English
(14) 4. The Chapter on Kings 1. The First Discourse on the Turning of the Wheel 131. "Monks, a Wheel-turning monarch, endowed with five qualities, turns the wheel by Dhamma alone. That wheel is irresistible by any hostile human being. "Which five? Here, monks, a Wheel-turning monarch is one who knows the purpose, and knows the Dhamma, and knows moderation, and knows the time, and knows the assembly. Monks, endowed with these five qualities, a Wheel-turning monarch turns the wheel by Dhamma alone. That wheel is irresistible by any hostile human being. "Even so, monks, the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, endowed with five qualities, turns the unsurpassed Wheel of Dhamma by Dhamma alone. That wheel is irresistible by any ascetic or brahmin, deity or Māra, Brahmā or anyone in the world. "Which five? Here, monks, the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, is one who knows the purpose, knows the Dhamma, knows moderation, knows the time, and knows the assembly. Monks, endowed with these five qualities, the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, turns the unsurpassed Wheel of Dhamma by Dhamma alone. That Wheel of Dhamma is irresistible by any ascetic or brahmin, deity or Māra, Brahmā or anyone in the world." The First. 2. The Second Discourse on the Turning of the Wheel 132. "Monks, the eldest son of a Wheel-turning monarch, endowed with five qualities, continues to turn by Dhamma alone the wheel turned by his father. That wheel is irresistible by any hostile human being. "Which five? Here, monks, the eldest son of a Wheel-turning monarch is one who knows the purpose, and knows the Dhamma, and knows moderation, and knows the time, and knows the assembly. Monks, endowed with these five qualities... When he comes, the eldest son of the Wheel-turning King rolls on the wheel set in motion by his father, only by Dhamma. That wheel is irresistible by any hostile human being. Just so, monks, Sāriputta, endowed with five qualities, rolls on perfectly the unsurpassed Wheel of Dhamma set in motion by the Tathāgata. That wheel is irresistible by any ascetic or brahmin, or god, or Māra, or Brahmā, or anyone in the world. With which five? Here, monks, Sāriputta knows the meaning, knows the Dhamma, knows moderation, knows the proper time, knows the assembly. Sāriputta, endowed with these five qualities, rolls on perfectly the unsurpassed Wheel of Dhamma set in motion by the Tathāgata. That wheel is irresistible by any ascetic or brahmin, or god, or Māra, or Brahmā, or anyone in the world. The Second. 3. The Discourse on the King of Dhamma Even that Wheel-turning King, monks, who is righteous, a king of Dhamma, he too does not roll a wheel without a king. When this was said, a certain monk said to the Blessed One: "Who then, venerable sir, is the king of the Wheel-turning King, the righteous king of Dhamma?" "Dhamma, monk," the Blessed One said. Here, monk, the Wheel-turning King, righteous, a king of Dhamma, relying solely on Dhamma, respecting Dhamma, honoring Dhamma, revering Dhamma, with Dhamma as his banner, with Dhamma as his emblem, with Dhamma as his sovereign, he provides righteous protection, guard, and security for his inner circle. Furthermore, monk, the Wheel-turning King, righteous, a king of Dhamma, relying solely on Dhamma, respecting Dhamma, honoring Dhamma, revering Dhamma, with Dhamma as his banner, with Dhamma as his emblem, with Dhamma as his sovereign, he provides righteous protection, guard, and security for his warrior-attendants... ...for his army. among brahmins and householders, in towns and countrysides, among ascetics and brahmins, among beasts and birds. That, O bhikkhu, the Wheel-turning King, righteous, a king of Dhamma, relying solely on Dhamma, honoring Dhamma, respecting Dhamma, revering Dhamma, with Dhamma as his banner, with Dhamma as his emblem, with Dhamma as his sovereign, having provided righteous protection and guard for his inner circle, having provided righteous protection and guard for his khattiya followers, for his army, for brahmins and householders, for towns and countrysides, for ascetics and brahmins, for beasts and birds, he turns the wheel by Dhamma alone; that wheel is irreversible by any human enemy or being. Even so, O bhikkhu, the Tathāgata, Arahant, Perfectly Self-Awakened One, righteous, a king of Dhamma, relying solely on Dhamma, honoring Dhamma, respecting Dhamma, revering Dhamma, with Dhamma as his banner, with Dhamma as his emblem, with Dhamma as his sovereign, provides righteous protection and guard for the bhikkhus: 'Such bodily action should be cultivated, such bodily action should not be cultivated; such verbal action should be cultivated, such verbal action should not be cultivated; such mental action should be cultivated, such mental action should not be cultivated; such a livelihood should be cultivated, such a livelihood should not be cultivated; such a village or town should be