ABSTRACT
Buddhism, like other religious traditions, is today represented by a large number of schools, with diverse, and sometimes divergent, teachings. The chief applications of these Karmic patterns are embodied in the pacasla, the five ethical precepts universal to Buddhism, all based on the fundamental principle of non-harm. Karmic development enables one gradually to recognize that the idea of self is a mental construction one that has been essential in evolutionary terms but that has no ultimate metaphysical referent. Buddhism is very much on the defensive in its old heartlands in Asia, against other religions and, more pressingly, consumerism. Dr Ambedkar chose Buddhism precisely because it was sensible, in Christopher Lewis' full meaning, and many of his followers have taken Buddhism very seriously and practice it fully. Buddhism is also growing in the West, where its appeal so far is primarily to the educated urban middle-classes, who are attracted precisely because it is sensible.
