Introduction

• Buddhism is not a single monolithic religion.
• Many of its supporters have combined the teachings of the Buddha with local religious rites, beliefs and customs.
• In this tradition, some conflict occurs, because Buddhism is a philosophical system to which such additions can be easily implanted.
• Buddhism includes a variety of rituals and practices, which are intended to help in the journey to enlightenment and bring blessings on oneself and others.
• While some activities are exclusive to certain expressions of Buddhism, there are others that are found in most of the popular forms of the belief system.

Buddhist Political Theory

Origin of the state

• Buddhist political thought associate it with fall of the man or corruption. Corruption comes into existence because of the emergence of materialism.

Origin of the king

• Buddhism represent republican tradition. King is called as Mahasammat which shows that the king has been elected by the council.

Qualities of the king

• Buddhist king resembles Plato’s philosopher king. People have chosen ‘the noblest of all’. King embodies wisdom. King as a source of knowledge. Purpose of knowledge is to check corruption, since knowledge enforces morality.
• They believed that one needed a King and a warrior for protection. Just as the tree is the refuge of birds, so is the King refuge of his people.
• It was the moral obligation of the ruler to give protection to the ruled in return for their obedience.

Buddhist foreign policy

• Buddhist foreign policy is based on peace and non-violence. Chakravarti Samrat wins others by Dhammachakra.

To the Buddhist thinkers, the powers of rulers were:

• The strength of arms.
• The strength of wealth.
• The strength of officials.
• The strength of the high birth.
• The strength of wisdom.

In Saundarananda, reference is made to the King’s application of five expedients, namely:

• Conciliation (sama).
• Bribery (dana).
• Creating dissensions (bheda).
• Force (danda).
• Restraint (nigama) against his enemies.

Ideology of a World-Ruler

• The early Buddhist canonists give a highly idealistic picture of the world-ruler (chakravarti).
• The attributes of the ruler comprised not only universal supremacy and successful administration at home and abroad, but also and above all, righteousness or dharma.
• The world-ruler was credited with seven jewels (or treasures) consisting of the wheel-treasure, the elephant-treasure, the house-treasure, the horse-treasure, the treasure of a woman, the treasurer and the adviser.