I think it's not only politics that HHDL has taken an interest of, but also in their culture lol!
I have 2 friends that came from India and yes, their society certainly have very hard pressure on them which surrounds the issue of caste. Of course in the Buddhist perspective caste system is not encouraged since it encourages disparity among people and on top of that it creates a form of disharmony between the different castes as some people are just born in a higher and more reputable caste and the ones born in the lower caste, no matter how successful they become will always be tainted by their birth rites.
The more educated people from India do tend to resent the caste system as well but they can only do so silently as the peer pressure is just too intensifying. And those that cannot stand the pressure tend to migrate to another part of the world.
But what makes me wonder is, doesn't Buddhism evolve to suit one's culture which is why China have their own kind of Buddhism, and Thailand have their own unique kind of Buddhism... so how come in India, this important part of their culture is not merged with their version of Buddhism? It does make me ponder if is it because of the caste system that although Buddhism originate from India (Ok I know it's Nepal, but close enough!), and yet Buddhism is not the main religion instead, most Indians tend to be on a Hindu path. Perhaps this is one of the factor that has retard the growth of Dharma in their land. What do you think?
