Buddhism and democracy

Kurt Kankan Spellmeyer has argued that Buddhism and Democracy have gone hand-in-hand since the beginning.

Links between the dharma and democracy have intrigued scholars for generations. Tribes like the Buddha’s could be found everywhere in the 6th century BCE, but the Shakyas stand out because their form of government strikingly resembles that of ancient Athens. According to Buddhist sources, the Shakya republic was governed from its capital, Kapilavasthu, by an assembly (the parishad) of five hundred citizens. Though not as large as the Athenian assembly (with its quorum of six thousand for major decisions), the Shakyan legislature needed an officer to manage the proceedings and so elected a raja, something like our Speaker of the House.[1]

Egon Flaig concurs claiming that early Buddhist practices were an outgrowth from republican city-states of ancient India.[2] He describes them as "often governed by a council of nobles (sabha) made up of male aristocrats, ruling either on its own or with the help of an assembly (samiti)."[2] Ajahn Brahm claims "the longest sustaining democracy in the world in the Buddhist sangha."[3]

14th Dalai Lama believes that the ancient Sangha functioned democratically saying:

The institution the Buddha established was the Sangha or monastic community, which functioned on largely democratic lines. Within this fraternity, individuals were equal, whatever their social class or caste origins...Thus, the Sangha served as a model for social equality, sharing of resources and democratic process.[4]

He believes that both Buddhism and Democracy share a common viewpoint saying "not only are Buddhism and democracy compatible, they are rooted in a common understanding of the equality and potential of every individual."[5]

Buddhadasa P. Kirthisinghe says that the spread of Buddhism led to the spread of Democratic values throughout Asia.[6]

German historian Markus Rüttermann has found in the 12th through the 14th centuries "several Japanese monasteries were making decisions by majority vote."[2] B. R. Ambedkar believed Buddhism to be a Democratic religion which led to his conversion[7] and founding of the Navayana school of Buddhism.

There are many fine examples of when Buddhist values integrate into the government process, to produce transparent democratic states. However, when religious leaders serve as government administrators, without forfeiting their religious authority, we encounter unchecked power. After the 16th century in Tibet, Buddhist leaders were inseparable from government administrators. The concept of samayas, vows to the guru, became a tool for suppressing people's rights and manipulating political authority.[8]

Shamar Rinpoche of the Karma Kagyu Lineage saw religion and politics as working against each other in Tibet. Though Lamas as ruling class gave the country enduring structure and order, the people put unquestioning faith in their spiritual leaders, with very little room for critical judgement of political decisions. These concerns were put forward by Shamarpa at a meeting in Varanasi India in 1998, called by the Dalai Lama. The meeting was attended by heads of Tibetan schools as an effort to better the future of Tibetans.[9]

Though Tibet has been categorized as a feudalistic society, it can be argued that the relationship between peasants and land owners was not involuntary. The free thinking Buddhist society supported autonomy. Peasants had mobility and could own land themselves.[10]

David Kaczynski believes that Buddhism and Democracy need each other saying

The ideal of democracy in the West, with its emphasis on process, inclusiveness and human dignity, is imbued with many of the qualities and insights of the dharma....Can there be a truly democratic politics without dharma in the broad sense? Is there anything more needed in public life than the dharma?[11]

James Kierstead, Senior Lecturer in Classics at Victoria University of Wellington, feels that linking Buddhism and Democracy carries on a tradition that would make the early Buddhists proud.

Actually, if I think about it at all, I feel that the earliest Buddhists, who clearly cared about democratic modes of organization, would approve of the way we do things. I feel as though we’re carrying on their tradition of spiritual equality, and that gives me a lot of contentment.[2]

Mipham Chokyi Lodro, the 14th Shamar Rinpoche, wrote a book, "Creating a Transparent Democracy" in 2006. Shamarpa proposes a transparent democracy where each citizen has self reliance and empowerment through a decentralized government system. Rather than a top down control system, in which power flows down from national, to state to city, the system builds from village level up. Local units on the village level, combine to form the higher levels of government as well.[12] The system relies on the banning of all propaganda, the dissolving of political parties[13] and an education system that teaches competence in governance to all citizens. Transparency and self-reliance are indeed Buddhist values, but also universal... Where Shamarpa's proposal becomes distinctly Buddhist is his definition of the function of law. Protections are provided to the (1)Earth, natural environment, (2)human beings, and (3)animals. The Earth itself serves as the model for an ideal government, and it's the international communities responsibility to protect natural environment.[14]

• Buddhist economics
• Buddhist socialism
• Engaged Buddhism

• Buddhists in a Democracy: Be Political, But Not Partisan