Open Collections

Kumar, Manish

University of British Columbia

The Youth Buddhist Society of India (YBS) is an organization that was first started in 1986 in the Buddhist sacred site of Sankisa in Uttar Pradesh, India. Members of the group, which now reaches upwards of 25,000 people throughout India, are primarily from low-caste farming groups and are involved in various outreach activities from meditation retreats and regular courses in Buddhist philosophy and practice. Although the YBS are non-sectarian and draw Buddhist connections and inspiration from Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, they are also actively involved in reclaiming the Shakya identity and ancestry associated with the historical Buddha for their low caste-community. This research examines the creative ways in which Indian youth reclaim their “ancestral roots” and “heritage” that speak to emergent social, political and ethical self-engagement and how these differ from Dalit Buddhist conversion movements following the example of B.R. Ambedkar. By deploying a community-based research methodological approach, this study also speaks to the powerful use of religious memory and place in reconfiguring identity for Indian youth and the importance of reviving a Buddhist homeland in Sankisa.

Text

2025-01-03

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90039

Interdisciplinary Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/