{"id":3473,"date":"2026-08-11T22:11:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/notes\/buddhist-traditions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T02:58:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:28:20","slug":"buddhist-traditions","status":"publish","type":"psir_note","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/notes\/buddhist-traditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Buddhist Traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"n-wrap\">\n<div class=\"n-shell\">\n<div class=\"n-crumb\"><a href=\"\/psir\/psir-notes\/\">PSIR Notes<\/a><span class=\"sep\">\u203a<\/span><a href=\"\/psir\/psir-notes\/#i-a\">I-A Political Theory and Indian Politics<\/a><span class=\"sep\">\u203a<\/span><span>Buddhist Traditions<\/span><\/div>\n<header class=\"n-head\">\n<div class=\"n-eyebrow\">Paper I \u00b7 Political Theory and Indian Politics<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"n-title\">Buddhist Traditions<\/h1>\n<div class=\"n-syl\"><b>Syllabus \u00b7 Paper I-A \u00b7 9<\/b> \u2014 Indian Political Thought: Dharamshastra, Arthashastra and <span class=\"cur\">Buddhist Traditions<\/span>; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M. K. Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, M. N. Roy.<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"n-grid\">\n  <main class=\"n-body\"><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"buddhist-political-thought-the-ramanic-tradition\">Buddhist Political Thought &amp; the \u015aramanic Tradition<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"n-lab\">What kind of theory it is<\/span>: Not statecraft in the administrative sense, but a <span class=\"n-term\">moral theory of power, society and governance<\/span>. It asks how authority arises, why rulers are needed, how power must be ethically restrained, and how <span class=\"n-term\">Dhamma<\/span> can guide public life. Politics is placed inside a wider moral order of compassion, non-violence, self-discipline, equality and welfare \u2014 never separated from ethics.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Background \u2014 why it appears when it does<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Emerges in the age of the <span class=\"n-term\">Mahajanapadas<\/span>: expanding kingdoms, clan republics &amp; oligarchies, new urban centres, rising merchants &amp; landholding farmers, weakening ritual hierarchy, and conflict between Brahmanical orthodoxy and the <span class=\"n-term\">\u015aramanic<\/span> traditions.<\/li>\n<li>A prosperous urban-mercantile class became patrons of Buddhism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Buddhism as a \u015aramanic challenge (three moves)<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rejected birth-based superiority \u00b7 questioned ritualism &amp; sacrificial authority \u00b7 stressed ethical conduct over lineage.<\/li>\n<li>The Buddha&#8217;s preference for a more open society sat closer to the small <span class=\"n-term\">gana-sanghas<\/span> and clan republics than to large monarchies like Kosala and Magadha. The <span class=\"n-term\">Vajjian confederacy<\/span> modelled deliberation, respect for elders &amp; women, public spirit and moral rectitude.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Is Buddhism &#8220;political&#8221; at all?<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"n-tw\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Position<\/th>\n<th>Claim<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Max Weber<\/td>\n<td>Buddhism is apolitical, mainly &#8220;other-worldly&#8221;.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tambiah, Ilaiah, Omvedt, Upinder Singh<\/td>\n<td>Treat Buddhism as politically significant; it orders human affairs, not only personal salvation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kancha Ilaiah<\/td>\n<td>Stresses the &#8216;this-worldly&#8217;, rationalistic nature of Buddhist philosophy \u2014 giving the Buddha a claim to be a &#8216;political philosopher&#8217;, not only a religious thinker.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><em><span class=\"n-sch\">Kancha Ilaiah<\/span>: the Buddha sought to &#8216;reform and humanize the mercantile economy, the patriarchal family and the monarchical state, challenging Brahminical political theorists.&#8217;<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">D\u012bgha Nik\u0101ya &amp; the evolution of Buddhist political ideas<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <span class=\"n-term\">D\u012bgha Nik\u0101ya<\/span> \u2014 long discourses of the Buddha, part of the P\u0101li Canon of Therav\u0101da Buddhism. <span class=\"n-sch\">T. W. Rhys Davids<\/span> compared its importance to Plato&#8217;s dialogues.