Buddhist

Conception Of
State
 Outline
What is Buddhism
How do Buddhist view politics,
concept of power and
governance
Concept Of The Ruler
Statecraft
Critical conclusion
 The name Buddhism comes from the word
“Buddhi” which means to ‘wake up’ and
thus Buddhism is the philosophy of
awakening.

 A Buddhism is the doctrine of human

beings, by human beings and for human
beings.

 Buddhism Is concerned with human life

and conduct.
Buddhist view on politics, power and governance

 According to Buddha there is a limit to the

extent to which a political system can
safeguard the happiness and prosperity of is
people.
 The Buddha encouraged the spirit of
consultation and the democratic process.
 The Buddhist approach to political power is
the moralization and the responsible use of
public power.
 Buddha showed how the country could
become corrupt, degenerate and unhappy
when the head of government becomes
corrupt and unjust.

 He was against corruption and how a

government should act based on
humanitarian principles.
 Buddhist concept of Ruler

 The ruler of the state is supposed to

be the leader of people.
 The ruler is considered as the center
of the society.
 According to Jataka there are various
things that king shouldn’t do.
 Good ruler according to
Buddha
 A good ruler should act impartially and
should not be biased and discriminate
between one particular group of subjects
against another
 A good ruler should show no fear what so
ever 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
shouldn’t be enforced just because the ruler
has the authority to enforce the law.
 Statecraft
Asokan model of statecraft
The legacy of Buddhist statecraft was
transmitted through Emperor Asoka with his
core Buddhist ideas, principles, and practices.
During his time Buddhism was not just a
religious belief system but also ‘a social and
intellectual movement influencing many
aspects of social life.(Thapar 2002: 200).
 Theory Of State
•According to Buddhist Scriptures, the state is
not just an independent thing.
•The Buddha did not say which government is
the ideal one since he recognized that every
political system is legitimate
It lays special emphasis on the ethical and
moral aspects. According to Buddha’s ideas the
state is never an end in itself, but a means to an
end.
 References
Political Thought CUMMISKEY, D. (n.d.). Asoka,
Shambhala, and the General Will:Comparative
Reflections on Buddhist.
Gokhale,b.g.(1969).jstore. The early buddhist view of
the state. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/596944?seq=1#page_sca
n_tab_contents
A Buddhist Theory of State. (2013, July 7). Retrieved
from http://emptinez.me/2013/07/07/a-buddhist-
theory-of-state/
Thank You