chapter 3 (perfect)

8/8/2019 Chapter 3 (Perfect)

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Chapter 3

1. Three tendencies to be avoided by kings -- from the Tesaku a

J taka

2. Truth for kings

3. How the peoples of the west abide by contracts

4. Anger in Kings

5. Believing what is heard at entertainments

6. Rules of behaviour for kings

7. A kings five sources of power

8. Martial prowess and mental faculty

9. Kings should not oppose their people, but conciliate

10. Seven means of gaining an advantage

11. Three strengths of kings

12. Places for confidential discussions

13. Six points of merit (Gu a) for kings

14. P ram Perfections


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1. Three tendencies to be avoided by kings -- from the Tesaku a

J taka

While the Most Excellent, All-knowing Lord was living the religious life in the

Jetavana Monastery, advising all living creatures, men, spirits and Brahmans on the good

life, he gave the following admonishment on staying firm in the law to King Kosala of

Pasenad :

Maccun sa garo natthi,

lajagg ho na vijjati;

yuddha natthi jayo natthi,

sabbe maccupar ya .1

That is to say: King Death does not make appointments for the time to die; no gifts

or offerings taken by King Death can win freedom from death. No one can fight against

King Death. No one can defeat him. All creatures come to no other end but to lie in

death.No ruler can order it that a particular man shall not die. There is only one Ruler

who ordains that no creature will avoid death, and so Death earns his title of King. 2

Dealing with the impossibility of avoiding death, a moment of the Buddhupp da 3 (the age

in which a Buddha is born) states the law that anyone who has attained humanity must

come to his death. In times past before the Religion (S san ), there was no other law laid

down to be observed but the law of Death. At a time when no organised Religion

(Ssan ) existed, there was no one to expound any law with authority, and those whowished to follow the law had to listen and follow what was told them by wise birds and

animals. In the Tesaku a J taka, there is a description of hearing and following such an

omen and of the benefits won by doing so. It is told there how Brahmadatta, King of

1. J. V. A. P. 114.2. Thera. I. A. P. 60/ A . II. . P. 1113. Sm. P.10


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Vranas (the future nanda, brother to the Lord), asked the Owl Vessantar (the future

Sriputt ) what a king must do to be a good king, and received the answer:

Pa hameneva vitatha ,

kodha h sa niv raye;

tato kicc ni k reyya,

ta vata hu khattiya 4

That is to say: One who is called a king, lord of the land, in administering his

country must above all restrain himself from false and deceitful speech, from wrath, from

neglecting the country's concerns for indulgence in shows and other sensual pleasures. He

should govern the land following these three rules. The Lord and other wise men have

pronounced these three rules to be those to be followed by kings.

2. Truth for kings

There is no fertility in the lands of kings who do not keep faith and who lie. The

land's productiveness falls off by seven cubits from where men work in their fields and

gardens. Consequently the rice, paddy, vegetables and other tasty foods that are grown in

these lands, the medicinal such as oil, butter, honey, palm and cane sugars, and the three

hot spices, and the animals that have to live upon devitalized foods, all will suffer from

many diseases. If medicines are given for these diseases, the medicines that are given will

have sprung from ground that has no virtue and so they will have no effect and many willdie. Crops will fail and this will lead to difficulty in collecting taxes in full. Kings and

rulers who thus cannot collect their taxes will be unable to pay enough to their ministers,

officers and soldiers to keep their cities secure. Ministers, officers and soldiers who are

4. J. II. P. 01


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inadequate for keeping their cities secure will be unable to perform their offices

properly. 5

They will be unable to frustrate their enemies and to defeat them. Kings who lie

are not people to be trusted - their reputation will be bad. Truly, not only will their

kingdoms be lost, but earth will swallow up in the tomb kings who speak untruly. It will

never be believed that one who is given to falsehood in his words and his actions, who

lies, will turn away from the demerit of ill deeds, as the most Excellent Lord has said in

the Dhammapada scripture.

Eka dhamma at tassa,

mus v dissa jantuno;

viti a paralokassa,

natthi p pa ak riya . 6

That is to say: One who speaks untruly, who dares to violate a single contract, isone who dares to defy the next world - there is none among other creatures who would do

such evil. (For one who transgresses the Truth, and is given to lying, and who is

unconcerned with the life hereafter, there is no evil that he dare not do.) 7

This means that the one who dares to break his word and lie will boldly do it, not

fearing to fall into the ten states of evil and ill-doing. 8 A G th in the Siv r ja J taka

spoken to King Sivir j says that one who breaks a promise to give is destined for hell,even though it was his own property:

5. J. V. A. P. 1186. Dh. P. 39. G th, No. 1767. Dh. (Daw Mya Tin) P. 628. J. III. A. Pp. 434-6 / D. III. P.180/ M. III. P.203


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Yo ve dassanti vatv na,

ad ne kurute mano;

p p p pataro hoti,

sampatto yamas dhana .9

That is to say: Whoever really has said "I shall pay" and has said this clearly, but

intends in his mind not to pay, is lower than the lowest. He is exceedingly low and is on

his way to the admonishments of King Yama in Hell. In the Par bhava Sutta too there is:

Yo br hmana samana v ,

aa v pi va ibbaka ;

mus v dena vaceti,

ta par bhavato mukha .10

That is to say: When a Brahman or a monk, or even a non-religious, asks for food,

anyone who says "I shall give it you" but deceives them with lies, is on his way to ruin.For this reason, future Buddhas who have received the prophecy always shun lies and

untruths. The reason for this is that they cannot be held back from their way to

Enlightenment whether by their own death, through the robbery of their property, through

the violation of their children or the people of their households, or through the drinking of

liquor. Expressed otherwise, drinking liquor to excess, violation of their children or

wives, robbery of property by burglars, all may cause their deaths, but, once they have

received their call, they will not lie, since one who lies can never attain Enlightenment.11

9. J. I. P.317. G th, No. 6210 . Sn. P. 29511 . J. III. A. P. 475


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3. How the peoples of the west abide by contracts

The peoples of the western countries know that speaking the truth and keeping

faith bring great benefits, while untruth is a great fault. They give much importance to

keeping faith. Whatever they have agreed in joint consultation to enact into law cannot be

begged off; there are no exceptions and the law is so enacted. If one or two officials fail

to be present at the time when it has been agreed that they should be, whether for a true

reason or for a false one, they are seen as ones who spoil the business. Any official of one

party, who fails to be present according to his instructions at the time stated, will

prejudice the passage of the law and this may be irreversible.

In this world there are times set for working to achieve benefits. If the work is not

done at the proper time, the time will go by and the opportunity will be lost. If, at the time

proper for sowing a particular crop, the time is let slip, there will be no fruit and all will

be in vain. If the work is not done that would bring in a thousand moneys on a particular

day, it will be lost; if it is done on the next day, it will have taken two days and thethousand that might have been made on the first day is lost. In the life of men, too, from

their birth to their death, nothing of their youth that slips away into the past ever comes

back. Therefore what has to be done must be done without taking time off. It is not right

to let time get away from us. Therefore, there are proper times to work for making the

best of this and of the next worlds 12. It has been said therefore: Mogha k la na

kh yeyya 13 and Ajjeva kicca k tavva , ko ja mara a suve 14- that is "do not let time

pass uselessly and in just today should do your works, which man to know that will bedie tomorrow. In this world, if, of two men engaged in a project one says exactly what he

will do and later forgets and fails to do it, the whole of the work on which they are

engaged becomes useless and fails. If in a major project you speak without meaning it,

12. R jadhamma. P. 205 13 . Satur rakkha. P. 26014 . J. II. P.159. G th, No. 121/ M. III. Pp. 225-6/ Ap. P. 162. G th, No. 246


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you will get much blame. Such blame is not the same as that for speaking untruly, but

one who has spoken cannot recall his words.