<\/li>\n<li>It carries the political core: origin of society &amp; state, kingship, sovereignty, ethics of rule, Dhamma, Chakravartin, welfare &amp; justice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">B. G. Gokhale \u2014 three phases of Buddhist political development.<\/span> <span class=\"n-term\">Phase I<\/span> (quasi-contractual kingship, ruler chosen \u00b7 consent) \u2192 <span class=\"n-term\">Phase II<\/span> (strong monarchy, order, property, family rights, republics decline) \u2192 <span class=\"n-term\">Phase III<\/span> (Dhamma as cosmic force, state = instrument of Dhamma, Chakravartin central)<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Origin of the state \u2014 Agganna Sutta &amp; the Mah\u0101sammata<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-lab\">The naturalistic, secular account<\/span>: The <span class=\"n-term\">Agganna Sutta<\/span> explains the state through human psychology, not divine will. Disorder grows out of greed, desire, pride and selfishness; the state is the people&#8217;s remedy.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">From perfection to the Great Elect \u2014 the Agganna arc.<\/span> self-luminous beings (no sex \u00b7 no class) \u2192 greed: taste the earth, craving begins \u2192 rice \u00b7 fields divided, private property \u2192 theft \u00b7 lying, punishment needed \u2192 people elect the noblest \u2192 <span class=\"n-term\">MAH\u0100SAMMATA, the Great Elect<\/span>. <em><span class=\"n-sch\">A. B. Keith<\/span> links the primeval self-luminous beings to the Hindu idea of the subtle body, Sukshma Sharira.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The ruler agrees to perform <span class=\"n-term\">censure and punishment<\/span> in return for a share of the people&#8217;s rice. <span class=\"n-sch\">V. P. Varma<\/span> reads this as kingship as a quasi-contractual arrangement.<\/li>\n<li>Implications: kingship arises from <span class=\"n-term\">agreement, not divine command<\/span>; ruler chosen by people; authority functional, not sacred; legitimacy depends on maintaining order &amp; justice; the contract expresses mutual obligation.<\/li>\n<li>This challenges Brahmanical divine creation of social order, and differs from <span class=\"n-term\">Matsyanyaya<\/span> (king needed because the strong devour the weak).<\/li>\n<li>Secular reading: <span class=\"n-sch\">V. P. Varma<\/span> \u2014 the Buddha denounced a theological Godhead and explained order through human psychology &amp; ethics. <span class=\"n-sch\">Ernest Gellner<\/span> (via <span class=\"n-sch\">Steven Collins<\/span>) reads it as a stage-wise account of society driven by psychological change.<\/li>\n<li>The first ruler may be monarch, republican chief or elected head. <span class=\"n-sch\">U. N. Ghoshal<\/span> notes <span class=\"n-term\">R\u0101j\u0101<\/span> was used for both monarchs and republican chiefs \u2014 the Buddha&#8217;s own Sh\u0101kya clan was a republic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">State, sovereignty &amp; kingship<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The state becomes necessary when moral decline makes life insecure \u2014 to keep order, protect property &amp; family rights, punish wrongdoers, protect the weak. <span class=\"n-sch\">V. P. Varma<\/span> calls it a <span class=\"n-term\">punitive institution<\/span>.<\/li>\n<li>Four social classes are explained by <span class=\"n-term\">occupation, not divine ordination<\/span> (ruling, priestly, trading, hunters) \u2014 weakening birth-based hierarchy; status tracks function, virtue, knowledge.<\/li>\n<li>Republics existed (Sh\u0101kya): assemblies, collective decision, councils. <span class=\"n-sch\">Uma Chakravarti<\/span> notes their collapse soon after the Buddha&#8217;s death \u2014 internal discord, undisciplined individualism, external aggression, rising monarchies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"n-tw\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Sovereignty terms<\/th>\n<th>Sense<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u0100n\u0101<\/td>\n<td>command<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u0100dhipacca<\/td>\n<td>overlordship<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Issariya<\/td>\n<td>supremacy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Vasa<\/td>\n<td>control<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Siri<\/td>\n<td>splendour<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Saptaratna \u2014 seven treasures of the ideal monarch<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Cakkaratana<\/span> \u2014 wheel; dominion &amp; territory.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Hathiratana<\/span> \u2014 elephant; military strength.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Assaratana<\/span> \u2014 horse; mobility &amp; power.