Buddhist kingship

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Buddhist kingship refers to the beliefs and practices with regard to kings and queens in traditional Buddhist societies, as informed by Buddhist teachings. This is expressed and developed in

Asian history
.

Origins

In a traditional Buddhist society such as Thailand, the king's role in society and position in the hierarchy was defined by

Sanskrit: Tripitaka; Buddhist scriptures), ideas about good governance are framed in terms of the ideal of the Cakkavati, the king who rules righteously and non-violently according to Dharma.[2] His roles and duties are discussed extensively, especially in the Mahasudassana Sutta and the Cakkavatti-sihanada Sutta.[3] The Cakkavatti must be a moral example to the people and possess enough spiritual merit and wisdom. It is through this that he earns his sovereignty, as opposed to merely inheriting it. Moreover, he is described to significantly affect society's morals.[4][5]

Apart from the Tipitaka, Pāli chronicles such as the

Sanskrit: kalpa), and in vernacular Pāli works and pre-modern traditions, the kings of Buddhist societies were linked to the same dynasty, through "ties of incarnation" (Jory).[9] Kings in Buddhist societies identified themselves with traditional kings in Buddhist texts, and this identification was expressed through discourse and ritual.[1]

Kingship and merit-making

See also: Merit (Buddhism)

In South and South-East Asia, kingship and merit-making went together. Merit-making was not only a practice for the mass, but was also practiced by kings and queens.

epithets and royal language were established accordingly.[10][13][14] In Thailand, the king was considered a Phu Mi Bun (Thai: ผู้มีบุญ; literally, 'a person who has merit'), who possessed the greatest merit of all people in the kingdom, and whose happiness was connected with that of the kingdom. As of the 1960s, this belief was still common among Thai farmers with regard to King Bhumibol.[6][15] In short, kingship in traditional Buddhist societies was connected with the Sangha as a field of merit: the king took an exemplary role as a donor to the Sangha, and the Sangha legitimated the king as a leader of the state. The monarchy facilitated the Sangha, and was needed to legitimise and strengthen their right to rule.[16] In times of famine or other hardship, it was traditionally believed that the king was failing, and the king would typically perform meritorious activities on a grand scale.[17][18][19] In this way the king would be able to improve the kingdom's conditions, through his "overflow karma" (Walters).[20]

A similar role was played by queens. Besides the role of a meritorious person being similar to that of kings, Buddhist kings and queens also had mutually dependent

symbiotic roles. The queen was considered to be subservient as a good wife to the king, but the king was also dependent on the queen's wisdom and spiritual attainment.[21]

Vessantara Jātaka

Main article:
Vessantara Jataka

In the last seven centuries in Thailand, the Vessantara Jātaka has played a significant role in legitimating kingship in Thailand, through a yearly festival known as the 'Preaching of the Great Life' (Thai: เทศน์มหาชาติ). Merit-making and pāramīs were greatly emphasized in this festival, through the story about Prince Vessantara's generosity. Initially, the festival was an important way for the Chakri dynasty to legitimate itself, as Vessantara was the model prince who became king through the power of his merits and sacrifice. During the reform period of Rama IV, however, as Thai Buddhism was being modernized, the festival was dismissed as not reflecting true Buddhism. Its popularity has greatly diminished ever since. Nevertheless, the use of merit-making by the Thai monarchy and government to solidify their position and create unity in society has continued until the twenty-first century.[22][23]

Kingship and ordination

Some kings' role as exemplary Buddhist was exemplified by their ordination prior to being enthroned. A well-known example of this was the Thai king Mongkut, who ordained twenty-seven years before becoming king. King Mongkut emphasized a rational approach of Buddhism, which could be reconciled with science. This approach helped him to legitimate his position as a king.[1] Part of the Coronation of the Thai monarch includes the king proceeding to the chapel royal (the Wat Phra Kaew) to vow to be a "Defender of the Faith" in front of a chapter of monks including the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand.[24]

As a topic of conversation

The Buddha discouraged monks from conversation about kings and ministers of state.[25]

See also

Citations

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-3-319-50523-7
    .
  2. ^ Harvey 2000, p. 114–5.
  3. ^ Moore, Matthew J. (2016). "Buddhism and International Law". In Kapust, D.J.; Kinsella, H.M. (eds.). Comparative Political Theory in Time and Place. p. 58.
  4. ^ Harvey 2000, p. 115.
  5. ISBN 978-0-7914-5691-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2016-10-15. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  6. ^ a b c Keyes 1977, p. 287.
  7. ^ Jory 2002.
  8. ^ Salguero 2013, p. 346.
  9. ^ Jory 2002, p. 42–4.
  10. ^ a b Aung-Thwin & Aung-Thwin 2013, p. 84.
  11. ^ Marasinghe 2003, p. 472.
  12. ^ Scott 2009, p. 98–102.
  13. ^ Keyes 1977, p. 288.
  14. ^ Jory 2002, p. 52.
  15. ^ Keyes 1973, p. 104–5.
  16. ^ Harvey 2000, p. 117.
  17. ^ Jory 2002, p. 53.
  18. ^ Aung-Thwin & Aung-Thwin 2013, p. 183.
  19. ^ Rotman 2008.
  20. ^ Walters 2003, p. 19.
  21. ISBN 978-0-7914-5691-0. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  22. ^ Jory 2016, p. 20,181–2.
  23. ISBN 978-1-315-41131-6
    .
  24. ISBN 978-0-85388-007-3
    .
  25. ^ Kathavatthu Sutta, AN 10.70 https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.070.than.html

References

Further reading
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