When duties are assigned in the presence of an enemy and sectors for guarding are

clearly accepted, if one fails to guard as he had promised and the enemy breaks in his

sector, all is lost. If you are known to have undertaken to do a particular thing, you must

not work for any other purpose; if you do not do as you have said, not only will many of

those who hoped to profit from the project gain less, but the deceived will become an

enemy and in return will work to reduce the deceiver's profit. In carrying on the business

of the world, you must keep to what you have undertaken in the first instance. If you do

not keep your word, it will not be possible to carry through the business and all will be

lost.

Thus the peoples of the West, recognising the important principles that speaking

the truth brings profit and lying brings loss, that failing to keep properly to time brings

loss, and punctuality brings profit, do not go beyond a promised time and, so that work may be done quickly, make use of telegraph lines, steam ships and steam trains. They

also make use of machinery in their work so that it may be done quickly.

Everybody --women, men, important and unimportant people, all carry watches so

as not to miss an appointment. For quick movement, both inside and outside the cities,

roads are well kept. At night, no time is wasted in sleep. At night in every city, lights are

kept burning as bright as day, so that as far as possible trading, services and work may becarried on without interruption and so that thieves and brigands cannot rob nor enemies

make an entrance. We can see for ourselves that it is by this style of work that the

western peoples have surpassingly increased their well-being. For this reason, the first


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way of finding an omen). It is not right to take heed of what is said by one or two of the

people who are taking part in entertainment and to take any sort of action upon it. Action

should only be taken upon the advice of wise ministers who have consulted one another

and given careful consideration to the country's affairs. 18 That is why the Buddha spoke

in verse as follows:

Na tena hoti dhamm ho, yenattha s has naye;

yo ca attha anatthaca, ubho niccheya pa ito.

As hasena dhammena, samena nayati pare;

dhammassa gutto medh v dhamma ho ti pavuccat ti. 19

This is to say that: he is not just if he decides a case arbitrarily; the wise man

should decide after considering both what is right and what is wrong. The wise man who

decides not arbitrarily safeguards the law; he is to be called one who abides by the law

(Dhamma ho). 20

In the Sarabha ga J taka the rishi Kissavaccha was condemned by King Da hak

upon the word of a certain priest and as the result that kingdom was brought to ruin and

the King was cast into the hot ashes; name of a hell. 21 In the M ta ga J taka again,

because the rishi M ta ga was condemned upon the word of some worthless Brahmins

the land was ruined and its King Majja was cast into hell. 22 In the Gha apa ita J taka

the rishi Ka ad pyana was condemned upon the word of a youth in the King's

following, as the result of which V sudeva and a full ten of the King's own brothers wereslain so that his line was cut off. 23

18 . Dh. II. A. Pp. 241-219 . Dh. II. A. P. 241. G th, No. 256-720 . Mt. P. 37221 . J. II. P. 08. G th, No. 70. J . V. A. Pp. 141-222 . J. IV. A. P. 39023 . J. IV. A. P. 89


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These examples must be borne in mind. For this reason a king's first object will be

to avoid falsehood; next, to keep control of his anger and third, to avoid putting any

reliance upon what people of no substance say when they are involved in sensual

pleasures. The J taka Commentaries show that only after these are out of the way should

the country's affairs be dealt with. These then are the three rules of priority in what is to

be avoided. 24

6. Rules of behaviour for kings

After that great King Brahmadatta in the Tesaku a J taka 25 had questioned the

owl, the Lady named Ku lin asked S lik ma(Indian grackle) , who was to be reborn

as Uppalava , about the duties of a king and Indian grackle replied in these two

G ths:

Dveva t ta padak ni,

yattha sabba patihita;

aladdhassa ca yo l bho,

laddhassa cnurakkha .

amacce t ta j n hi,

dh re atthassa kovidhe ;

anakkh k tave t ta,

asoe avin sake .26

24 . J. V. A. P. 11725 . J. II. P. 0226 . J. II. P. 02. G th, No. 15, 16


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That is to say: "O King, my father, whoever puts forth an effort to win a country

that he does not already hold, or else is in watch over the country that he does hold, such

as these have two rules to follow. Both these rules set a firm foundation for all sorts of

well-being.

"Can you, O King, my father, recognise ministers who know how to avoid ruining

the country? Who do not exceed in liquor or in sensuality with wives and children? Who

do not gamble or play games of chance? Who do not use deceit or fraud? Who are skilled

in providing for the country's economy and who are wise?" This means that if you can

recognise such a minister, you may entrust the country to him. The G th goes on to say:

M t ta issarohm ti,

anatth ya pat rayi;

itth na p ris naca ,

m te si dukhudarayo .27

That is to say: O King, my father, in your authority does not expand the glory of

power without working for the well-being of all creatures. Do not act to increase the

misery of women or of men either. Do not use the glory of authority to cause misery.

7. A kings five sources of power

It is then told how King Brahmadatta asked the parrot, Ja vuka, who was to be

reborn as the Lord, which of all the kinds of power should be best regarded and the parrot

replied:

27 . J. II. P. 03. G th, No. 23


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1. In this world, among those who are respected kings, power takes five forms. Of

these, the first, bodily strength and weight of arm, is said to be the least important.

2. For kings who are long-lived, there is also the resource of their armed forces

and their solid revenues, which is called the second. For kings who are long-lived,

association with wise ministers of long experience is a source of strength and this is

called the third.

3. One who descends by both parents from an untarnished line and has the force of

a good family will not be wrong in taking confidence from this source of strength, which

is the fourth.

4. Those who have all these four sources of strength will still be mastered by a

wise man through his wisdom. Therefore, wherever the power of wisdom appears it will

be a power that masters the other four sources of power. Why is this? Because a wise

man, trusting in the power of his wisdom can bring prosperity.

5.Those who do not have the power of wisdom, even though they may be lords of

excellent countries, rich with gold, silver and peoples will lose their lands when there

comes one who is wise and unwilling to be ruled by fools; he will master them and rule

their lands.

6. The kings who ruled in the land of K si in the country of V ranasi had all thepower of a pure and noble line, but their princes were poor in wisdom and, after they had

won the country, there was no long life for the country that they had won. (This means a

splitting of the country and death for themselves.)

7. It takes wisdom to interpret the texts of the Scriptures. Wisdom brings good

fame and can bring increased wealth to enjoy. In this world, one who is endowed with


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wisdom may find himself in poverty, but he will find his way to comfort. (To illustrate,

when the learned Mahosad was besieged in the city of Upak r and was in danger of

death, he could save himself as well as all the princes.) 28

8. Attaching oneself to a teacher of wisdom, and failing to learn from him leaves

one with no part in the many benefits of learning. Those who cannot take part in the

discussion of books and of the scriptures cannot win any good in this world or in the next.

9. Scholars who can apply a critical analysis to the texts of the Law (this does not

include mere smatterers) will get the results that they want from their studies, as they are

never idle, never letting the time for study pass by and always, at the proper time exerting

themselves to the utmost. (This means that it is only the wise who gain their ends by

devoted study - fools may devote themselves to study, but they will gain nothing from it.)

10. Those who follow a bad way of life and those who associate with such people

will never achieve the good results that are achieved by those who act well at the propertime and those who associate with such people.

11. One who devotes effort to applying the Law of Impermanence and the rest of

the Law to his own self and who associates with monks of the same principles and

conduct and, when the time comes for a good action, will not act to the contrary, will gain

many benefits.

