12. Buddhism and the Polity.
Buddhism came to
flourish in each country under the patronage of
rulers
from Aśoka (third century B.C.), to Prince
Shōtoku
(sixth to seventh centuries A.D.) in Japan. On the
other
hand a hostile government led to the extermination
of Buddhism
in India. It was persecuted by the three
emperors called Wu in China, and
also was opposed
on several occasions by the government of Japan, es-
pecially in the beginning of the Meiji era
(1867-1912).
The Communist government has greatly affected Bud-
dhism in China and Tibet, to keep it under
control.
In early Buddhism, the rights of a king were not
considered to be sacred or
conferred by the gods; the
sovereignty of the kings was delegated to them
by the
people in ancient times. The Buddha said: “Kings are
like venomous serpents. You should not make them
angry. It is better not to
come into contact with them”
(Saṁyutta-Nikāya I, 69). It is said that the
Buddha
extolled a republican form of government realized
among the
Vajjis and other tribes. Such an unpolitical
attitude could not be
maintained, however, and as time
went on both Conservative and
Mahāyāna Buddhism
were drawn into the political sphere.
Frequently the
state controlled Buddhism for its own purposes and
such
control was often detrimental to Buddhism.
In Tibet, the unique amalgamation of Buddhism and
political power continued
as the final authority, until
the communist invasion by the Chinese army in
1959.
Buddhism is the state religion of Thailand, Laos, and
Cambodia.
Many Buddhists in Burma and Ceylon argue
that it should be the state
religion in their countries.
In Japan, the Nichiren sect, and some of its new off-
shoots (Shinkō
Shūkyō), hold that the state and religion
should be
identified, and that the teaching of Nichiren
alone should be adopted. Most
of the other Japanese
sects prefer noninterference on the part of the govern-
ment. On the proper relation between
Buddhism and
the state, diversity of opinion exists in both Southern
and Northern Buddhism.
In countries where Buddhism has flourished it has
had considerable influence
upon the administration of
justice. In some countries of ancient India
capital pun-
ishment and mutilation had been
abolished due to the
teaching of compassion. In Japan in the Heian era
(the
eighth to the twelfth centuries), when Buddhist influ-
ence was strong, there was no case of capital punish-
ment. In Tibet, the thirteenth Dalai
Lama abolished
capital punishment and extreme mutilation. Generally
speaking, when Buddhist influence was strong, punish-
ment was lenient, and rarely cruel.
The use of military force by the state was renounced
by Aśoka
after he become a Buddhist, and there have
been many Buddhist emperors
since his time who have
tried to govern by persuasion rather then by force.
The
Tibetans and Mongolians were transformed from fierce
warlike
nomads to a peaceful, friendly people by the
acceptance of Buddhism. Some
Confucians and scholars
of Japanese classics criticized Buddhism on the
ground
that its emphasis on compassion tended to make poor
soldiers.
On the other hand, the samurai class in Japan
once adopted meditative
disciplines of Zen Buddhism
as a part of their training to become brave
warriors.
In China, Korea, and Japan, from about the sixteenth
century on, Buddhism
became separated from the
ruling class, and the priests were obliged to
turn to
the populace for support, as the ruling class became
materialistic. By contrast, in the countries of Southern
Buddhism the
laymen in the ruling class have still held
to their Buddhism and have
influenced the policies and
culture of their countries.
Buddhist orders have not been strong enough in
financial, administrative,
and military power to oppose
aggression by the secular, military power of
kings of
communist governments. And if they were to rebel,
they would
be easily suppressed.
In the 1960's democracy was observed in free Buddhist
countries and
totalitarianism abhorred. Buddhist monks
and nuns were allowed to take part
in politics. In com-
munist countries Buddhist
orders have been tolerated,
although the lands once owned by them have
been
confiscated; still some expenses for their mainte-
nance are met by the communist governments in
China,
Mongolia, etc. In the Soviet Union Buryat Mongo-
lians remained Lamaists even in the 1960's.
The traditional pacifistic attitude of Buddhists can
be noticed in such a political leader as U Thant, the
third
Secretary-General of the United Nations.
