14. HOW TO PROTECT THE KINGDOM
Once the king has learned how to protect himself [102]
through these four forms of spiritual nourishment,
so as to make his subjects happy,
he cares for them by nourishing them.
In the Ten Wheels Kṣitigarbha Sūtra1
this is taught using an example.
The intelligent ruler
who obtains the glory of kingship
examines the legal system of the rulers
of the past, present, and future,
and he gets the wise men who live in that kingdom
to apply them to the three “wheels of work.”
The first, “wheel of political action,” is the wheel
used to understand and to gain proficiency in the martial arts.
The second wheel involves training in the work
of farming, and architectural and construction work.
The third involves practicing the work
of various forms of commerce and art.
These three wheels
make people happy.
So as to bring happiness to that land—
with its many priests and artisans,
artist workshops and stores,
and ascetics and brahmins—
the king builds temples throughout the country.
He constructs images of the three jewels,2
and establishes traditions of scholarship and practice.
He worships the transcendental ones, the three jewels, and gives charity to the common people.
In that country, which is constant in merit making,
goodness and virtue increase in abundance.
As a way of honoring
parents and the clan elders, [103]
he makes sure that all fashions, jewelry, and manners
follow the traditions of the righteous.
To bring joy to the world,
he creates parks, flower gardens,
and festival grounds for worshipping the gods,
and he establishes the arts of dance and music.
The king will never permit the slightest deterioration
of the sites that serve as homes to the country’s nature spirits:
its fine rivers, lakes, mountains, and trees;
rather, he establishes them as scenic preserves.3
He does not permit evil people
to freely desecrate holy sites:
auspicious lands, high mountains,
and sacred power places.
Healers, astrologers, magicians,
exorcists, diviners, and shamans
are all committed to the welfare of the country;
and so he gets them to increase the food supply.
He establishes schools that train people
in the creation of amazingly beautiful objects—
various types of artistic workshops—
and builds markets where these goods can be sold.4
Strong armor and fortifications,
and various types of horses and weaponry
are amassed in the homes of every individual,
each of whom is courageous and knows the martial arts.
The king appoints smart, level-headed, and moral people
as the representatives of the national assemblies.
Soldiers and generals clad in armor will, when needed,
spring immediately to action without delay.
The royalty, knowing what prior preparations must be made
to achieve the kingdom’s needs and goals, [104]
are able to tackle any task at just the right time
without impediment.
Even though sages are innately powerful,
they protect their opponents5 with great care.
Even though fools are innately weak,
being vain in their ignorance, they live without fear.6
Fools only examine the present.
Wise people examine far into the future.
The wise are those who know beforehand
what benefits and harms await them.
Throughout the kingdom, each and every person
takes up the methods to increase good fortune and prosperity:
to make the rain fall, to reward the local spirits for their help,
to ward off plague, and to restore fertility to the land.
Because they are very experienced, and not being troubled
with too much work that is beyond their ability to do,
commoners get along with the intelligentsia,
and they each complete their work carefully and on time.
Just as a great cloud draws in
just enough water from the ocean
and constantly releases it upon the earth
so that the grasses, trees, and grain ripen,
likewise, the loving and intelligent king
redirects the lawful taxes and fines that he has collected
to the care of his subjects,
thus increasing the joy of all his people.
From time to time he spies upon criminals, thieves,
cheats, and the like, and banishes them.
He controls the independence of the regions
and does not allow troublemakers7 to remain.
Within all the regions that belong to him, [105]
the king should always employ strategies
that are conducive to the fearlessness and happiness of all beings
down to those that belong to the animal kingdom.
He makes arrangements for the needs of occasional guests.8
He builds boats, bridges, and roads as needed.9
He protects everyone equally
from the harm of enemies, thieves, and ferocious animals.
He is not abusive, but instead remains neutral
toward those who offend the laity,
toward those who deceive the world with a flood of lies, and so forth,
but he suppresses the worst bands of swindlers.
He appoints as national treasures
experts in the scriptures, those who maintain their vows,
accomplished yogis, and upholders of the Dharma,
respecting and praising them from afar.
He shows compassion for the meek,
and he reviles those who brandish military might inappropriately.
Even the gods rejoice in those places
where kingdoms are happy and free from anxiety.
He goes to other kingdoms from time to time
for the sake of trade and profit.
Assembling his troops and in the company
of the generals who lead them, he travels with ease.
If little is accomplished, it is difficult to do anything about it.
If a lot is gathered, the king happily discusses
with the most capable people
how to dispose of the gains for their mutual benefit.
Getting people not to fight with one another,
and instead to support one another,
the king always uses the appropriate method,
whether gentle or tough.
In the individual nomadic regions,
people should harmoniously enjoy
the wealth from their own share of the land. [106]
Very greedy and partisan people are stopped through the law.
The people of the country must protect their own region
while also joining forces for their common welfare.
The country is protected
in a united way without dissension.
Ascetics and brahmins
are called the “roots” of the king.10
He should therefore protect the different divisions of the saṅgha
by respecting the saṅgha’s property and so forth.11
The lord of the land convenes discussions that,
taking time and place into account,
aim at determining the means of bringing about the happiness of the people.