12. My lord King! There is a set of wise principles for the exercise of strength at

the right time for such action; for lawfully protecting territories and wealth won in time

past by one's past virtues. Will you not, O King, in protecting them, follow the way of the

five sources of strength of which I have spoken? Do not waste yourself in improper

28 . J. VI. A. P.309


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As we work to obtain the Fruit of the Path, the first among the four stages on the

Path (Traditionally the four stages of the Path are: 1. Stage of Entering the Stream, 2.

Stage of the Once-Returner, 3. Stage of the Never-Returner, and 4. Stage of the

Arahat.), 34 the stage of Stream Attainment, can be reached by discarding scepticism and

the illusion of self. But we cannot discard scepticism and the illusion of self just by alms-

giving, by establishing a religious life, or by working over the forty subjects 35 for

meditation; the branch of industry. 36 They can only be discarded through the ten stages of

vipassan 37 (insight meditation) knowledge ( a). 38 We have to realise that in this

world, just as one relying on a sailing ship or a steam ship will travel faster than a row

boat or a paddleboat, so knowledge will go ahead of mere endeavour. In weaving a fabric

of wire or cotton or silk, the product of a skilled worker will be many times more

valuable than that of an ignorant worker.

In the eightieth Nip ta, the Mahaha sa J taka, relates how Devadatta urged on

King Aj tasatru to use the N g ri elephant to attack the Most Excellent Lord while he

was living the life of religion in the Ve uvana Monastery, preaching the good life tospirits, men, Brahmins and all living creatures, and how the Lord's brother, nanda,

stood in front of the Lord, ready to give his life in his stead; the J taka goes on to tell that

an earlier age the Buddha of the future, then the Royal Golden Goose, met the great King

Sa yama, ruler of V ranas , and gave these replies to the King's questions:

1. That is to say: The King asked the Golden Goose, "Can your royal power

indeed secure public health? Can you really avoid epidemics? Your people in this K siarea are loaded with wealth and jewels; can you truly instruct them through the Law

(Dhamma)?"

34 . Sa gaha. P. 0535 . Sa gaha. P. 5836 . Sa gaha. P. 6637 . Sa gaha. P. 6338 . Abhi. I. A. Pp. 201-2


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9. The King - Can you truly respect the eminent and virtuous among your scholars

and pick them out for promotion? Can you manage to avoid the company of the foolish

and the stupid? Could you ever really reject the ways of virtue and follow the way of the

wicked?

10. The Golden Goose - I promote eminent and virtuous scholars and respect

them. I do not associate with fools or the stupid and I avoid them. I follow only the ways

of virtue and I reject the ways of the unvirtuous.

11. The King - How should one who is a king, master of the land, and look upon

the life that stretches far before him? (This means that nowhere in the world is a man's

life secures: before long he will die. He must carry his death in his heart.) If he looks for

forgetfulness in drunkenness and sensuality, how can he look to the future without fear?

12. The strong-winged royal Golden goose replied - I look at my life far into thefuture. I am firm in the ten rules of kingship and I have no fear of falling into the four evil

states in the future.

13. Taking a lead from this conversation between the Golden Goose and King

Samyama, we can say that the business of ruling a country and the selection of a Queen

and of ministers are governed by the ten rules of royal conduct. The purport of these ten

rules of royal conduct is set out. This may be paraphrased:

Dna sla pariccga ,

ajjava maddava tapa;

akkodha avihisaca ,


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khantica avirodhana .

1. D na- in a land that seeks to use its wealth properly, religious charity and givingto the virtuous is never forgotten. Even the royal revenues may be so used in giving.

2. S la - all religious duties are maintained in public practice.

3. Paricch ga - in addition to the respectful giving of religious alms to deserving

recipients, support is provided beyond the religious obligation, whether to the king's

ministers or to the street begger.

4. Jjjava - the king is upright, speaking without ambiguity or deception.

5. Maddhava - the king shows a disposition to act gently and kindly with good

intentions.

6. Tapa - besides the public following of religious practices, there must also be an

internal religious life.

7. Akkodha - the king is always ready to restrain his anger and to conciliate hispeople in general loving-kindness.

8. Avihisa - the king must be free of any taint of cruelty and show mercy in a

spirit of compassion towards the common people.

9. Khant - the king shows forgiveness of the actions of his women, courtiers and

ministers, according to what is right.

10. Aviroddhana - the king must never antagonise his people, but must try to carry

them with him in his plans.

The last of these ten rules for royal conduct, called Avirodhana, does not apply

only to Padesar jas, monarchs or even Sakka (king of Devas) the Lord himself when

formulating his Law fell in with the inclinations and capabilities of living beings. If he


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had not preached according to the hearers' 39 learning capacity, all creatures would not

have been able to receive the Law of Release. For this reason the three sections of the

Piaka(a basket; a container; one of the three main division of PiCanon.) contain

instructions -- somewhat at length for those that asked for a full explanation, at medium

for those that preferred it moderate, and brief for those that needed a short course 40 .

14. The Golden Goose -. "For myself, I act thus. I observe these ten established

rules of good deeds and for this reason I am loved and of this I am not a little glad."

If you set these ten rules of royal behaviour firmly in yourself and observe them,

you need have no fear of death, or of falling into an evil state in a future life. Besides this

you will have a straight course to the country of the spirits, which will be no small cause

for gladness - this is the meaning. 41

9. Kings should not oppose their people, but conciliate

If a ruler does not observe the principle of non-opposition, but goes against his

own people, they will hate him and, finding a leader to their own mind, will bring down

that ruler. If he is a ruler too powerful for his people to bring him down, they will leave

for another country and their own country will be diminished 42 . It is not possible to

calculate how much has been lost by going against the people of the country. It will

mostly be found in the J takas and in the Chronicles. We can even see for ourselvespretty well too. The most Excellent Lord formed the intention of showing that, out of the

ten rules for the behaviour of kings, that of conciliation, called Khant , is not only

observed by tributary kings, sole rulers and emperors, but that in the spirit world too, its

39 . M. I. . P. 6640 . Vis. II. Mah . P. 38941 . J. II. Pp. 96-7. G th, No. 164 to 17742 . A constant problem for the Burmese government during C19.


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king, Cakkavatti, gives it the highest importance. Accordingly, while he was leading his

religious life in the Jetavana Monastery in the Sravasti country, the Lord uttered the

words:

Bhutapubba bhikkave dev s rasang mo sam pabyuho ahosi 43 followed by the

rest of the story, which is: Monks, in times long ago, the Devas and the As rs were at

war and were attacking each other. At this time the king of the As rs set aside his plans

for a direct attack on Sakka and said: We will gain victory in this war with pleasant

speech.

Sakka replied to Vepacitti, the leader of the As rs, Very well, then; win this war

with pleasant speech! and he gave him leave to start. On both sides the soldiers, the

Devas officers and generals, crowded in together to find out who was going to say what

and Vepacitti, the king of the As rs, said to Sakka Go ahead, you speak first. Sakka

replied, You, the As rs, came before we, the Devas, did. Will you please speak first!

Vepacitti, king of the As rs then, intending to speak well, recited:

Bhiyyo b l pabhijjheyyu,

no cassa paisedhako;

tasam bh sena daena,

dh ro b la nisedhaye ti .44

That is to say: -- When fools go wild and cannot be dissuaded from their folly,

then the wise must restrain them with the heaviest punishments. Monks! When the

Asrs heard the G th pronounced by Vepacitti, their king, they were delighted and

gave him much praise. The Devas on the other hand were quiet.

