Buddhism and
politics
Thangjam Sanjoo Singh
Dec 15, 2016 The Sangai Express
In the Cakkavatti Sihananda
Sutta, the Buddha said that immorality and crime, such as theft,
falsehood, violence, hatred, cruelty, could arise from poverty.
Kings and governments may try to suppress crime through punishment,
but it is futile to eradicate crimes through force.
In the Kutadanta Sutta, the
Buddha suggested economic development instead of force to reduce
crime. The government should use the country’s resources to improve
the economic conditions of the country. It could embark on
agricultural and rural development, provide financial support to
entrepreneurs and business, and provide adequate wages for workers
to maintain a decent life with human dignity.
In the Jataka, the Buddha
had given to rules for Good Government, known as ‘Dasa Raja
Dharma’. These ten rules can be applied even today by any
government which wishes to rule the country peacefully. The rules
are as follows:
a. be
liberal and avoid selfishness, maintain a high moral
character,
b. be
prepared to sacrifice one’s own pleasure for the well-being of the
subjects,
c. be
honest and maintain absolute integrity,
d. be
kind and gentle,
e. lead a
simple life for the subjects to emulate,
f. be
free from hatred of any kind, exercise non-violence, practise
patience,
g. and
respect public opinion to promote peace and harmony.
Regarding the behaviour of
rulers, He further advised:
– A good ruler should act
impartially and should not be biased and discriminate between one
particular groups of subjects against another.
– A good ruler should not
harbour any form of hatred against any of his subjects.
– A good ruler should show
no fear whatsoever in the enforcement of the law, if it is
justifiable.
– A good ruler must possess
a clear understanding of the law to be enforced. It should not be
enforced just because the ruler has the authority to enforce the
law. It must be done in a reasonable manner and with common sense.
— (Cakkavatti Sihananda Sutta)
In the Milinda Panha, it is
stated: ‘If a man, who is unfit, incompetent, immoral, improper,
unable and unworthy of kingship, has enthroned himself a king or a
ruler with great authority, he is subject to be tortured‚ to be
subject to a variety of punishment by the people, because, being
unfit and unworthy, he has placed himself unrighteously in the seat
of sovereignty. The ruler, like others who violate and transgress
moral codes and basic rules of all social laws of mankind, is
equally subject to punishment; and moreover, to be censured is the
ruler who conducts himself as a robber of the public.’ In a Jataka
story, it is mentioned that a ruler who punishes innocent people
and does not punish the culprit is not suitable to rule a
country.
The king always improves
himself and carefully examines his own conduct in deeds, words and
thoughts, trying to discover and listen to public opinion as to
whether or not he had been guilty of any faults and mistakes in
ruling the kingdom. If it is found that he rules unrighteously, the
public will complain that they are ruined by the wicked ruler with
unjust treatment, punishment, taxation, or other oppressions
including corruption of any kind, and they will react against him
in one way or another. On the contrary, if he rules righteously
they will bless him: ‘Long live His Majesty.’ (Majjhima
Nikaya)
The Buddha’s emphasis on
the moral duty of a ruler to use public power to improve the
welfare of the people had inspired Emperor Asoka in the Third
Century BC to do likewise. Emperor Asoka, a sparkling example of
this principle, resolved to live according to and preach the Dhamma
and to serve his subjects and all humanity. He declared his
non-aggressive intentions to his neighbours, assuring them of his
goodwill and sending envoys to distant kings bearing his message of
peace and non-aggression.
He promoted the energetic
practice of the socio-moral virtues of honesty, truthfulness,
compassion, benevolence, non-violence, considerate behaviour
towards all, non-extravagance, non-acquisitiveness, and non-injury
to animals. He encouraged religious freedom and mutual respect for
each other’s creed. He went on periodic tours preaching the Dhamma
to the rural people. He undertook works of public utility, such as
founding of hospitals for men and animals, supplying of medicine,
planting of roadside trees and groves, digging of wells, and
construction of watering sheds and rest houses. He expressly
forbade cruelty to animals.
Sometimes the Buddha is
said to be a social reformer. Among other things, He condemned the
caste system, recognized the equality of people, spoke on the need
to improve socio-economic conditions, recognized the importance of
a more equitable distribution of wealth among the rich and the
poor, raised the status of women, recommended the incorporation of
humanism in government and administration, and taught that a
society should not be run by greed but with consideration and
compassion for the people. Despite all these, His contribution to
mankind is much greater because He took off at a point which no
other social reformer before or ever since had done, that is, by
going to the deepest roots of human ill which are found in the
human mind. It is only in the human mind that true reform can be
effected. Reforms imposed by force upon the external world have a
very short life because they have no roots. But those reforms which
spring as a result of the transformation of man’s inner
consciousness remain rooted. While their branches spread outwards,
they draw their nourishment from an unfailing source — the
subconscious imperatives of the life-stream itself. So reforms come
about when men’s minds have prepared the way for them, and they
live as long as men revitalize them out of their own love of truth,
justice and their fellow men.
The doctrine preached by
the Buddha is not one based on ‘Political Philosophy’. Nor is it a
doctrine that encourages men to worldly pleasures. It sets out a
way to attain Nirvana. In other words, its ultimate aim is to put
an end to craving (Tanha) that keeps them in bondage to this world.
A stanza from the Dhammapada best summarizes this statement: ‘The
path that leads to worldly gain is one, and the path that leads to
Nibbana (by leading a religious life) is another.’
However, this does not mean
that Buddhists cannot or should not get involved in the political
process, which is a social reality. The lives of the members of a
society are shaped by laws and regulations, economic arrangements
allowed within a country, institutional arrangements, which are
influenced by the political arrangements of that society.
Nevertheless, if a Buddhist wishes to be involved in politics, he
should not misuse religion to gain political powers, nor is it
advisable for those who have renounced the worldly life to lead a
pure, religious life to be actively involved in
politics.