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Parin\u0101yakaratana<\/span> \u2014 councillor; counsel &amp; administration.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Itthiratana<\/span> \u2014 woman; prosperity, continuity of lineage.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Maniratana<\/span> \u2014 jewel; wealth &amp; splendour.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Gahapatiratana<\/span> \u2014 householder; people, taxation, prosperity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Territory \u2192 Wheel; control of dominion \u2192 Elephant, Horse, Councillor; bases of control \u2192 Woman, Jewel, Householder.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Dasa-r\u0101jadhamma \u2014 ten royal virtues<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">D\u0101na<\/span> \u2014 generosity \/ public service.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">\u015a\u012bla<\/span> \u2014 morality &amp; self-discipline.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Paricc\u0101ga<\/span> \u2014 self-sacrifice for welfare.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">\u0100jjava<\/span> \u2014 integrity, honesty.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Maddava<\/span> \u2014 gentleness without arrogance.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Tapa<\/span> \u2014 austerity, simplicity.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Akkodha<\/span> \u2014 non-anger.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Avihims\u0101<\/span> \u2014 non-violence.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Khanti<\/span> \u2014 patience, tolerance.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Avirodhana<\/span> \u2014 uprightness, no prejudice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>presents the ruler as an &#8216;enlightened altruist on the grounds of self-interest and expediency.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Cakkavatti-S\u012bhan\u0101da Sutta<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Seven components of the state \u2014 not a systematic Saptanga, but close<\/span><\/p>\n<p>R\u0101j\u0101\/Mah\u0101sammata\/Khattiya (ruler) \u00b7 Rattha (territory) \u00b7 Amacca\/P\u0101risajja (ministers) \u00b7 Balam (army) \u00b7 Kosakotthagara (treasury) \u00b7 Anuyutt\u0101 (allies) \u00b7 Manussa (people &amp; assemblies). The ideal kingdom is <span class=\"n-term\">Akantaka<\/span> (without thorns) and <span class=\"n-term\">Annupp\u012bla<\/span> (untroubled); <span class=\"n-sch\">Gail Omvedt<\/span> highlights stories where the king tackles poverty. Yet kings may turn greedy and oppressive \u2014 so <span class=\"n-term\">ethical restraint<\/span> is built in.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">The conceptual heart \u2014 Dhamma, \u0100n\u0101, Attha<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-lab\">Dhamma<\/span>: Righteousness, propriety, justice, moral law \u2014 natural truth discovered by the Buddha. Ethically tied to <span class=\"n-term\">S\u012bla<\/span> (morality), <span class=\"n-term\">Prajna<\/span> (wisdom), <span class=\"n-term\">Karuna<\/span> (compassion), <span class=\"n-term\">Ahimsa<\/span> (non-violence) and <span class=\"n-term\">Samata<\/span> (equality).<\/p>\n<div class=\"n-tw\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Sphere<\/th>\n<th>Role in politics<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u0100n\u0101<\/td>\n<td>Temporal command \u2014 gives the state capacity to govern.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dhamma<\/td>\n<td>Spiritual \/ moral law \u2014 gives political action moral direction; superior to the state; restrains it from tyranny.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Attha<\/td>\n<td>Interest, welfare, prosperity, wealth \u2014 close to Kautilya&#8217;s Artha; protected by order &amp; secure property.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Bimbis\u0101ra &amp; Aj\u0101tasattu recognised the two spheres; the Sa\u1e45gha modified Vinaya rules to accommodate the state, but its autonomy stayed vital. \u0100n\u0101 needs Dhamma to avoid arbitrariness; Dhamma needs state support to operate.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Dhamma as a check<\/span> \u2014 king and subjects bound by the same ethical standard, in public and private acts; neglect invites decline; politics without Dhamma decays into <span class=\"n-term\">Rativijja<\/span>, the science of pleasure. Dhamma converts power into responsibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Dhamma &amp; political emancipation<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"n-pyq\"><span class=\"n-pyq-chip\">UPSC 2023 \u00b7 15m<\/span><span class=\"n-pyq-q\">Buddhist thought on Dhamma facilitates the emancipation of political action. Explain.