and Romila Thapar, have persuasively argued that
Buddhism developed its concept of cakravartin in the
post-As ́okan era on the basic model provided by
As ́oka’s political career and philosophy. They have
pointed out that at the time of As ́oka the Buddhist ideal
of cakravartin was not yet systematized, otherwise
As ́oka would have demonstrated his affiliation with it
in his inscriptions. V. S. Agrawala also subscribes to
this view, noting in his work The Wheel Flag of India
(1964), that As ́oka’s appellation Priyadars ́i and the
name Sudassana,a cakravartin king figuring in the
Mahasudassana-sutta,have the identical meaning of
“good in appearance.” It is also noteworthy that the
career of a cakravartin king in the Buddhist texts
closely parallels the career of As ́oka. Like As ́oka, the
mythical cakravartin kings heed counsel from both
Brahmins and mendicants, work for the happiness of
their subjects, propagate and patronize Buddhism, and
protect the dharma.
Several centuries later, with the rise of powerful
Kushan states whose rulers styled themselves as deva-
putra(son of heaven), and the attendant influence of
foreign ideas and institutions, the Buddhist recognition
of the king’s status as god-incarnate became less am-
biguous, as is testified by the SUVARNAPRABHASOTTAMA-
SUTRA, which describes kings as “son of gods” and “born
in the mortal world by the authority of the great gods.”
Several rulers of Southeast Asia invoked and sought
to trace their ancestry to mahasammata,which rep-
resented to them the first Buddhist ruler in history.
Devanampiyatissa (247–207 B.C.E.) of Sri Lanka was
the first known foreign ruler in history to connect him-
self to As ́oka and to extend patronage to Buddhism.
Soon thereafter, Dutthagaman(107–77 B.C.E.) placed
a relic of the Buddha on his spear to sacralize his war
against the Tamil invaders. In subsequent centuries
rulers both in the THERAVADAand MAHAYANAtradi-
tions employed the versatile symbolism held out by
Buddhism—rulers as cakravartin and as BODHISATTVAs.
The influential Chinese monk Faguo declared, “Em-
peror Taizu is an enlightened ruler and fond of Bud-
dha. He is the Tathagata of today.” Liang Wudi and
Sui Wendi of sixth-century China, King Chinhu ̆ng (r.
540–576) of Silla, Prince SHOTOKU(574–622) of Japan,
Jayavarman II (r. 802–c. 834) of Angkor, and King
Chakkraphat (r. 1548–1569) of Thailand are some
other famous examples of the close interface between
Buddhism and kingship.
See also:Politics and Buddhism
Bibliography
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Basham, A. L. The Wonder That Was India: A Study of the Cul-
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lims.London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1954.
Chakravarti, Uma. The Social Dimensions of Early Buddhism.
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Strong, John S. The Legend of King As ́oka: A Study and Trans-
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Tambiah, Stanley J. World Conqueror and World Renouncer: A
Study of Buddhism and Polity in Thailand against a Histori-
cal Background. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University
Press, 1976.
Tambiah, Stanley J. The Buddhist Conception of Universal King
and Its Manifestations in South and Southeast Asia.Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia: University of Malaya, 1987.
Thapar, Romila. As ́oka and the Decline of the Mauryas,2nd edi-
tion. Bombay: Oxford University Press, 1973.PANKAJN. MOHANKIZIL. SeeCave Sanctuaries; Central Asia, Buddhist
Art inKLONG CHEN PA (LONGCHENPA)Klong chen pa (Longchenpa, 1308–1363) is widely ac-
knowledged as the greatest writer on the Rdzogs chen
(Great Perfection) teachings of the RNYING MA(NY-
INGMA) school of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in
the Grwa valley in the G.yu ru region of central Tibet.
At the age of twelve he took ordination and was given
the name Tshul khrims blos gros. In this monastic set-
ting, he received a thorough Buddhist training, ex-
hibiting a particular talent for composing poetry, a skill
that would continue to shape his later writings.
Klong chen pa had an immeasurable impact on
the development of Rdzogs chen.From the eleventh
through the fourteenth centuries, the snying thigKLONG CHEN PA(LONGCHENPA)