43 . S. I. P. 22244 . S. I. P. 223


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Vepacitti, the As r king, then said, Go on, Sakka, and say your piece! After he

had spoken, Sakka recited his best G th

Etadeva aha mae,

b lassa paisedhana ;

para sakupita atv ,

yo sato upasammat ti.45

That is to say:-- If he be mindful, the wise man in face of a fool who is angry

recognizes that the fool is angry and does not respond with anger on his side, but tries for

a peaceful conciliation. Such peaceful conciliation without anger, he believes, will

admonish and restrain the fool.

Monks! When Sakka had recited this G th , the Devas praised him while the

Asrs stayed quiet. Sakka invited Vepacitti, the As r king, to recite another G th andthe As r king responded

Etadeva titikkh ya,

vajja pass mi v sava;

yad na maati b lo,

bhay my ya titikkhati;

ajjh ruhati dummedho,

gova bhiyyo pal yinan ti .46

45 . S. I. P. 223


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That is to say: -- Sakka fears our power and so is conciliatory. Whenever some

fool sees him in this light, just as the herd-leader runs ahead of a runaway cow and makes

her follow in line, so that fool will get ahead of him and give him a rough time. Our

Asr King sees it a fault to accept insult from trying to conciliate a fool. After this, to

resolve the matter Sakka recited another G th :

That is to say: Whether or not you believe that it is because we are afraid of you

that we are conciliatory, you still think that your good is yours and yours only. (This

means believing that between the good of another and one's own good, one's own is to be

preferred). But among all the benefits that you yourself gain, there is not one that is betterthan the benefit of reconciliation. (This means that the benefit of reconciliation is greater

than any of your personal benefits.)

In truth, if one who has great strength concedes to one who has less strength, that

concession of the stronger to the weaker is the more valuable concession, so the Lord and

other good men have told us. The weaker will always be in his debt. (This means that,

since if the stronger overbears the weaker, the weaker who submits to being thus

overborne cannot reverse the situation; he will have to submit to being permanently

overborne. Even if he does not want to submit, there is nothing that he can do about it.

And so, if there is reconciliation, it will not be for Khant . If he actually has any

strength, any reconciliation will be reconciliation with the violence and rebellion of the

weaker. Reconciliation through goodwill and Khant is better.) A fool with strength is

still a fool. Since none of the five strengths of a king and none of the seven strengths of

the virtuous enter into his strength, he has no real strength -so the Lord and other good

men have told us. Only one who has great power of wisdom and who follows the

Religion has real strength, which will never grow less.

One who loses his temper in response to one who has lost his, since his loss of

temper is a reaction, will be ruled by the one who grew angry first - he will be his

46 . S. I. P. 223


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inferior. The one who does not lose his temper in response to a loss of temper by the

other will be the winner in the battle.

A wise man watches himself and he will recognise when the fool he is dealing

with is losing his temper and will not lose his in return, but quietly accept the situation.

Only by such quiet acceptance of another's anger can the well-being of both, his own and

the others, be saved. There are fools who know nothing of the rules of conduct of the

virtuous. Such people consider foolish the good men who have regard for the well-being

both of themselves and of others. (To act upon the principle that one's own benefit and

the benefit of another can both be secured is the basis of conciliation. Fools think thoseare foolish who work to secure both - this is the meaning)

Thus Sakka and the As r King, witnessed by the generals and soldiers of their

armies, contested which of them could speak best. They swore oaths and made their

speeches. That of the As r King concerned punishments; it concerned weapons; it

concerned how resistance could not be ended except by force. Sakkas speech brought in

no punishments; no weaponry, no forceful attack upon resistance; it concerned ideas of

bringing enmity to an end by conciliation. The leading warriors on both sides drew their

conclusions.

The most Excellent Lord thus told how in this way the King of the As rs was

defeated. Monks! It was thus that the ruler of the Devas, Sakka, gained the victory, by

his good speech.

On the strength of this text we must realise that tributary kings, monarchs,emperors, the Supreme Lord himself, all possible ranks of royalty from Sakka down must

hold conciliation as of the greatest importance. 47

47 . S. I. Pp-223-4


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10. Seven means of gaining an advantage

The Abhid nappad pik commentary describes seven devices for getting the better

of an enemy:

S ma d naca bhedo ca,

da o ceti catukkaka ;

m yopekkhindaj laca,

sattop y pakkitit .48

That is to say: S ma, the device of "agreement"; D na, the device of "giving";

Bheda, the device of "breaking an agreement"; Da a,the device of "punishment";these

are four devices of one kind. My

, the device of illusion, the glamour that comes from

the Maya as rs49; Upekkh , the device of "unconcern"; Indaj la, the conjuror's art,

making one's appearance greater, to terrify the enemy- these are said to be the seven

devices. " Arivijaya upagacchanti eteh ti up y ."50 Since, according to the meaning of

these words, these are the ways to defeat an enemy, they are called the "Seven Devices".

(1). The device of agreement (S ma)

Among these seven, the device of S ma has five modes, thus:Aamaopak r nam,

dassana gu akittina ;

sambandhassa samakkh na ,

yati sampak sana ;

48 . Abhidh na. . P. 24349 . Abhidh na. . P. 34450 . Abhida na. . P. 241


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v s pesal y s dhu,

tav ham ti sappa a ;

iti s mavidha hi,

s ma pancavidha mata .

This is stated in the Abhidh nappadipik Commentary. 51The meaning is:

If two people wish to negotiate an agreement, then wise men who know how to

exert themselves in the S ma device must use the five methods that are included in it -

that is, by exchange of gifts and assistance; by propaganda, building up the reputation of

the one who wishes to make the contact; by propaganda again, magnifying the

advantages of agreeing to negotiate; after agreement on negotiations has been reached, by

praise of the benefits expected from them; by friendly messages from the one who

negotiates from a distance, such as "I am at your side". These are known as the five

modes of the S ma device.

Two parties who want to negotiate an agreement through the Smaup

ya will

speak of benefits and help to be given one to the other; they will praise the good qualities

of those who thus negotiate and also the work being done in the negotiations. This is all

apart of the S maup ya.

Where strengths are equal but an agreed assessment has broken down; where there

has been a defeat by an enemy; or where there has been a realisation that there would be a

positive advantage from entering into an agreement with another prince - it is in suchcases as these that the S maup ya comes into use. In its use the five modes of which we

have spoken are employed.

51 . Abhidh na. . P. 242


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(2). The device of giving away (D na)

The D naup ya also has five separate modes, described in the

Abhidh nappad pik commentary 52 as follows:

Yo sampattadhano saggo,

uttama majjhim dhamo;

patid na tath tassa,

gahitass numodana ;

dabbad na mapubbaca,

saya g happavattana ;

deyyassa pa imokkho ca,

d na pancavidha mata .

That is to say: Relinquishing or handing over whatever has been won, cities or

wealth, great, medium or small; the making of a return gift; giving praise to one who

wishes to exchange something of yours for something of his, saying that you would bedelighted to do it; giving away a special, novel and unique material for use and accepting

whatever he who wants it has brought; releasing a debt that should be paid - these are the

five modes of the D na up ya.

This Up ya is to be used if there is an enemy of equal power who intends to attack

you; or if there is one of greater power. Among the five modes, that of making an

immediate grant of something and that of voluntarily granting something when a desirefor it has been expressed, these two are particularly useful.

(3). The device of breaking up an alliance (Bheda)

According to the Abhidh nappad pik Commentary, 53 the Bhedaup ya has its own

three modes:

52 . Abhidh na. . Pp. 242-3


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Saneh rog panayana ,

samh sopp dana tath ;

antajjanaca bhedoya ,

vi hi tividho mato.

That is to say: Those skilled in the Devices know that the Bhedaup ya has three

different modes; First, tale-bearing to break up the friendly relationship between two

parties who are in agreement; second, inducing one party in a friendly relationship to feel

more favourably towards oneself than towards his original partner; third, insinuating

suggestions that will cause fear that one of the parties is seeking his own benefit and that

when he has got what he wants he will break the relationship.

