The Foundations of Buddhism

roo The Buddhist Community

'Yes, I have the bed and chair belonging to the Sangha, which

have been put away. There is nothing else.'

'But I have left my staff, my oil tube, and my sandal bag.'

'Have you collected so much living here for one day?'

Humbled, the visitor declared, 'For those such as you every-

where is a forest dwelling.'

A note on the Sangha and the state

Strictly speaking the Sangha is an autonomous organization and

no provision is made within the Vinaya for formal links with the

state or government. But this does not mean that in practice close

links and associations between the Sangha and the state have not

developed. The history of Buddhism in all the regions of the world

where it has taken root, from ancient times down to the present

day, affords numberous examples of such -links and associations.

For much of its history the Sangha has existed in countries

ruled by a king or emperor. A king may become a patron of the

Sangha granting it his support. Theoretically he may do this as

an individual lay follower (upiisaka), and his individual support

should be possible to distinguish from official state support. In

practice this distinction becomes hard to maintain. For Buddhist

tradition it is the figure of the Indian emperor Asoka who has

become the archetype of a Buddhist king. Asoka reigned c.268-

23 r BCE arid extended the Mauryan empire across nearly the entire
Indian subcontinent. Asoka's rock and pillar edicts, which have
been found in various locations throughout India, indicate that
after a particularly bloody military campaign in Kalinga (eastern
India) he turned to Buddhist teachings and came to regard him~

self as a committed lay supporter (upiisaka) of the Sangha. His

edicts subsequently go on to self-consciously promote Dharma

throughout his empire and beyond, commending in particular

the non-injury of living creatures, the provision of medical care

for the sick, and tolerance among all religious groups, while at
the same time highlighting his own. efforts in these directions.
Although he seems personally to have favoured Buddhism, he
continued to support other religious groups. His edicts are not

so much a bid to convert his subjects to Buddhism as an attempt