied the dais. Initially Hon. Chandramani gave Trisaran and Panchasheela to all. Dr. G. P. Malalsekhar introduced and welcomed Dr. B. R. Ambedkar—with a garland and requested him to address the gathering.” 1 Dr. Ambedkar said, President, Your Reverences and Gentlemen, I am sorry that, having come to Nepal to attend the Conference, I have not been able to participate in its proceedings in the way in which a delegate ought to participate. But I am sure, most of the delegates are aware that although I am here, I am physically a very ill man, and I am quite unable to bear the stress and strain of the Conference proceedings. It is, therefore, not out of any disrespect for the Conference that I have been usually 1. : Bhikshu Sumedha, Pp. 126-127.

550 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES absent, it is because of my personal condition that I could not do justice to the task of the Conference. It is perhaps because of my absence from the Conference, I was asked by way of compensation to address you this afternoon. I consented to do that, but even here there have been surprises flung on me. I had not enough notice that I was to speak here. And when I was asked what subject I would speak on, I mentioned the subject of, Ahimsa in Buddhism. But I find that a large majority of the people attending this Conference are desirous that I should speak on “Buddhism and Communism,” a subject to which I, in a very passing sentence, referred at the first general meeting. I am quite prepared to agree to the suggestion of the change of subject, although, I must say that I am not quite on the spur of the moment prepared to deal with such a large, enormous, and if I may say so, a very massive subject. It is a subject which has had half the world in grips, and I find that it has held also in its grip a large number of the student population even of the Buddhist countries. I look upon the latter aspect of the matter with grave concern. If the younger generation of the Buddhist countries are not able to appreciate that Buddhism supplies a way of life which is better than what is supplied by the Communist way of life, Buddhism is doomed. It cannot last beyond a generation or two. It is, therefore, quite necessary for those who, believe in Buddhism to tackle the younger generation, and to tell them whether Buddhism can be a substitute for Communism. It is then only that Buddhism can hope to survive. We must all remember that today a large majority of the people in Europe and a large majority of the youngsters in Asia look upon Karl Marx as the only prophet who could be worshipped. And they regard, the largest part of the Buddhist Sangha as nothing but the yellow peril. That is an indication which the Bhikkhus must take up, must understand, to reform themselves in order that they could be compared with Karl Marx ; and Buddhism could compete with it.

551BUDDHA OR KARL MARX Now with this introduction, I propose to give you a few salient points in Buddhism and in Marxism or Communism in order to show you where the similarity of ideals lies and where the differences arise between Buddhism and Marxism. And thirdly, whether the Buddhist way of life of reaching the goal is a lasting one, or whether the Communist way of bringing about the goal is the lasting one. Because there is no use in pursuing a certain path, if that path, is not going to be a lasting path, if it is going to lead you to the jungle, if it is going to lead you to anarchy, there is no use pursuing it. But, if you are assured that the path you are asked to follow is slow, may be devious, may be with long detours, yet if ultimately makes you reach a safe, sound ground so that the ideals you are pursuing are there to help you, to mould your life permanently, it is much better, in my judgment, to follow the slower path, and the devious path rather than to rush up and to take what we call short cuts. Short cuts in life are always dangerous, very dangerous. Now let me go to the subject. What is the theory of Communism ? What does it start with ? Communism starts with the theory that there is exploitation in the world, that the poor are exploited by the rich because of the property that they hold, and they enslave the masses, that enslavement results in suffering, sorrow, and in poverty. This is the starting point of Karl Marx. He uses the word ‘exploitation’. What is the remedy that Karl Marx provides ? The remedy that Karl Marx provides is that in order to prevent poverty and the suffering of one class it is necessary to remove private property. Nobody should possess private property because it is the private owner who appropriates or misappropriates. To use the technical language of Karl Marx, the surplus value which the workers produce, the worker does not get the surplus value which he produces. It is appropriated by the owner. Karl Marx asked the question why should be the owner misappropriate the surplus value which is produced by the efforts of the working man ? His answer is that the only owner is the State. And it is because of this that Marx propounded the theory that there must be the dictatorship of the proletariat. That is the third proposition that Marx