<\/span><a class=\"n-pyq-a\" href=\"\/psir\/psir-pyq\/buddhist-thought-on-dhamma-facilitates-the-emancipation-of-upsc-psir-2023-1005\/\">Answer<\/a><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Dhamma frees political action from greed, domination, caste arrogance, arbitrary command, violence, ritual hierarchy and narrow self-interest. It prescribes <span class=\"n-term\">no fixed system<\/span> \u2014 only a moral compass for humane, just, compassionate governance.<\/li>\n<li>Action becomes emancipatory when it promotes equality &amp; dignity, non-violence, compassion, welfare, accountability, justice, protection of the weak, dialogue &amp; inclusion.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Thich Nhat Hanh<\/span> \u2014 mindfulness in political action; <span class=\"n-sch\">Gandhi<\/span> shows the political force of Ahimsa; the Middle Path supports moderation and de-polarisation.<\/li>\n<li>Limitation to state honestly: risk of <span class=\"n-term\">politicisation of Buddhism<\/span>; difficulty of translating moral ideals into secular democratic institutions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>a &#8220;universal morality that protects the weak from the strong, and safeguards the growth of the individual&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><cite>B. R. Ambedkar, on Dhamma<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Chakravartin &amp; Dhammiko Dhammar\u0101j\u0101<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <span class=\"n-term\">Chakravartin<\/span> is the universal monarch who rules through Dhamma \u2014 also <span class=\"n-term\">Dhammiko Dhammar\u0101j\u0101<\/span> (righteous ruler), temporal counterpart of the Bodhisattva, <span class=\"n-term\">Mah\u0101purisa<\/span>. Only one can exist at a time.<\/li>\n<li>He protects people, eliminates destitution, holds the seven treasures, <span class=\"n-term\">conquers by righteousness not force<\/span>, teaches moral precepts, supports material &amp; spiritual welfare. His conquest is through <span class=\"n-term\">Dhammachakra<\/span>, not the sword.<\/li>\n<li>Honest caveat: an ideal type dependent on the ruler&#8217;s personal virtue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Ethical scaffolding (the foundation behind the 2021 PYQ)<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"n-tw\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Set<\/th>\n<th>Content &amp; political reading<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Four Noble Truths<\/td>\n<td>Dukkha \u2192 Samudaya \u2192 Nirodha \u2192 Magga. Poverty, violence, greed, injustice are <em>social<\/em> forms of suffering; governance must reduce distress.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Eightfold Path<\/td>\n<td>Right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration \u2014 right conduct must precede right rule.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Three Jewels<\/td>\n<td>Buddha \u00b7 Dhamma \u00b7 Sa\u1e45gha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Five Precepts<\/td>\n<td>Voluntary commitments, not commands: non-violence, non-theft, non-indulgence, truth, non-addiction.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>The Buddhist king is a <\/em><em>moral exemplar<\/em><em>: avoids falsehood &amp; anger, appoints steady ministers, audits income &amp; expenditure himself, punishes and rewards promptly.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Sa\u1e45gha, deliberation &amp; the welfare state<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">T. W. Rhys Davids<\/span> \u2014 the Sa\u1e45gha ran on democratic principles: regular meetings, resolutions, majority votes, quorum, rules, expulsion for misconduct. Roots of deliberative democracy can be traced here.<\/li>\n<li>State\u2013Sa\u1e45gha relations were <span class=\"n-term\">reciprocal<\/span>: the Sa\u1e45gha advised rulers and gave moral legitimacy; the state gave patronage. Separation of \u0100n\u0101 and Dhamma protected the moral community from despotism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">A\u015boka \u2014 the Buddhist welfare state<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Not a theocracy but a <span class=\"n-term\">moral public order<\/span>: compassion, welfare, toleration, justice, non-violence, restraint, public discussion. Hospitals, bans on needless slaughter, <span class=\"n-term\">rajukas<\/span> (justice officers), moral instruction.<\/li>\n<li>Religious freedom: A\u015boka never made Buddhism a state religion; he supported ascetics of other sects \u2014 secularism implicit in practice. <span class=\"n-sch\">Amartya Sen<\/span> reads him through public reasoning and an early &#8216;deliberative democracy&#8217;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>&#8220;All men are my children. What I desire for my own children \u2026 that I desire for all men.