The Bhedaup ya is clearly a matter of falsehood and Pisu avc (slander). It is

therefore counted in religious books as one of the four types of evil speech. Regarding the

four types of pisu avc , it is said in the Dhammasi gaAhakath 54 and other

commentaries: 55 Among these four types of evil speech, there is the dirty mind of the

man who hopes either to break up a relationship between others, or to win love for

himself, and so energetically uses all the resources of his mind and body for this purpose.

This is called Pisu avc . (In this connection, the word V c does not refer to

speech: it refers to will and disposition of mind). In this Pisu avc , if the association

that is severed was of small value, the blame is slight: if it was of great value, the blame

is heavy. Arahants and monks should act in accordance with the precepts of the Vinaya asa united body, and their union is therefore known as the Sa gha. 56 Among all the unions

in the world, the union that is the Sa gh is of the highest value. 57 If it were to be divided

so as to break up the community of the Sa gh , that would be a Bhedaka of the Sa gha.

53 . Abhidh na. . P. 24254 . Abhi. I. A. P. 14255 . D. I. A. P. 73/ S. II. A. P. 136/ Nd. A. P. 10056 . A . II. A. P. 991/ Ka kh. P. 8557 . Sa gaha. P. 73/ M.IV. A. P. 225/ Ud. A. P. 218/ Ka kh. P. 85


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Its perpetrator would have no reincarnation; he would truly have fallen into the greatest

of all sins, the nantariyakamma. 58

If there has been a breakup of an association by means of one of the three modes

of the Bhedaup ya, such as Pisu avc , those who were once united become separated.

But those whose association is thus practised against may come to realise that the whole

purpose of the operation was to divide them. They will then see that their enemy believes

that once the association is broken he will become popular and will be able to enter into

it. Once they realise that he is using all his energy in the Bhedaup ya as one of the four

modes, just for popularity, and that this is the meaning of the attempt, the association will

not be broken by mere words. If they allow themselves to be divided, it will be a victory

for words. 59

As I have said, there are two ways of so working for division. Of the two ways,

one is to work on creating divisions in the minds of its members when their association is

in agreement and so too strong to defeat. The other way is, when the association has oneor two powerful members, to create devoted factions. This is how divisions are made: as I

have said, there are three methods, and one of these methods has to be selected. 60

Although in Theravada countries the word Sa gha has the very specific meaning of the

whole body of monks, its basic meaning is a coming together or junction. Causing a

break in the religious community is one of the unforgivable sins.

(4). The device of punishment (Da a)

According to the texts, the Da aup ya has three modes, thus:

58 . A . III. P. 316. / Vi. IV. Pp. 369-37259. Abhi. I. A. P. 142

60 . Abhid na. . P. 242


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Vadhottha gahana ceva,

parikaleso tatheva ca;

iti da a vidha hi,

da opi tividho mato. 61

That is to say: People recognise as modes of the Da upya, first, killing, whether

openly done, or in secret; then, depriving him who is to be punished of his well-being or

of his possessions; in addition and lastly, harassing him by generally confining and

attacking him. The Da upya then is said to have three modes.

Of these three modes, killing is referred to as Vadha and openly killing is

Pak savadha, while secret killing is Apak savadha. This mode of the Up ya serves to

dominate an enemy who is to be conquered by insulting him and putting him in fear. In

the use of the Da aup ya, the punishment delivered must be proportional to the offence

- he who deserves death is killed - he who deserves deprivation of property is deprived -

one whom it is right to bind and beat is attacked or imprisoned. In this way, action must

correspond to the offence. It is not right to inflict punishment on one who gives nooffence, whether from relying on the word of another, or from accepting a bribe from

another, or in accordance with one's own private grudge. You may ask why? It is because

if punishment is inflicted on one who does not deserve it, he who is so punished will get

it back ten times over. King Kosala captured five hundred brigands who had taken a

thousand pieces of money from heretics to kill Moggal na, but when the Lord heard of

their being killed he said "Because of this punishment that has been given to the five

hundred robbers who killed my dear son, Moggal na, there is a ten-fold penalty to bepaid." So the story is told in the Dhammapada scripture.

Yo da ea ada esu,

appadu hesu dussati;

dasannamaatara th na ,

61 . Abhid na. . P. 242


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khippameva nigacchati.

Vedana pharusa j ni ,

sar rassaca bedana ;

garuka v pi v da ,

cittakkhepanca p pu e.

R jatov upasagga ,

abbhakkh naca d runa ;

parikkhayaca t na ,

bhog naca pabha gura .

Athavassa ag r ni,

aggi dahyati p vako;

k yassa bhed duppao,

niraya sopapajjati .62

That is to say: He who does harm with weapons to those who are harmless and

should not be harmed will soon come to any of these ten evil consequences: He will be

subject to severe pain, or impoverishment, or injury to the body (i.e., loss of limbs), or

serious illness (e.g., leprosy), or lunacy, or misfortunes following the wrath of the king,

or wrongful and serious accusations, or loss of relatives, or destruction of wealth, or the

burning down of his houses by fire or by lightning. After the dissolution of his body, the

fool will be reborn in the plane of continuous suffering (Niraya).

62 . Dh. P. 33. G thNo, 137-8-9-40


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Therefore extremely careful consideration must be given to cases where

punishment is to be inflicted. Because of their ability to impose punishments on many

people, kings and their ministers in power, more than anyone else, must consider such

matters carefully. 63

There are six matters that kings and ministers have to think about carefully: 1.

Rewards 2.Punishments 3.Blame 4.Praise 5.Demotions 6.promotions. 64 If one who does

not deserve punishment is punished, not only will the punisher incur the Ten Punishments

of which we have spoken in the G th above, but he will be hated by all who hear of it.

If, again, one who does not deserve it is rewarded, those of the like ability will be

discouraged. It is the same with blame and praise, demotion and promotion, and this must

be kept in mind. It is said, therefore, R j na s dhu anisammak r ,65 which is to say "A

king who hands out punishments without thought and consideration, along with the rest

of the Six, is no good king."

(5). The device of illusion (M

y

)In the device of illusion, there are very many modes. The N ti books 66 say:

Devat patim thambha,

susirantaga narehi;

pum th vathasamvito,

nisi abhutadassana .

Vet lo kva pis c na ;dev naca sur pat ;

63 . J. I. P. 35664 . Kavidappa a. P. 15465 . J. I. P. 10966. It does not seem as though later generations have taken good care to preserve the meanings and implications of the N ti books in Burmese literature. They are books that give the means of control of the organisation of all thepeoples of Burma. It is similar to the dassana on government that have appeared at various times among thewestern nations, dealing with questions that had to be faced about the country and the countrys power. Anexamination of the N ti literature can provide an approximately correct idea of the politics of Burma in the past.


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icch dim y vieyy ,

m nus narehi cara .

K mato r padh ritta ;

satt satta smambu vassana ,

tamo nil nat ceva,

iti m y ca m nus . 67

That is to say: Deceptions through people who can get inside the hollow image of

a spirit; or of a pillar and make it move; through males who can play a woman in dress;

by making impossible marvels appear at night; by appearances of cremations of dead

bodies in various places; of demon shapes from out of the earth, or of spirits - such

illusions as these are recognised among men as M y .

Taking what shape one pleases, creating a real or illusory rain of gunshot or

stones; hiding in a pall of mist - such illusions as these too are recognised among men asMy . The meaning of this verse is that there are two types of M yupya, the device of

illusion: one is that which can be carried out by men, the other that which can only be

done by spirits. Of these two types, that which can be done by men, is that of the illusions

which naturally lie in man's capacity - the other is of those which depend upon charms,

spells, incantations and mantras and drugs. Those which men can encompass include

using men slim enough to get inside the hollow images of spirits or of the Lord, hollow

pillars and hollow trees and making them speak as they will to people who come toworship; dressing men of womanly appearance in women's dress and sending them into

places where men may not go, but women may, in order to spy; in the dark hours of night

scaring the enemy by making unheard of and impossible images to appear; producing

appearances of earth demons in the enemy's cities and armies, so as to cause panic such

illusions as these are within men's abilities. The ability to change shape at will, to a

67 . Abhidh na. . P. 242


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That is to say: Those wise men who know the Upekkh up ya tell us that this

Up ya may take three modes: when the enemy acts in a lawless and unbecoming manner;

when the enemy causes destruction; when the enemy makes a direct attack - and we do

not prevent them, but ignore them.

The meaning of this is that when an enemy acts lawlessly and we do not prevent

him, but ignore him; when the enemy causes destruction we do not try to prevent him, but

ignore him; when the enemy procures others to attack us we take no steps to negotiate

peace with these others, but ignore them - this is the Upekkh upya. 70

(7). The device of magical illusion (Indaj la up ya)

In the books it is said that there are many types of indaj la, conjuring:

Meghandhak ravu hyaggi,

pabbat abbhuta dassana ;

d ra h naca sen na ,

dassana dhajas l na .Chinnap t ta bhinn na ,

sa kh ranaca dassana ;

Itindaj la disassa,

bhiccattamupakappeyya.

That is to say: Causing impossible marvels to occur, like darkening the sky,

bringing rain, even making fire blaze up; making armies appear from far away, showingmassed standards, or mountains of paddy; demonstrating buildings collapsing and arising

again-all such illusions can be used to terrify an enemy and constitute the Indaj la up ya.

At the time when King Su a Brahmadatta and the Brahmana Keva a had

surrounded the city of Mithil with their army of eighteen Akhobi , an appearance was

70 . R jadhamma P. 236


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made of planting rice upon the city wall and making it grow to harvest and one of

planting lotus seeds in the hollow of a bamboo and then plucking lotus flowers from the

bamboo and throwing them at the besiegers - these were examples of the Indaj la

upya. 71 Among these seven "devices", the four which are S ma, D na, Da a and Bheda

are those which are known as the four greater Up ya.

The others, M y, Upekkh and Indaj la are called in some accounts the "lesser".

In the Abhidh napad pik commentary, 72 however, M y and Upekkh are included in

Daa up ya and Indaj la in Bheda. It is for this reason that in speaking of the four"greater" Up ya the three "lesser" are included.

11. Three strengths of kings

In the Abhidh napad pik k books it is said that kings and other rulers have three

strengths:

Pabh vuss ha mant na ,

vas tisso hi sattiyo. 73

That is to say: The strength of majesty (Pabh va satti); the strength of the military

(Uss ha satti); the strength of wisdom (Manta satti) these are the three strengths that are

spoken of in the S letkhandha Commentary. 74 The strength of majesty depends upon the

power that comes from storehouses and granaries filled with paddy and rice, with goldsilver and jewels, upon the ability to keep things in place by punishments - the Da a

upya of which we have spoken - and upon being both loved and feared. It was therefore

said by the teacher known as Bh rata:

71 . J. VI. A. P. 24672 . Abhidh na . P. 24373 . Abhidh na Pha P. 3074 . D. I. Abhinava . II. P. 238


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" pabhuttas dhakatt , da akoso pabh satti " or "Because of its power to complete

the glory of the ruler, the Da a up ya, which fills granaries and storehouses with

wealth, is called the strength of majesty. Valour, the unremitting effort in any kind of

duty and a strong force of armed soldiers constitute the strength of Uss ha. The Bh rata

teacher therefore said: "vikkamabalamuss hasatti" Or "Valour, unremitting effort and a

strong army make up the Uss ha satti." The wisdom which knows the ten rules of royal

conduct, the four rules of Sa gaha and the rest and can so manage the proper government

of a whole country, which does not place high regard on personal wishes and is willing to

consult and discuss with scholars - these make up the Manta satti. 75

12. Places for confidential discussions

Manto ca mantana so tu, catukka o dvigosaro;

tigosaro tu chakka o, rahassa guhya muccate.

In the discussion of matters in deep secrecy, if there are only two people involvedwith four ears open between them, it is called "counsel of a double field with four

corners." If there are three people with six ears between them, it is said to be a triple field

with six corners. These are the two modes. However, in the Amarakosa Abidh na text,

discussion between three people is ruled out. 76

In the Milinda Pah it is said that there are eight places that must be avoided for

discussion of a secret:Visama sabhaya ativ to,

pa icchanna devanissita ;

pantho ca sa g mo tittha ,

75 . Abhidh na . P. 24576 . Abhidh na . P. 246/ Abhidh na. P. 30. / D.I. Abhinava. . II. P. 238


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a hete parivajjiy . 77

That is to say: Rough ground, a place of danger, a windy spot, a place too much

concealed, a spirit shrine, a frequented high road, the edge of a battle field, a cart stander

a boat dock,- these eight places must be shunned.

Among these eight, the outcome of discussions held upon rough ground will be in

disorder and may be lost; if the discussion is held in a dangerous place, because of

nervousness the issues will not be well thought out; in a windy spot words will be hard to

hear; in a place that is too well hidden, eavesdroppers may hide and listen to the

discussion; in a spirit shrine one cannot speak as one wills; there will be no proper

outcome of a discussion held upon the high road- it may be all in vain; there can be no

quiet discussion on the edge of a battlefield - there will be constant disturbance; at a cart

stand or at a boat dock any discussion will be out in the open - there can be no secrets.

The MilindaPah also gives eight types of men who can ruin any discussion:

Ratto du ho ca mumh o ca,

m n luddho tath laso;ekacint ca b lo ca,

ete atthavin sak . 78

That is to say: a man of a passionate disposition; a man given to anger; a foolish

man; a rude man, a man of great vanity; besides these too, a lazy man, a man who has

only a single idea; a child - people of these eight types can destroy the benefit of any

discussion. If such as these enter into the discussion, there can be no discussion and allwill be in vain.

The Milinda Pah also says that there are nine types of men who are bound to

disclose any discussion if they get to know of it:

77 . Miln. Pp. 98-978 . Miln. P. 99


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Ratto du ho ca mumh o ca,

bh r misagaruko;

itth so o pa ako ca,

navamo bhavati d rako.

Navete puggal loke,

ittar calit cal ;

etehi mantita gumhya ,

khippa bhavati paka a ti. 79

That is to say: The greedy man; the angry man; the foolish man; the frightened

man; the man open to bribes and presents; the woman; the man addicted to food and

drink, to whoring and liquor; the effeminate man; the child - there are these nine types of

person and they will put an end to rational considerations, since they are of unstable

mind. People of these nine types will quickly make known any confidential matter.

13. Six points of merit (Gu a) for kings

The Amarakosa say that there are six merits that kings and other rulers have,

namely:

Sandhin viggaho y na,

m sana dvedha m ssayo (chaggu ).80

That is to say: Sandhi gu a is the virtue of bringing things together in

reconciliation; aggressiveness in warfare is the Viggaha gu a; setting out to battle is the

Yna gu a; staying at home to defend one's own land without setting out for battle is thesana gu a; when two enemies are pressing you from two sides, negotiating

79 . Miln. Pp. 99-10080 . Abhidh na . . P. 246


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appropriately and separately with both sides is the Dvedha gu a; when afraid of being

beaten by an enemy, taking refuge with another king of great power is the saya gu a;

these are the six Gu as.

