Ideological Convergence and Rupture

This research paper examines in detail the ideological relationship between Anagarika Dharmapala (1864–1933) and Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), beginning with their historic meeting at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 and culminating in their sharp ideological rupture after Vivekananda’s return to India in 1897. While both figures initially expressed deep admiration for each other and shared a global platform that promoted the universality of Indian spiritual traditions, their later paths diverged fundamentally. Dharmapala dedicated his life to the revival of Buddhism as an autonomous, rational, ethical, and anti-caste tradition rooted in the Buddha’s teachings, whereas Vivekananda gradually committed himself to the revival of Vedanta and Brahmanical Hinduism as the spiritual core of Indian nationalism. By synchronizing speeches, letters, memoirs, and scholarly interpretations, this paper argues that the deterioration of their relationship was neither accidental nor personal, but ideological—arising from irreconcilable views on Buddhism’s historical role, its relationship with Hinduism, and the future spiritual identity of India

Admiration · Buddhism · Caste · Hinduism · Ideology · Renunciation · Swami · Vedanta · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Indian History and Philosophy