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The Democratic Attitude of the Buddha

By Nand Kishore Prasad

Vol. 37 · No. 2 & 3June & Sept. 1961pp. 111–125English

Summary

The article examines whether the Buddha embodied a democratic spirit in his teachings and the organisation of the early sangha. Challenging claims that he was authoritarian, the author cites Pali texts in which the Buddha urges monks to rely on their own insight and to test teachings rather than accept them blindly. In the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, the Buddha refuses to appoint a successor, placing authority in the Dhamma and Vinaya. The article analyses communal procedures for ordination and decision‑making that required consensus or majority votes, showing that monks shared responsibility for governance. While acknowledging that the Buddha formulated rules, the author argues that he invited feedback and allowed modifications. The article situates these practices within the broader republican ethos of ancient India and suggests that the Buddha’s emphasis on reason and participation anticipated modern democratic ideals.

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Conclusion

The study concludes that the Buddha fostered a culture of free inquiry and shared governance within the monastic community. By declining to centralise power and by encouraging collective decision‑making, he modelled an early form of democratic ethics that continues to inspire contemporary thought.

Key passages

Chosen by AI from the article's text. Each one is checked word for word against the text before it is shown.

  • “‘Be ye not misled by report or tradition or hearsay, 3૮ 006 misled by proficiency in the collections, nor by mere logic or inference, nor after considering reasons, nor after reflection on and approval of some theory, nor because it fits becoming, nor out of respect for a recluse (who holds”
  • ““Dictators who remain in office tend to be corrupted and misled by पीटा own power.”

Works cited in this article

  1. DB, Part 11
  2. Ibid., p. 108
  3. SBE, vol. XXXV
  4. Milindapaniba
  5. SBE, vol. XX

Discussed in this article

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  • Kosambi

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Dynasties, sects & groups

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In this issue

Vol. 37 · No. 2 & 3
93–104Kashmir's Contribution to the Expansion of Buddhism in the Far EastJan Yun Hua101–126Astronomical Evidence on the Age of the Rgveda105–110Place of Rajagrha in the History of Early JainismSanti Mukhopadhyay111–125The Democratic Attitude of the BuddhaNand Kishore PrasadCurrent article126–134Yama and Chinese EschatologySukumari Bhattacharji135–140Coins of the Dark AgeAdris Banerji141–152Some Aspects of Vowel Contraction in PrakritS. N. Ghosal153–159The Place of Tulu in the Dravidian Family of LanguagesU. Venkatakrishna Rao160–164An Unpublished Copper Plate Grant of V.S. 1165 from RajasthanRatna Chandra Agrawala165–176The GarudasSadashiv A. Dange177–182India's Oversea Trade as known from the Buddhist CanonMadan Mohan Singh183–188History of Khandela189–191Two Prakrit Verses on Weighing ScalesMoreshwar G. Dikshit192–196Parsoji BhonslaJohn A. Ramalingam197–202Samvatsaras in the Parivrajaka InscriptionsParmeshwari Lal Gupta203–205Kotera Copper Plate Inscription of Malugideva: Saka Year 1106Bal Chandra Jain206–206On a Verse of the Pila InscriptionsDasharatha Sharma207–209KalapriyanathaShiva Shankar Awasthi210–214On the Interpretation of a passage of HarsacaritaAshok Chatterjee215–216A Newly Discovered Inscription of Samanta Singh of MewarRam Chandra Rai

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