(1).The virtue of Sandhiskill in reconciliation

Among these six Gu as the Sandhi gu a comes into play when one king of great

power is about to be defeated and crushed or where he has been extremely discomforted

in a great war. In the Kamantaki N ti and the Hitopadesa texts these merits are described

as sixteen, thus:

Kap lo upak ro ca,

sant no sa gaho tath ;

upa so pa ik ro,

sa yogo p risantaro.

Adi hanaro adi ho,

attamiso upegg ho;

parikkh ro tatho chinno,

tath ca paribh sano.

Khandh paneyo sandhi ca,

so aso parikittito;iti so asaka p hu,

sandha sandhivicakkha . 81

That is to say: There is the Sandhi gu a called Kap la, generally concerned with

agreements and alliances, described as part of the S ma up ya; there is too the Sandhi

81 . Mmos. P. 161


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gua called Upak ra, concerned with parting with gifts for making friendships, part of the

Dna up ya; the Sandhi gu a called Sant na, concerned with giving away one's

daughters, sisters and so on in marriage for friendship's sake. There is also as a

manifestation of the Sandhi gu a the acceptance of an agreement of friendship,

unbreakable through a whole life time, whether in riches or in poverty, and this is called

Sa gata.

Digression :- (this form of the Sandhi gu a, which accepts the responsibility of

undertaking a companionship for better or worse, with no change of mind, that is not to

be cast off for a whole lifetime, is for the purpose of making a friendship as solid as the

centre of a bar of purest gold, never to be cut in two. Since friendship is like gold, it is

known as Kacana sandhi gu a (golden)".)

If a friendship is made for a particular purpose, with each openly declaring the

benefits to be derived, this is known as the Upa sa (studied) type of the Sandhi gu a. If

a friendship is made on the basis of declared benefits - that "I shall bring you such-and-such new means and I shall rely on your bringing me comparable benefits" then this is

the Pa ik ra (reciprocal) form of the Sandhi gu a. Making an alliance on the basis of

associating with a certain king and stating the particular benefits that will arise from it

and of taking steps to complete it is known as the Sa yoga (bond on even terms?)

version of the sandhi gu a. When two army generals make an alliance in writing, each

setting out his desires, this is known as the P risantara (between men) type of the Sandhi

gua.

And "It is called Adi hanara (the blind man's) gu a when agreement is reached on

such terms as 'you may go ahead and do whatever our enemy's leader requires and enter

into a treaty with him on his terms, but our friendship still holds'". Making an agreement

by transferring by treaty a quarter of the country is the Adi ha form of the Sandhi gu a.

Handing over one's whole army to the enemy and so making an alliance is called the


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Attamisa (mingled selves?) version of the Sandhi gu a. Making an agreement to hand

over one's entire wealth to be dealt with at will, only one's life to be spared, is known as

the Upegg ha (?) type of the Sandhi gu a. Handing over a quarter, a half or even the

whole of the wealth that is in your granaries and your stores and so coming to agreement

is called the Parikkh ra (equipment) type of the Sandhi gu a.

Making the agreement by giving away the taxes and profits arising from the

richest lands is called the Ucchinna (break-up) form of the Sandhi gu a. Besides this,

there is the giving away the whole tax revenue of the country to reach agreement, which

is the Paribh sana (use and enjoyment?) form of the Sandhi gu a. Making an agreement

to serve and oversee the separate movement of tax collections in each year is the

Khandh panaya (mass leading forward?) form of the Sandhi gu a. Thus the Sandhi gu a

has sixteen separate forms, so it is said, and thus scholars call it sixteen-fold. 82

(2). The virtue of Viggaha -- skill in waging war

In the Abhidh napad pik commentary it is said that the Viggaha gu a has three

forms: Apah ralakkha o viggaho, sopi tividho. Pak sayuddha , k ayuddha ,

tu h yuddham ti.

That is to say: The disposition to make war is called the Viggaha gua. This Gu a

has three forms. One of these is to attack openly in open warfare, Pak sa yuddha; the next

is to make the attack with a concealed force, practising secrecy and deception in K a

yuddha. The third is to make the attack without warning, bringing the army forward in anight raid, Tu hyuddha. These are its three separate parts. This Viggahagu a is to be

practised when an opponent of equal or lesser strength behaves rudely and insultingly. 83

82 . R jadhamma Pp. 242-383 . Abhidh na . P. 246


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(3). The virtue of Y na -- skill in offensive warfare

If there is great strength in the power of wealth, in the numbers of valiant men and

bearers of arms, victory will usually follow. A king who has the ability to be victorious

can turn from one country to another so as to broaden his dominions. This power to

advance to the attack and gain victories is called the Y nagu a. In the books it is said that

this Y nagu a takes five forms:

Viggahyo sandh yo tath ,

sambh yotha pasagato;

upekkhiy ceti nipu o,

yana pacavidha mata .

That is to say: The ability to make war and to envelop the whole army of an

enemy with one's own force of men and weapons is that part of the Y na gu a that is

called Viggahya. Put otherwise, the ability to bring face-to-face the whole strength of anenemy with all his allies and all one's own strength and the strength of one's own allies

and to be the superior is Viggahya. Going out with the intention of attacking another

country, finding that the road was cut off and that a return was necessary and

consequently joining in an alliance with the remaining enemy is that part of the

Ynagu a that is called Sandh ya. Joining in an attack with kings who have great power,

near to oneself and who are good warriors is the part of the Y nagu a that is called

Sa bhya. Put otherwise, if an enemy king comes to make war and one advances to meetand challenge him, so that on the two sides the royal nature of both is at a deadlock and

they come to personal combat, that is a form of Sa bhya. In a version different again,

if, being left with very little wealth, one gets together the remaining scraps on one's own

to attack and defeat an enemy king and to gain much wealth, it is said to be Sa bhya.


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Besides these, to gather one's force and cause disturbance in one area and then

make your attack in another is the form of the Y nagu a that is called Pasaga. Going out

to attack an enemy's city and on arrival to realise that to attack would bring little profit,

and so to switch the attack on to an ally of the enemy is the form of the Y nagu a that is

called Upekkhiya. Thus those who have studied the Y na gu a say that it has five

different modes. 84

(4). The virtue of sana -- skill in defensive warfare

This G th should be remembered in connection with the sanagu a:

Viggahyo sandh yo tath ,

sa bh yotha pasagato;

upekkhiy ceti nipu ,

sana pacavidha mata .

That is to say: To ask for an armistice when mutual fighting has become too

burdensome is the Viggahya form of the sanagu a. Put differently, when one has

attacked and enveloped the enemy; to desist further is the form of the sanagu a that is

called Viggahya. Or differently again, when one is unable to sustain the enemy attack, to

retreat into fortifications and hold him there is also the Viggahya form of the sanagu a.

When the strength of both sides is exhausted from their mutual attacks and they

can fight no further, to discuss and arrange an agreement is the Sandh ya form of thesanagu a. King Ud siga formed an association of all his allied kings which stood so

that no single enemy could break it; this was the Sa bh ya form of the sana gu a.

Next, a king who goes to war against one country and remains at peace in alliance with

another is an example of the Pasaga form of the sanagu a. One who goes out

intending to attack his enemy, but finds the enemy too strong for him and so retreats

84 . Abhidh na . P. 246


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without fighting and stays so, is an example of the Upekkhiya form of the sanagu a.