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>A\u015boka, 12th Rock Edict<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>A\u015boka &#8220;plucked dhamma or dharma out of religious discourse and made it a central political issue.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Upinder Singh<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>&#8220;From not giving property to the needy, poverty became widespread; \u2026 from the increase in theft, the use of weapons increased.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Cakkavatti-S\u012bhan\u0101da Sutta<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Buddhist vs Brahmanical tradition \u2014 Dhamma over Danda<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>&#8216;For while the Arthashastra teachers were inspired by their avowed end of ensuring the security and prosperity of the state to condone, if not to justify, breaches of morality in its interest, Buddhist with its stern unbending code of ethics stood for the unqualified supremacy of the moral law over governmental affairs.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><cite>U. N. Ghoshal<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li>Buddhism rejects caste restriction on kingship and denies birth-based sanctity; worth follows action, not lineage; the Sa\u1e45gha admitted all backgrounds. War is subordinated to <span class=\"n-term\">sarva-bh\u016bta-hita<\/span>, the welfare of all beings.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Bhikhu Parekh<\/span> calls Buddhism the <span class=\"n-term\">&#8220;rebel child of Hinduism&#8221;<\/span> \u2014 continuities (Karma, rebirth, ruler&#8217;s duty to maintain Dhamma) but a more egalitarian ethic (Kshatriya\u2013Vaishya alliance against Brahmin\u2013Kshatriya hegemony). Honest limit: it did not radically reform the old order and retained Kshatriya prominence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Ambedkarite Buddhism &amp; Navayana<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>&#8220;Buddhism teaches Prajna (understanding) as against superstition, karuna (love and compassion) and Samata (equality). This is what a man wants for a good and happy life&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><cite>B. R. Ambedkar<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>For <span class=\"n-sch\">Ambedkar<\/span>, Dhamma ends suffering and poverty and is a path of <span class=\"n-term\">emancipation<\/span>; <span class=\"n-sch\">Dhananjay Keer<\/span> frames the conversion as part of his life mission for social justice. <span class=\"n-term\">Navayana<\/span> rests on <span class=\"n-term\">Anicca<\/span> (impermanence), <span class=\"n-term\">Dukkha<\/span> and <span class=\"n-term\">Anatta<\/span> (no fixed soul \u2014 persons can change), giving marginalised communities moral identity, dignity and a constitutional language of rights.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Contemporary significance<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Governance<\/span> \u2014 Sri Lanka&#8217;s constitution recognises a duty to &#8220;protect and foster&#8221; Buddhism while protecting other communities; Bhutan&#8217;s <span class=\"n-term\">Gross National Happiness<\/span>; Thailand&#8217;s Dhammar\u0101ja image of monarchy; Myanmar, where Buddhism\u2013governance ties are complicated by nationalism and ethnic conflict.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Foreign policy<\/span> \u2014 India&#8217;s <span class=\"n-term\">Panchsheel<\/span> echoes Buddhist peaceful coexistence; links to SAARC and UN peacekeeping.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Environment &amp; rights<\/span> \u2014 interdependence, moderation and minimal harm feed sustainability debates; compassion, equality and rationality align with human-rights discourse.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Honest caution<\/span> \u2014 diverse interpretations, possible conflict with secular law, and ethno-nationalist capture can distort the universalist promise of Dhamma.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">2021 PYQ \u2014 the &#8216;greater ethical foundation&#8217; debate<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"n-pyq\"><span class=\"n-pyq-chip\">UPSC 2021 \u00b7 15m<\/span><span class=\"n-pyq-q\">Do the Buddhist traditions have lent greater ethical foundation to ancient Indian political thought? Give arguments.