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This excerpt from Destroying Mara Forever: Buddhist Ethics Essays in Honor of Damien Keown is part of a provocative—and very germane—essay by Peter Harvey.

All societies need some way of controlling forms of immoral and disruptive behavior, and there is much debate and research on the best ways of doing this. What has Buddhism to say on this matter?

Crime Prevention In early Buddhist texts, ideals concerning governance are often linked to the figures of past cakkavattis, mythical universal emperors. The Cakkavattisihanada Sutta describes a line of cakkavattis, each of whom is portrayed as a compassionate ruler who counsels his son on how to rule, like him, according to Dhamma, in the sense of justice or righteousness.

Three judges and two clerks at a court proceeding in Tibet, 1920 (from The Golden Yoke)

In one case, the son does all that his father advises, except giving to the needy. As a result of this failing, poverty arises for the first time in ages. Consequently, stealing arises. When a thief is caught and is brought before the emperor, he explains that he stole because he was poor; so the emperor gives him some goods with which to support himself and his family, carry on a business, and make gifts to renunciates and Brahmins.

Thus, from the not giving of property to the needy, poverty became rife, from the growth of poverty, the taking of what was not given increased, from the increase of theft, the use of weapons increased, from the increased use of weapons, the taking of life increased—and from the taking of life, people's life span decreased, their beauty decreased.

Thus, a ruler (or government) who allows poverty to develop is seen as sowing the seeds of crime and social conflict. Systemic poverty threatens law and order, and thus inhibits both social cohesion and personal morality. Of course, all those who are poor do not commit crimes, but poverty makes crime, especially theft (and perhaps also rebellion), more likely, and in certain cases relatively more excusable.

A related message is given in the Kutadanta Sutta. Here, the Buddha tells of a rich and powerful king of the past who wanted to offer a lavish sacrifice to secure his future welfare, in accordance with the practices of pre-Buddhist Brahmanical religion. He therefore asks his Brahmin adviser, the Buddha in a past life, how to go about this.

In reply, the Brahmin points out that the kingdom was being ravaged by thieves and brigands. This situation would not be solved by executions, imprisonments, or other repressive measures, for those who survived such measures would continue to cause problems; as we know today, harsh measures against guerrillas or "terrorists" can prompt further insurgency and so forth. He then gives an alternative plan to "completely eliminate the plague," which involves granting grain and fodder to those who cultivate crops and raise cattle; granting capital to traders; and giving proper living wages to those in government service:

Then those people, being intent on their own occupations, will not harm the kingdom. Your Majesty's revenues will be great, the land will be tranquil and not beset by thieves, and the people, with joy in their hearts, will play with their children and dwell in open houses.

The king then carries out this advice and, in line with further counsel, conducts a great sacrifice, but one in which only such things as butter and oil are offered, not the lives of animals, with no trees being cut down, and no one is forced to help. While Richard Gombrich comments that this passage was meant mainly as a critique of Brahmanical sacrifice and that he knows of no Indian king who did such things as grant capital to businessmen, the spirit of the passage still expresses a Buddhist ideal—and one which has often been cited by a number of twentieth-century Buddhists.

A key message of both the texts above is that if a ruler allows poverty to develop, this will lead to social strife and that it is his responsibility to avoid this by looking after the poor and even investing in various sectors of the economy.

A ruler should not only seek to prevent crime by preventing poverty, but should also deal with crime appropriately to prevent its increase. The Agganna Sutta describes early human society as gradually increasing in immorality and disorder until the people choose their first king to punish wrongdoers. In return for being supported by his people, he should "show displeasure (khiyeyya) at that toward which one should rightly show displeasure, censure (garaheyya) that which should rightly be censured, and banish (pabbajeyya) those who should rightly be banished."

In the Cakkavatti Sihanada Sutta, the duties of a cakkavatti include that he should "establish guard, ward, and protection" for the various sections of society and animals, and "let no crime (adhamma-karo) prevail."

—excerpted from Destroying Mara Forever: Buddhist Ethics Essays in Honor of Damien Keown

John Powers


Charles S. Prebish

More about the book . . .

A thought-provoking collection of essays on Buddhist ethics by some of the leading thinkers in the field.

The reader is provided with engaging explorations of central issues in Buddhist ethics, insightful analyses of the ways Buddhist ethical principles are being applied today in both Asian and Western countries, and groundbreaking proposals about how Buddhist perspectives might inform debates on some of the core ethical issues of the modern world, including consumerism, globalization, environmental problems, war, ethnic conflict, and inter-religious tensions.

The leading figure in identifying the field of Buddhist ethics and articulating some of its core issues is Professor Damien Keown of the University of London. This book brings together a group of eminent scholars who have all been influenced by Keown's work, and who are also friends and close colleagues. The result is a wonderful volume for those who are struggling with practical issues of ethical concern. This will be a valuable resource in the study of ethics for years to come.

More about the authors . . .