Thus those that have studied the sanagu a say that it has five different forms. 85

(5). The virtue of Dvedha -- skill in dealing with a double attack

One form of the Dvedhagu a is, when squeezed between double attacks by

enemies on both sides, to open negotiations in suitable terms with both sides, offering

personal negotiations. Another form is to come to an agreement with the enemy on one

side and to fight in alliance with him against the other. Another form again is to use a part

of your force to defend your city and to attack with the rest. Acting in such ways suitable

for dealing with a double threat is the Dvedhagu a.86

(6). The virtue of saya -- skill in finding shelter from superior force

Of the sayagu a, one form is to take refuge with and subject oneself to another

prince of great strength because there is a danger that the enemy will be victorious; theother is to take refuge thus when it can be seen that there will be much personal

advantage in doing so. This Gu a has these two forms.

14. P ram Perfections

According to the Cariy Piaka Commentary, P ram are those virtues which are

cultivated with compassion, guided by reason, uninfluenced by selfish motives, and

unsullied by misbelieve and all feelings of self-conceit. There are ten transcendental

virtues, which, in P i, are termed P ram that every one practices in order to gain their

85 . Abhidh na . P. 24686 . Abhidh na . P. 247


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noble gold. P ram ; means work for the welfare of others and work of the noble people. 87

According to the Theravada point of view, in fulfilling P ramitas for the liberation or

knowing, there are three kinds of Buddha: 1.Samm sa buddha, 2. Paccekabuddha and 3.

Svakabuddha. Samm sa buddha means a person who has well known the four noble

truths himself and also uses to preach the Dhamma for all living beings to get their

liberation. He has to fulfill P ramitas for four incalculable periods and one hundred

thousand Kappas (World cycle) for Pa dhika Bodhisatta, eight incalculable periods

and one hundred thousand Kappas for Saddh dhika Bodhisatta, sixteen incalculable

periods and one hundred thousand Kappas for V riydhika Bodhisatta. 88

The second one who has to fulfill P ramitas for two incalculable periods and one

hundred thousand Kappas, indicates a person that has well known the four noble truths

himself. But he does not use to preach the Dhamma to liberate for living beings. 89 The

last one can be divided into three categories of: Aggas vaka, Mah svaka and

Pakatis vaka. Aggas vakabuddha, the eminent chief disciple has to fulfill P ramitas for

one incalculable period and one hundred thousand Kappas. Those who have to fulfillPramitas for one hundred thousand Kappas are called Mah svakabuddhas.

Pakatis vakabuddha means the ordinary Ariy (Noble Man) disciples who attain on

gaining spiritual maturity but they have not fixed duration to achieve their goal. S vaka

also has to fulfill the perfection to achieve knowledge of Arahanta or all knowledge;

therefore we can call him S vakabodhisatta as well as S vakabuddhahood. In this

realization, we have used the word S vakabuddha. 90 According to the commentary of

Sa yutta Nik ya, there are four kinds of Buddha, namely Samm sa buddha,Paccekabuddha, Catusaccabuddha (S vakabuddha) and Sutabuddha:-

87 . D. I. Abhinava . P. 24888 . Thera. I. A. P. 1189 . Nd. II. A. P. 2690.Sn. I. A. p. 46/ Ap.I. A. P.158


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Catt ro hi Buddh Sabaubuddho, paccekabuddho, catusaccabuddho

Sutabuddhatoti. Tattha samati sap ramiyo puretv samm sa bodhi patto

sabaubuddho n ma, kappasatasahass dhik ni dve asa khyey ni p ramiyo puretv

saya buta patto paccekabuddho n ma, avases kh sav catusaccabuddh n ma,

bahussuto sutabuddho n ma. 91

Actually, Catusacca Buddha means Arahanta. So, if the Arahanta also can be

termed as Buddha, and if someone has aspiration to become an Arahanta, he has to fulfill

perfections to be an Arahanta. Till he fulfills these perfections, he is S vakabodhisatta. If

there is Samm sambuddha Boddhisatta, there can be Samm sa buddha as well.

Therefore we can say that fulfillment of the P ramitas to become an Arahanta can be

considered as gaining the Samm sa buddha Boddhisattahood.

Dana s laca nekkhamma ,

pa v riyena pacama ;

Khant sacca adhi h na ,mettupekkh ti te das ti. 92

They are Generosity (D na), Morality (S la), Renunciation (Nekkhamma),

Wisdom (Pa ), Energy (V riya), Patience (Khant ), Truthfulness (Sacc ),

Determination (Adhi hna) and Equanimity (Upekkh ).

1. D naDna or Generosity is the first P rami. It confers upon the giver the double

blessing of inhibiting immoral thoughts of selfishness, while developing pure thoughts of

selflessness. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

91 . S. I. A. P. 2492 . D. II. A. P. 244/ Bu. II. P. 306


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2. S la

Combined with this supernormal generosity of a Bodhisatta is his virtuous conduct

(S la). The meaning of the P i term is discipline. It consists of duties that one should

perform (C ritta) and abstinences which one should practise (V ritta). 93 These duties

towards parents, children, husband, wife, teachers, pupils, friends, monks, subordinates,

etc., are described in detail in the Sig lov da Sutta. The duties of a layman are described

in a series of relationships, each for mnemonic reasons of five items!

3. Nekkhamma

Still keener is the enthusiasm a Bodhisatta exhibits towards Nekkhamma

(Renunciation), for by nature he is a lover of solitude. Nekkhamma implies both

renunciation of worldly pleasures by adopting the ascetic life and the temporary

inhibition of Hindrances (N varana) by Jh nas (Ecstasies).

4. Pa

Nekkhamma is followed by Pa

(Wisdom or Knowledge). It is the rightunderstanding of the nature of the world in the light of transiency (Anicca), sorrowfulness

(Dukkha) and soullessness (Anatta).

5. V riya

Closely allied with Pa (wisdom) is V riya (Energy or Perseverance). Here

Vriya does not mean physical strength though this is an asset, but mental vigour or

strength of character, which is far superior. It is defined as the persistent effort to work for the welfare of others both in thought and deed.

6. Khant

As important as V riya is Khant . It is the patient endurance of suffering inflicted

upon oneself by others, and the forbearance of others wrongs.

93 . Cp. A. Pp. 301-4


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7. Sacc

Truthfulness or Sacca is the seventh Perfection. By Sacca is here meant the

fulfillment of ones promise. This is one of the salient characteristics of a Bodhisatta, for

he is no breaker of his word. He acts as he speaks; he speaks as he acts ( Yath v d

tath k r ; yath k r tath v d ).94

8. Adhi h na

Truthfulness is followed by Adhitth na which may be translated as resolute

determination. Without this firm determination the other perfections cannot be fulfilled. It

is compared to the foundation of a building. This willpower forces all obstructions out of

the Bodhisattas path, and no matter what may come to him, sickness, grief, or disaster

he never turns his eyes away from his goal.

9. Mett

The most important of all Pramis is Mett

(Samskrit Maitri). There is no graceful

English equivalent for Mett . It may be rendered as benevolence, goodwill, friendliness,

or loving-kindness, and is defined as the wish for the happiness of all beings without

exception.

10. Upekkh

The tenth P ram is Upekkh or equanimity. The P i term Upekkh is composed

of Upa, which means justly, impartially or rightly (Yuttito) and Ikkha, to see, discern orview. The etymological meaning of the term is discerning rightly, viewing justly, or

looking impartially, that is, without attachment or aversion, without favour or disfavour.

Here the term is not used in the sense of indifference or neutral feeling. The most

difficult and the most essential of all perfections is this equanimity, especially for a

94 . D. II. P. 80/ D. III. P. 111


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layman who has to live in an ill-balanced world with fluctuating fortunes. Slights and

insults are the common lot of humanity. So are praise and blame, loss and gain, pain and

happiness. 95

chapter 3 (perfect)

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