On the 11th of May, several countries in Asia will observe a holiday to celebrate Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Passing Away. There is hardly anyone who would dispute the fact that no one has influenced Asia as much as Gotama Buddha, who lived in the fifth century BC.

What is unique to the re-discovery of Buddha's life and teaching in recent times is that his ideas were completely opposed to the dominant ideas of his time. The scholars have quite clearly established that he opposed the Chaturwarna philosophy which divided all peoples into four castes, putting Brahmins at the top and Sudra at the bottom, on the theological basis of divine will. Rejecting this division and asserting that all are born of women, Buddha preached ideas of common humanity and equality. He recognized the rights of women and the right of education for all. The basic tenet of Brahminism is that the right to education belonged solely to the top caste: the Brahmins themselves. Brahmins taught that even Vedas, the sacred texts of Hindus, must not be read or heard by the so-called low Castes. The punishments for those who disobeyed were heavy and cruel.

Buddha's teaching on loving kindness can really be appreciated only when it is seen in the background of the utter cruelty to human beings and animals contained in Brahmin doctrines. Caste was a cruel separation of people that turned the ill-treatment of the low castes into an ideal. According to the Dhamma of the Brahmins, an upper caste person who wanted to treat a low caste person as an equal was a sinner who needed to undergo purification through rituals. To be kind to anyone outside the chosen clan was irreligious according to these doctrines. As for animals, the Brahmins' main job was to offer animal sacrifices. Buddha preached against such sacrifices.

Kindness and cruelty remain the major point of human discourse even to date. There are many ideologies which justifies cruelty for various pretexts, such as maintaining the purity of the race, national interest, culture and even economic development. Deliberate policies that deprive basic food, water, medicine and education to vast sections of people are promoted by big nations, big corporations, and big financial institutions. Inequality towards women is promoted in the same way. Deprivation of basic food items and the spread of HIV/AIDS is very much linked to these policies, as is the spread of violence. Every form of cruelty rises not through accident but through well worked out human networks.

Buddha understood, the conditionings of human cruelty and worked against them. He challenged the notions that supported such cruelty and promoted notions that were capable of defeating the negative notions. He in fact succeeded, for quite some time, to win most of the Indian population over to his views and also most of Asia. Great Asoka became the symbol of the influence of the social movement that rose from Buddha's influence.

However, negative notions again got back their lost influence, thanks to religious persecution and an extremely organized effort by Brahminsm. Caste came back even worse than before, and became untouchability. Over 17% of the Indian population even today suffer from this, even though untouchability has been legally abolished. Meanwhile, Buddha's teachings were falsified and the aspects of his teachings which gave rise to one of greatest social movements for equality and against cruelty have been suppressed. Buddhism has been transformed in many places to an other-worldly religion.

Re-discovery of Buddha's original teaching can lead to a powerful movement to resist all forms of cruelty and discrimination. It can also be an inspiration for movements to protect nature. The Buddhist festival of this year is a good occasion to try to understand the damage that has been done to Buddha's teachings and to rediscover the original message. If this were to happen, it would give a tremendous boost to the human rights movement in the world, particularly in India, the place where Buddha's message has its origins. We urge that on this special day, special thought be given for Dalits, who are crying for liberation from caste discrimination.