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38 KPI Congress 15 th

Conclusion

In conclusion, in adopting this approach to the topic of ‘Dhammaraja East and
West’ I am well aware that a number of tenuous comparisons and questionable
assumptions have been made. I hope the listener or reader will be indulgent on this
count and rather than focus on these drawbacks consider instead whether the
comparison with Barack Obama has helped illuminate or bring into sharper focus an
ancient concept and its relevance in the modern world. If it has, our experiment can
be judged a success. My own view is that it is difficult to draw meaningful
conclusions from our experiment because of the discrepancy between the complexity
of modern government and the simpler constitutional model on which the notion of
the Dhammaraja rests. Supporters of Dhammic Socialism, on the other hand,
sometimes seem nostalgic for a return to simpler times, such as the days of king
Ramkhamhaeng, but for better or worse those days are now gone, and the political
theory underlying the ideal of the ancient Dhammaraja is simply not sophisticated
enough to address the complex multi-dimensional policy issues that arise in the
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modern nation-state. However, it is still not too late to recover something of the
values which inspired the great Buddhist Dhammarajas of the past and to encourage
our present political leaders to embody the same values in modern political life.

Either way, I hope we have learned something from the comparison. If Barack
Obama falls short of what we expect from a Dhammaraja, we have at least clarified
what it is we expect from a modern political leader, and in so doing tightened up the
criteria by which our democratically elected representatives can be judged. On the
other hand, if it is deemed that Obama meets the requirements for a Western
Dhammaraja, then we have identified a modern politician who embodies the Buddhist
ideal and can serve as an exemplar at home and abroad. My guess is that the great
majority of America’s five million Buddhists, who seem to favour the centre-left
policies of the Democratic party, are already steadfast Obama-supporters. Whether this
is because they are Democrats first and Buddhists second, or vice versa, is a
question it would be interesting to explore on another occasion.

International panel discussion

It may be that Buddhism did not wish to develop a more sophisticated political theory precisely

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in order to avoid a potential source of conflict between church and state. In this it followed the
example of the Buddha who was careful to cultivate good relations with the kings of his time
regardless of his personal views on their morality.