<\/span><a class=\"n-pyq-a\" href=\"\/psir\/psir-pyq\/do-you-think-that-the-buddhist-traditions-have-lent-ereater-upsc-psir-2021-1004\/\">Answer<\/a><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Yes<\/span> \u2014 Dhamma above force, ritual status &amp; mere security; consent-based Mah\u0101sammata kingship; ethics of Four Noble Truths \/ Eightfold Path \/ Precepts; Dasa-r\u0101jadhamma &amp; Dhammar\u0101ja ideal; A\u015boka&#8217;s welfare state; <span class=\"n-sch\">U. N. Ghoshal<\/span> \u2014 Buddhism stood for the &#8220;unqualified supremacy of the moral law over governmental affairs.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">But qualify<\/span> \u2014 Buddhism did not <em>invent<\/em> ethics in Indian politics, did not fully dismantle coercion, caste influence or dependence on kingly virtue. <span class=\"n-sch\">Bhikhu Parekh<\/span>&#8216;s &#8220;rebel child&#8221; framing captures both the radical critique and the shared ground.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>outlines a form of &#8216;compassionate socialism&#8217; \u2014 the king putting the &#8216;common weal&#8217; above himself, the principle of &#8216;people first&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p><cite>on Nagarjuna<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3 id=\"the-social-contract-tradition-in-ancient-india\">The Social-Contract Tradition in Ancient India<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p><span class=\"n-lab\">UPSC \u00b7 15m<\/span> \u2014 Examine the social-contract tradition within ancient Indian political thought.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"n-lab\">The thread<\/span>: Several texts explain kingship as a <span class=\"n-term\">negotiated response to anarchy<\/span>, not only as divine command. Not democratic in the modern sense \u2014 but they limit power by tying authority to protection.<\/p>\n<div class=\"n-tw\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Source<\/th>\n<th>The contract<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Aitareya Brahmana<\/td>\n<td>Gods elect <span class=\"n-term\">Indra<\/span> to curb strife \u2014 a &#8220;contract of convenience&#8221; between ruler and ruled.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Agganna Sutta (Buddhist)<\/td>\n<td>People, alarmed by crime, choose a ruler: &#8220;We shall pay you with a share of rice; rule us well.&#8221; Kingship is elective, remunerated, functional \u2014 the <span class=\"n-term\">Mah\u0101sammata<\/span>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Arthashastra<\/td>\n<td>To escape <span class=\"n-term\">matsyanyaya<\/span>, people choose Manu and &#8220;fixed one-sixth of grain as his due&#8221;. Taxation justified by protection.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mahabharata (Shantiparva)<\/td>\n<td>Kingship as a response to anarchy; ruler gets a share of resources and must uphold dharma through fair danda.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Manusmriti<\/td>\n<td>The moral bargain \u2014 protection, not birth alone, grounds revenue.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>&#8220;The king who protects may take a sixth part of the harvest; if he fails, that share drags him to hell.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Manusmriti<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>a &#8220;voluntary social contract that conceals the coercion behind taxation&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><cite>Upinder Singh<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Patrick Olivelle<\/span> \u2014 the very need to invoke <span class=\"n-term\">consent<\/span> reflects discomfort with unchecked power; the king stays trustee of public welfare, answerable to dharma.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Bottom line<\/span>: a tradition of <span class=\"n-term\">reciprocal kingship<\/span> \u2014 subjects grant authority; the ruler owes protection, justice and welfare.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"jain-political-thought\">Jain Political Thought<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"n-lab\">Stance towards the state<\/span>: Jain thought, also \u015aramanic, does not treat state or society as external saviours. The state is a <span class=\"n-term\">habitual condition<\/span> for moral life \u2014 indirectly good, yet <span class=\"n-term\">necessarily evil<\/span> because it rests on coercion. <span class=\"n-sch\">Somadeva<\/span>, the Jain saint, was an early proponent of a <span class=\"n-term\">welfare state<\/span> \u2014 benevolent kingship, well-being of subjects, just order.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Political obligation<\/span> \u2014 rightful obedience to authority, payment of reasonable taxes, recognition that the king protects society and may levy taxes.