Le Bouddha et les rois

Abstract

André Bareau, "The Buddha and the Kings". The Buddha spent his long ascetic life (in the fifth century ВС) in the middle Gangetic valley and according to the ancient canonic texts (in Pâli and Chinese translations) he had direct relationships with the kings of the two most powerful kingdoms of this area, Košala in the North-West (whose capital was Srâvastï) and Magadha (capital Ràjagrha) in the South-East. A very large number of texts describe in detail the meetings which took place between the Buddha and Prasenajit, the king of Košala, in the garden of Jetavana, one of the principal centres of Buddhism during the life time of the Buddha. Following the death of Prasenajit and the decline of Koáala, the Buddha and his Community chose Magadha as their new "headquarters". Unlike Prasenajit, Bimbisâra, king of Magadha, does not seem to have had many dialogues with the Buddha, but he was a generous donor at a time when the Samgha was in a settling process. His son and successor Ajátašatru, however, was more interested in his conquests than in the Buddhist Doctrine. In all these encounters it appears that the Buddha never tried to interfere with the kings' ways. Their relationships rested on a particular balance of power, a form of the exchange of gifts, between lay and ascetic followers, which is characteristic of the Buddhist society.