- Black Buddhist
The term Black Buddhist has several possible meanings:
#It can be used to refer to one who follows any of the various schools of
Buddhism and who is of black or African descent. [Adiele, Faith: "Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun", pg. 147. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2003.]
#It can be used to refer to any of the early communities that made statuary representations of the Buddha depicting what some have interpreted as black or African features. [Higgins, Godfrey: "Anacalypsis: An Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of the Saitic Isis or an Inquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations and Religions", Vol. I, Book I, chapter IV, pg. 51. Kessinger Publishing, 2002.] The term dates back to 1833 and was first used byGodfrey Higgins , in his workAnacalypsis . A large part of Higgins' work is an attempt to show the historical existence of an "ancient Black Nation of Buddhists in Asia." Higgins envisioned a once widespread network of communities centered in India and extending from Southeast Asia to North Africa. [Ibid., Vol. I, Book V, chapter VIII, pg. 255] This view is not recognized by modern historians. The commonly accepted view among modern historians holds that early Black Buddhists were likely the descendants of aboriginal populations of India whom scholars usually refer to asDravidians . ["Sanskritization vs. Ethnicization in India: Changing Indentities and Caste Politics before Mandal", Christophe Jaffrelot, Asian Survey, Vol. 40, No. 5, Modernizing Tradition in India (Sep. - Oct., 2000), pg.758]
#It can be used to refer to one who follows the modern Black Buddhist school of Buddhism, headed by Buddhist Nation, a U. S. based organization with ties to theDalit andAmbedkar ite movements of India and south Asia. [Dalit Voice, Vol. 26, No. 8, pg. 14, Bangalore, India, (Apr. 16 - 30, 2007)] ["Dalit Women Victims of Caste Discrimination", www.blackbriton.com, April 13, 2007] ["Honoring The Work of Mr. V. T. Rajshekar", www.ambedkartimes.com, Apr. 12, 2007.]References
External links
* [http://www.blackbuddhist.com/ Black Buddhist Community in America]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnB6Iaj9jkQ Buddhist Nation]
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