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Sovereignty &amp; ethics<\/span> \u2014 based on <span class=\"n-term\">wisdom, not mere power<\/span>: supremacy of wise leadership, society as collaborative, people as associates rather than only subjects. State laws should align with spiritual wisdom, non-violence, equality and <span class=\"n-term\">non-possessiveness<\/span>; political life must support spiritual life, or it promotes evil.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Freedom &amp; right to life<\/span> \u2014 freedom is autonomy of the spiritual will (control over egoistic impulses, moral discipline, radical non-violence). The <span class=\"n-term\">right to life is supreme<\/span>; Jainism venerates all life and forbids force against living beings. Monks practise absolute Ahimsa; state and laypeople practise <span class=\"n-term\">limited Ahimsa<\/span> that still guides law and policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Ahimsa as a theory of relativity<\/span><\/p>\n<p>A ruler who renounces <span class=\"n-term\">intentional<\/span> violence is righteous compared with one who does not \u2014 yet less righteous than a saint who renounces all violence. This yields a <span class=\"n-term\">realistic ethic<\/span>: violence must be reduced, intentional violence abandoned, and politics must find concrete ways to minimise harm.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Anekantavada &amp; pluralism<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-lab\">Anekantavada<\/span>: The doctrine of the multiplicity of perspectives: reality is many-faceted, truth is not exhausted by one viewpoint, absolutism must be avoided.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Political significance: peaceful engagement with difference, refinement of speech, <span class=\"n-term\">intellectual non-violence<\/span>, a middle position in debate, tolerance, and openness without loss of identity.<\/li>\n<li>It has become part of India&#8217;s <span class=\"n-term\">pluralistic ethos<\/span> \u2014 a model for non-violent encounter between strong convictions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Individualism in Jain thought<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Mahavira<\/span> stressed <span class=\"n-term\">self-conquest<\/span> \u2014 true happiness comes from conquering one&#8217;s own soul, not external enemies. A &#8216;rugged&#8217; individualism: souls are separate; birth, death and spiritual progress are individual journeys; worldly bonds cannot save one spiritually.<\/li>\n<li>The <span class=\"n-term\">Sutrakritanga<\/span> stresses individual responsibility in spiritual life. Jainism breaks from Brahmanism by rejecting ritualism &amp; divine intervention, stressing karma &amp; personal deeds, opposing animal sacrifice, and denouncing violent conquest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Contrast with the Hindu tradition (after <\/em><em>Bhikhu Parekh<\/em><em>): against inegalitarianism and uncritical acceptance of the social order, Jainism sets equality, reform, non-violence, non-possessiveness, pluralism and moral discipline.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"n-next\"><a href=\"\/psir\/notes\/arthashastra\/\"><em>Previous<\/em><b>Arthashastra<\/b><\/a><a class=\"r\" href=\"\/psir\/notes\/sir-syed-ahmed-khan\/\"><em>Next<\/em><b>Sir Syed Ahmed Khan<\/b><\/a><\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/p>\n<aside class=\"n-rail\">\n<h4>On this page<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"#buddhist-political-thought-the-ramanic-tradition\">Buddhist Political Thought &amp; the \u015aramanic Tradition<\/a><a href=\"#the-social-contract-tradition-in-ancient-india\">The Social-Contract Tradition in Ancient India<\/a><a href=\"#jain-political-thought\">Jain Political Thought<\/a><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Buddhist Traditions for the UPSC PSIR optional \u2014 PSIR Notes \u203a I-A Political Theory and Indian Politics \u203a Buddhist Traditions Paper I \u00b7 Political Theory and Indian Politics Buddhist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"fx_note_key":"I-A.9.3","fx_note_sec":"I-A","fx_note_point":"9","fx_note_desc":"Buddhist Traditions for the UPSC PSIR optional \u2014 PSIR Notes \u203a I-A Political Theory and Indian Politics \u203a Buddhist Traditions Paper I \u00b7 Political Theory and Indian Politics Buddhist","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3473","psir_note","type-psir_note","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note\/3473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/psir_note"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note\/3473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3868,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note\/3473\/revisions\/3868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}