He issues orders about what is beneficial based on these discussions.
Wishing the common people to flourish,
and diligent in what will bring them happiness,
he will not bring misfortune to even a single subject,
guarding everyone as if they were gold.
Due to their ignorance, most people
are unable to accomplish even minor goals.
Because he educates the ignorant,
the king is like their father.
Due to their hesitancy, most people
put forward little initiative.
Because he leads them and incites them to action,
the king is like their captain.
Like poisonous snakes, most people
harm others and are difficult to tame.
Because he uses various methods to discipline them,
the king is like a magician or snake charmer.
Because his compassionate mind
is always focused on his subjects
and strives solely to make them happy,
the king is like a mother. [107]
Taking great care to make inquiries and to examine
various aspects of his kingdom—the degree of its suffering and happiness,
and the extent of faults and good qualities—
the king is like a great watchman.
Because he gives solace to the frightened,
succor to those who suffer,
and joy to those who put their trust in him,
the king is like a wish-fulfilling tree.
Because he teaches others what to accept or reject,
distinguishes right and wrong for them,
and leads them to the good path,
the king is like an eye.
Because his glory
acts to ornament every direction,
and brings joy to the beings of his retinue,
the king is like a treasure of jewels.
Because he cannot be harmed by opponents,
makes the members of different parties feel at ease,
and intimidates all competing groups,
the king is like a great diamond fortress.
He enjoys high standing by virtue of his merit,
and splendor due to the gods and protector deities that back him.
The king who is victorious in all directions
is like a precious victory banner.
In this way, even without traveling to heaven,
the ruler who possesses the best qualities
can make the nectar-eating gods gather joyfully before him,
just like the four-faced Brahmā, the king of the gods.
Due to his glory, the king—this fine vase, wish-fulfilling tree, and jewel—
the unrivaled, precious ruler,
acts as if all of the glory of the heavenly realms
rests within the very palm of his hand.
Word of his glory, majesty, and fame
circulates as far as the periphery of the oceans;
the glory of his matchless qualities blazes
like a second sun over this world.
1. Daśacakrakṣitigarbha Sūtra. Kṣitigarbha is a bodhisattva, and in the sūtra he imparts “ten wheels” of advice on all matter of topics, many of them having to do with politics. The work was translated into Tibetan from the Chinese during the imperial period by a Chinese monk named Zabmo (Profound) and the Tibetan translator Nampar Mitogpa (Nonconceptuality). Little work has been done on this important text in Western languages, but see Francis Wang, Le Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha en Chine du Ve au Xiiie siècle; and Zhiru Ng, The Making of Savior Bodhisattva, especially chapter 1, and appendix 1 for an argument concerning the dating of the text. Zhiru does not rule out the possibility that portions of the work might have been composed in China. In Zhiru’s words, “The core texts focus on the socio-political undercurrents Buddhism faced in medieval China. Its rhetoric is polemical and elevates the monastic vocation, arguing for monastic exemption from any form of state regulation.” See also the interesting comments of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche about the text, “Interview with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche,” The Chronicle Project, www.chronicleproject.com/stories_149.html.
2. Compare to Nāgārjuna, Ratnāvalī, vv. 231–34, 310.
3. I’ve emended bkod pas brgyan to bkod pa’i rgyan.
4. Nāgārjuna, Ratnāvalī, v. 239, advises the king to provide estates for the upkeep of schools and the livelihood of teachers. Much more than that, however, Nāgārjuna advocates (vv. 240–49) for the creation of all manner of social institutions to help the populace (especially the poor): hospitals, barber shops, hostels, amusement centers, ponds, rest houses, medicine dispensaries, and so forth.
5. I’ve emended pas rgol to phas rgol.
6. It is not clear whether this verse and the next are referring to the sages and fools who live in this ideal kingdom, or whether they are meant as general observations, perhaps interpolated from some source other than the Daśacakra. In the former case, the verse might be read as claiming that whereas in other lands ignorant people pretend that they are wise—something that causes them fear and insecurity—in this kingdom, ignorant people acknowledge their ignorance, which gives them no reason to fear. But the verse, as I say, may just as likely be making a general observation.
7. I’ve emended phung dkrol to phung krol.
8. The virtue of hospitality is touted in many texts. For example, Masūrākṣa, Nītiśāstra, v. 1.11b, also states that one should “properly greet occasional or unexpected guests.”
9. I’ve emended dge ba’i to dgos pa’i.
10. Cāṇakya, Rājanītiśāstra, vv. 8.67, 8.69: “The king is the peak of righteousness. The root of righteousness are monks and brahmins. The fruit comes from the root. Therefore, do not harm the root….The king is the tree and ascetics are the root. The ministers are the branches, and the townspeople the leaves. The tree does not wither so long as the root is protected. Therefore, protect ascetics and brahmins.”
11. As Mipham explains in his Entrance to Being Wise, to steal or confiscate the wealth or property of the saṅgha is considered one of the “five secondary heinous sins” (nye ba’i mtshams med pa lnga). Stealing from the saṅgha—actually, from any of the three jewels—is also one of the downfalls in the bodhisattva’s discipline. Obviously, only a powerful person such as a king or minister would have been in a position to confiscate the wealth or property of a monastery.