"The Buddha set forth the ideal of a righteous king — a Dhamma-raja — who rules generously for the benefit of his people, in line with the Dhamma, and in return is widely loved by the people he rules. Interestingly, the Buddha never taught this ideal to actual kings. Instead, he taught it to people at large, perhaps in hopes that once the ideal became widespread in the culture, kings would voluntarily respond by trying to live up to it. And although these teachings apparently had little immediate impact in the Buddha’s time, history is studded with a few shining examples of Buddhist kings who, in later centuries, took the deal seriously and tried to follow its guidance in the way they ruled.

King Asoka is probably the best-known example of a Dhamma-raja, but in modern times we have had the example of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who passed away recently at the age of 88."

Läs hela artikeln av Thanissaro Bikkhu på:

http://www.lionsroar.com/on-king-bhumibol-and-the-power-of-goodness/