frequented, such a village or town should not be frequented.' And further, O bhikkhu, the Tathāgata, Arahant, Perfectly Self-Awakened One, righteous, a king of Dhamma, relying solely on Dhamma, honoring Dhamma, respecting Dhamma, revering Dhamma, with Dhamma as his banner, with Dhamma as his emblem, with Dhamma as his sovereign, provides righteous protection and guard for the bhikkhunīs... for the laymen disciples... for the laywomen disciples: 'Such bodily action should be cultivated, such bodily action should not be cultivated; such verbal action should be cultivated, such verbal action should not be cultivated; such mental action... This bodily action should be done, this bodily action should not be done; this verbal action should be done, this verbal action should not be done; this mental action should be done, this mental action should not be done; this livelihood should be followed, this livelihood should not be followed; this village or town should be frequented, this village or town should not be frequented.” “That Tathāgata, bhikkhu, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, the righteous, the righteous king, relying solely on Dhamma, honoring Dhamma, revering Dhamma, respecting Dhamma, with Dhamma as his banner, with Dhamma as his emblem, with Dhamma as his sovereign, having established a righteous protection, a guard, a safety for bhikkhus, having established a righteous protection, a guard, a safety for bhikkhunīs, having established a righteous protection, a guard, a safety for laymen, having established a righteous protection, a guard, a safety for laywomen, by Dhamma alone sets in motion the unsurpassed Wheel of Dhamma; that wheel is irreversible by any ascetic or brahmin, by any god or Māra, by any Brahmā, or by anyone in the world.” The third. 4. The Sutta on Whatever Direction 134. “Endowed with five qualities, bhikkhus, a king, a khattiya, an anointed ruler, in whatever direction he dwells, he dwells in his own domain. “With which five? Here, bhikkhus, a king, a khattiya, an anointed ruler, is well-born on both sides, from mother and from father, of pure lineage, up to the seventh generation of ancestors, unreproached, unblamed in respect of birth; he is wealthy, of great riches, of great possessions, with full treasury and storehouses; he is powerful, endowed with a four-fold army that is obedient and responsive to advice; his chief minister is wise, skilled, intelligent, capable of considering matters past, future, and present; these four qualities increase his fame. Endowed with this fifth quality of fame, in whatever direction he dwells, he dwells in his own domain. For what reason? For thus it is, bhikkhus, for conquerors. “Even so, bhikkhus, Here, a monk endowed with five qualities, wherever he dwells, he dwells with a liberated mind. With which five? Here, monks, a monk is virtuous, he dwells restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha, endowed with good conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, he undertakes and trains in the training rules— like a king, a Khattiya, anointed, of noble birth; he is learned, a holder of what he has heard, a collector of what he has heard, those teachings that are good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, with meaning and with phrasing, declaring the utterly complete and purified holy life, such teachings are much heard by him, held, recited verbally, examined mentally, well-penetrated by understanding— like a king, a Khattiya, anointed, rich, wealthy, of great possessions, with full treasury and storehouse; he dwells with aroused energy for the abandoning of unwholesome states and for the acquisition of wholesome states, steadfast, firm in effort, not laying down the burden in wholesome states— like a king, a Khattiya, anointed, endowed with strength; he is wise, endowed with wisdom that sees rise and fall, noble, penetrative, leading to the complete destruction of suffering— like a king, a Khattiya, anointed, endowed with a good leader; these four qualities perfect liberation for him. So, endowed with this fifth quality of liberation, wherever he dwells, he dwells with a liberated mind. For what reason? For thus it is, monks, for those with liberated minds. The Fourth. 5. The First Aspiration Sutta Monks, the eldest son of an anointed Khattiya king, endowed with five qualities, aspires to the kingship. With which five? Here, monks, the eldest son of an anointed Khattiya king is well-born on both sides, from mother and from father, with pure lineage, unreproached back to the seventh generation of ancestors, He is unblamed by birth, handsome, good to look at, pleasing, endowed with supreme beauty of complexion. He is dear and pleasing to his parents. He is dear and pleasing to the town and country folk. Whatever are the skills of kings, anointed warriors— in elephants, or horses, or chariots, or bows, or swords— there he is trained and faultless. “Then it occurs to him: