The Buddha Was Black

The historical Buddha — Siddhartha Gautama — was born in what is now southern Nepal, in a region whose ancient population was Dravidian: dark-skinned, curly-haired, and genetically related to the original African populations that populated the Indian subcontinent before the Indo-Aryan migrations. The Buddha Was Black is not a provocative claim. It is a documented historical fact, supported by the archaeological record, the genetic evidence, and the ancient artistic representations of the Buddha that predate the Hellenistic influence that gave him his current appearance.

Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola presents the complete historical case for the African origins of the Buddha, drawing from peer-reviewed archaeological research, genetic studies, ancient Pali and Sanskrit texts, and the documented history of the Dravidian civilization of the Indus Valley. This book is not about race. It is about truth — and the truth is that the African contribution to world spirituality has been systematically erased.

The Buddha was Black. And knowing this changes everything.

Learn more at OrishaUniversity.com

Inside you will discover:
- The Dravidian roots of the Buddha's people and their African origins
- The archaeological and genetic evidence for the historical Buddha
- How ancient art pictured the Buddha before Hellenistic influence
- The Pali and Sanskrit texts and the Indus Valley record
- How the African contribution to world spirituality was erased — and restored
Your next step: Breathe, B*tch — breathwork and the daily practice of awakening. The full path lives at OrishaUniversity.com.

About the Author
Robert S. Shumake, publishing as Ajarn Shaman Shu, has lived two lives in one — the builder and the priest — and his books are where the two meet. He rose from a Ford factory floor to become founding president and CEO of Inheritance Capital Group, a Black Enterprise-ranked private equity firm, served as honorary consul for Botswana and Tanzania, and founded Inheritance Media Group, owner of more than 300 publications produced by an AI-run newsroom. In spirit, each tradition that initiated him gave him a name: Buddhist Ajarn in the Theravada and Vajrayana lines, Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola in Ifá, and Shri Surya Narayana Swamikal in the Tamil Siddha line. He is the founder of Soul Tribes International Ministries and of Buddha Digital Temple and its universities — Orisha University, Buddha University, and Shiva University. He authored Detroit's Proposal E, the 2021 ballot initiative that decriminalized entheogenic plants in Detroit, and is the author of more than 140 published books and 86+ DOI-registered academic publications. His philosophy: the Double Bottom Line — make a profit, and make a difference. Robertshumake.biz