Story from Jataka Tales: The Monkey King with The Buddha’s Guidelines for Good Government
A reflection on practice by Other Teachers & Folks We Value
Long ago, the Buddha was born as a monkey. He was brave & clever, and became the leader of the whole troop. The monkeys lived in a mango tree next to a river, and were very happy eating the delicious fruits. The king of the monkeys told everyone to be careful not to let any of the fruits fall in the water, in case they should come into the hands of humans.
Despite their care, a single mango fell un-noticed into the river, and floated downstream. When it came near to a city, it was fished out & presented to the king. The king took one bite & was completely enchanted. It was the most delicious mango he had ever eaten! He wished to know where the fruit had come from, so that he could have more.
The king took a band of soldiers up the river, to try to find the source of the mango. Eventually they reached the large mango tree, weighed down with fruits, but full also of monkeys greedily consuming the tasty mangoes. The king, wanting all the fruits for himself, ordered the soldiers to shoot the monkeys.
The tree was surrounded, and there was no way for the monkeys to escape. They were terrified, all except their leader. He calmly surveyed his options, and using his immense strength he leapt across the river. Once on the further shore, he found a strong creeper & tied one end around his waist & the other around a sturdy tree. Then he took a huge leap back across the river & grabbed hold of a branch of the mango tree with his hands. There he stayed, making a bridge for his followers.
All the monkeys ran across this bridge, over the river to safety. They tried to go gently, but it was nonetheless very painful for the monkey king. The last monkey to cross was the king’s cousin, a bad-tempered & mean monkey. As he crossed, he jumped on his leader’s back, breaking it.
The king, meanwhile, watched all these events in amazement. How could even a monkey show such compassionate concern for his subjects, he wondered. He ordered the soldiers to help the injured monkey to the ground. He placed the monkey-king on a seat & paid him honor. The monkey king, with his dying breath, gave the human king a teaching about the duties of rulers to look after their citizens.
LINK to discussion of this version of The Monkey King story
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THE BUDDHA’S WISE WORDS ON ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP
In Jataka, The Buddha had given ten rules for good government, known as ‘Dasa Raja Dharma’ [Ten Royal Virtues]. These ten rules can be applied even today by any government, which wishes to rule the country peacefully. The rules are as follows:
Be liberal and avoid selfishness.
Maintain a high moral character.
Be prepared to sacrifice one’s own pleasure for the well-being of subjects.
Be honest and maintain absolute integrity.
Be kind and gentle.
Be kind and lead a simple life for the subjects to emulate.
Be free from hatred of any kind.
Exercise non-violence.
Practice patience.
Respect public opinion to promote peace and harmony.
Jataka III, 274
Regarding the behavior of rulers, Cakkavati Sihananda Sutta further advised:
A good ruler should act impartially and should not be biased and discriminate between one particular group of subjects against another.
A good ruler should not harbor any form of hatred against any of his subjects.
A good ruler should show no fear whatsoever in the enforcement of law, if it is justifiable.
A good ruler must possess a clear understanding of laws to be enforced. They should not be enforced just because the ruler has the authority to enforce the law. It must be done in a reasonable manner and with common sense.
Excerpted from:
“Buddhist Leadership: The Path Leading to the Better Society” by Deepak Prasad Acharya, PhD – Lumbini Buddhist University
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