Buddhism as a religion of ‘true power’
May 12, 2008 by Raymond Lam
To most people, a powerful leader who guides and teaches with a benevolent hand is much more deserving of reverence than a tyrant who oppresses with an iron fist. I believe Buddhism is a spirituality/religion that puts one in a position of great power. This power, understood in the context of Buddhism, empowers one with the ability to liberate all sentient beings from suffering. Therefore this is power not in the conventional sense, but understood in the context of Buddhist religious anthropology.
Why did Buddhism open up a path to ‘true power’? We should examine the history of early Buddhism for answers. Before his journey from the palace, Siddartha himself was originally a prince, and princes of the day would have been trained in politics, military strategy, martial combat, and administration. The competition to win Yasodhara as his wife was through a contest of wrestling, riding, and archery against other nobles - those who were Aryans; who had fallen upon weaker classes and subjugated them in the name of ‘our king; our noble blood, our caste’. This understanding of power was of course incomplete, and was only fully refined when Siddartha renounced the very lifestyle which supported this powerful elite. ‘Power’ came into true ontological realization when he gained a cosmic victory against Mara under the Bodhi Tree. Even in Buddhist communities today, people talk of the Buddha’s Enlightenment as a ‘triumph’ over Mara, a ‘victory’, a ‘conquest’, the ‘vanquishing’ of evil. The early model of Buddhist practice, the arhat, means ‘Conqueror’ or ‘Victorious One’ in Pali. Hardly a meek representation of spiritual fortitude, if you ask me.
Seen this way, Buddhism realistically began as a religion amongst aristocratic, royal, military and intellectual elite trained in swordplay, archery, and horseriding; men who were attended to by adoring courtesans and humble servants. They were ‘warriors’ in every sense of the word, who originally looked down on ‘lower’ peoples as scaffolding on which their higher existence had to be built. That is, until one of their own, Prince Gautama, began his own journey to vanquish suffering - a ‘declaration of war’ in itself, by a powerful warrior against an equally, ontologically formidable foe.
Although by the time of his Enlightenment he had relinquished this power, the might of nobles and aristocrats is not simply residual. Many of the original lay and monastic disciples of the Buddha came from rich, noble, or warrior class families. Sakyamuni himself taught often at places equivalent to the Roman villas, and preached the Dharma to queens and kings in their palaces.
From this origin within the noble caste of India, Buddhism derived its spiritual glory and influence, having nurtured in its aristocratic converts a lofty and ambitious spiritual gentleness and love, values that came into a tense co-existence with their own understanding of themselves as ‘privileged’. It is this genealogical existential tension that made Buddhism throughout the ages such an inclusive and ethically universalist religion.
Most religions such as Christianity began as a spiritual rebellion against the oppressive worldly powers; i.e. weak vs. mighty, oppressed vs. oppressor, Jew vs. Roman. Pope Benedict XVI once wrote about God: ‘exterior power is not a sign of his presence.’ Throughout the history of the Jewish people and through to the era of Jesus, God is always siding with the weak and humble in the face of the mighty Egyptians, Babylonians, or Romans. Let me make clear that this is a worthy endeavour and I’m not arguing against it. All religions fundamentally work towards social justice. I’m just stating what I believe is an orthodox interpretation of Judaism and Christianity. But Buddhism, in contrast, was instated by a man born powerful, who most would consider an oppressor by nature: a prince of noble blood. We must not forget that he himself became profoundly aware of suffering even as a young boy, when his father the King took him to a festival, where the weary slaves, farmers and cows who toiled away at the soil distressed him to no end.
Therefore, Buddhism - Gautama’s final answer to this suffering - was born of the noble caste. But in defiance of the religious norms of the day, it accepted disciples of ALL social strata. You can see the ‘benevolent power’ of Buddhism working today in the form of the Bodhisattva. In Mahayana Buddhism, the Bodhisattva has ten ‘levels’ or bhumi to aspire towards over countless lifetimes in her quest to liberate all beings. In religious iconography, 9th bhumi Bodhisattvas like Avalokiteshvara and Manjusri are decked in items symbolic of great ‘worldly’ power, such as jewels and lavish robes. Yet this is fundamentally what distinguishes a Bodhisattva! The religious symbolism is not unintentional!
That is why I do not believe George W. Bush understood what ‘true power’ is when he invaded Iraq and claimed ‘God is on our side’. There is a big difference between a minority of oppressed Christians in Rome singing for God to destroy their enemies and a neo-conservative American president who does the same 2000 years later, except this time with nukes. This is not power, but megalomania.
Because the religion of Buddhism originated with the noble caste, those who were once in a position of worldly power understood how it operated and subsequently, with the exception of some strains of sectarian Buddhism, ‘power’ has been understood correctly as ‘that boon which the powerful can give freely to those weaker and meeker than they’. How could the nobles do this? Because they, having an understanding of Dharma and an understanding of power to begin with, became the most revered leaders. Chief among them are Sakyamuni Buddha, King Asoka, and many untold leaders who have set the path for ‘true power’.
Even now, at this very moment, the noble Buddha is working towards guiding many of the young generation to an understanding of this vision.
In conclusion, power, for me, is to be a Disciple of the Buddha. Through this I can serve the cosmic and sublime Mahayana, the vehicle of emancipation for all sentient beings in all time and space.
[...] Here is my days-old post about Buddhism and power. Do not forget that Buddhism in this world-system was begun by an aristocratic man; at the zenith of Indian caste society. Power is a pre-occupation of the Buddhist mind, make no mistake. Its exercise on those who suffer, and its perpetuation of suffering is what drives Buddhists to work towards the answers. It is true power that Buddhism offers; to channel the means of the powerful and intelligent into protective benevolence and wisdom. [...]