Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

A major influence for Triratna is the example of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891 – 1956) who was an Indian jurist, economist and Dalit leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India, served as Law and Justice minister, and inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement after renouncing Hinduism.

He studied economics at Columbia University and the London School of Economics, receiving doctorates in 1927 and 1923 respectively and was among a handful of Indian students to have done so at either institution in the 1920s. He also trained in the law at Gray's Inn, London and became a barrister. In his early career, he was an economist, professor, and lawyer. His later life was marked by his political activities; he became involved in campaigning and negotiations for India's independence, publishing journals, advocating political rights and social freedom for Dalits, and contributing significantly to the establishment of an independent India.

In 1956, he and his wife converted to Buddhism, along with some estimated 350,000 of his followers. Mass conversions continue to this day and Ambedkarite Buddhism has become a transnational phenomenon, spreading beyond India.

How Triratna, founded as a new Buddhist movement for the West, became established among followers of Ambedkar in India is a story that traces back to Sangharakshita’s connection to the conversion movement in the late 1950s.

Today about one third of the entire Triratna Buddhist Order is in India, and it is estimated that half of entire movement is composed of Indian Buddhists.