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    Buddhist Theory of Kingship

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    Saurabh Kumar

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    Buddhist Theory of Kingship

    Uploaded by

    Saurabh Kumar
    62 views4 pages

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    62 views4 pages

    Buddhist Theory of Kingship

    Uploaded by

    Saurabh Kumar

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf
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    BUDDHIST THEROY OF KINGSHIP Origin of State as a quasi-contractual Arrangement under which the king agrees to perform specific functions on behalf of the people in return for certain rights conferred on him, including taxation; 0 The view of kingship is not that of a ‘ universal emperor’, the cakkavatti but is of the ‘ Great Appointee’ o Basis of kingship involve psychological factors rather than divine will. o Shows new realm of social investigation, reflecting that when social stratifications were absent, the state of existence was of great happiness o The first stage, when being were ‘made of mind’ depicts the inf traditional Hindu psychology. Linga / Sukshma Sarira/ Subtl individual's real personality and accompanies soul in its transmigr| Corporal body destroyed instrument for the action of soul and subtle body. It denotes emancipation of Upanishadic ‘Self’ and Purusha of Samkhya view. T o Denotes the whole chain of causation: Ignorance => Samskara (conformation) => Consciousness => Name and Form => 6 Provinces (senses) eye, ear, nose, tongue, body/ touch, mind => Contact => Sensation => thirst / desire => attachment => becoming => birth => Old age / Death /Grief / Lamentation / Suffering / Dejection / Despair => Whole mass of suffering o Once ignorance dispelled, individual was able to see things as they really are o Dialogue do not specify details of Mahasammata / Great Elect king or a republican head. 0 The state arises as a punitive institution charged with the responsibility of imposing law and order without which human beings cannot survive as an orderly society. The state becomes an agreement between the government and the ruled, wherein the ruled transfer a part of their sovereignty to state for a specific purpose. o The relationship between the state and the subject is a contractual obligation in which one commands and the other obeys. The obligation is mutual and if one party violates it unilaterally, the other is no longer obligated by the terms of that contract. 0 The contract is symbolized by the institution of taxation, which is a payment for specific work. * At the time of Gautama, 2 types of government — Republican and Monarchical — constant competition with each other. * Regular assemblies within tribal groups known as sanghas, that is government by discussion, main feature of republican government — They collapsed after Buddha’s, middle of Sth century. Buddha describes origin of 4 social classes — 1. Landed ruling class 2. Priestly class 3. Trading class 4. Hunters * Monarchy preferable to anarchy — 1 individual could control aggressive,violent and self-assertive individual * Agganna Sutta challenges Vedic ideas of maintaining social order based on Varna Ashrama Dharma. * The context in which monarchy flourished 1. Private property (theft) 2. Family (Dhamma) For the early Buddhists, the state generally means the monarch, though the Buddha and many of his disciples came from oligarchic republics.The terms commonly used for the state are rattha (country), rajja (kingdom) or vrjita(subjugated territory).

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