Bodhisattvas at War: Violence and Skillful means

Bodhisattvas at War: Violence and Skillful means

In this excerpt from the Ārya Bodhisattva Gocara Sutra, a Mahāyāna text, a conversation between a king and a bodhisattva is shown, where ethic and the concept of a just war is discussed from a Buddhist perspective:

"King Candapradyota: O Brahmin, if there should happen to be a war, how does a perfectly righteous ruler deal with it?

Bodhisattva Satyavadin: Your majesty, he should deal with it by applying three types of skillful means during each one of the three different periods. These three periods are the beginning, middle, and end.

At the beginning, if a ruler or minister can act as a friendly mediator and settle a dispute, a ruler should apply skillful means and thereby prevent war. If a ruler can placate his opponents and settle a dispute, he should do so and thereby prevent war. If a ruler can show that he has formed an alliance and has threatened the enemy with many more opponents, and in this way can succeed in preventing war, then he should form such an alliance, make threats, and thereby prevent war. In such ways a ruler should apply skillful means at the beginning. If a righteous ruler can not succeed in preventing war, whether by means of friendly mediation, benefitting his enemy, or issuing warnings, then he should wage war, keeping three thoughts in mind.

King Candapradyota: What are these three? As a righteous ruler, do I not cause people to fall into deplorable conditions and do I not neglect the method stopping people from falling into deplorable conditions?

Bodhisattva Satyavadin: First, a ruler must keep protection of the people in mind; second, a ruler must keep victory over the enemy in mind; amd third, a ruler must keep protection of all life in mind. Having these three thoughts in mind, a ruler then can summon the four corps of his armed forces. A ruler should apply skillful means in this way during the middle.

During the final time, a ruler should arrange the four corps according to inferior, medium-grade, and superior soldiers. Inferior warriors should be arranged at the front line with medium-grade warriors behind them, and the calvary should extend behind these two. The ruler along with the superior warriors should remain at the rear. This arrangement will fulfill the ruler’s intention, bring good results, and allow the brave together with the cowardly soldiers to show gratitude, using whatever abilities they have, to fight with courage and also to fight fear; thus they will not be turned back. A ruler should apply his skillful means in this way during the final period.

Although in war, injury and death may be inflicted on the opposing army, a ruler by his skillful means will commit less unspeakable and less nonvirtuous action and may not necessarily experience retribution, since he undertook such measures with heedfulness and compassion.

Because he undertakes these measures for the protection of the people and for the sake of their families, wives, and children without concern for himself or his property and possessions, he greatly will increase his immeasurable merit. Your Majesty, if there is to be war, then a righteous ruler should consider it in this way."

- Ārya Bodhisattva Gocara, The Range of the Bodhisattva Sūtra

"The old rites of [Śiva], which I [Mañjuśrī­] formerly taught, are described, by beings who dwell on the surface of this earth, as Śaivite.

Different rites of great value, taught by me, can be found in the Śaiva tantras."

- Ārya­ Mañjuśrī­ Mūla ­Kalpa, Chapter II, Verse 2.94

This ancient Vedic charm for mending a broken bone is also found in Nordic and Irish equivalents.

https://youtu.be/32FEV1RPiuQ

Head of a Sogdian idol, 5th to early 8th Century CE.

Carved wooden idol, found in a cave at Kuh-i-Surkh, Tajikistan.

If you needed more crazy stuff going on in 2022.

Sessho-seki broke, and Tamamo-no-Mae may have been freed from its prison.

Time for some Matra, Goma and Onymouji Squads to get to work.

Article
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/07/japans-killing-stone-splits-in-two-releasing-superstitions-and-toxic-gases

More information on the myth if you are interested.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamamo-no-Mae

Image: unrelated to the story
A nine-tailed fox spirit (kyūbi no kitsune) scaring Prince Hanzoku; print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Edo period, 19th century.

In addition to this. https://grapee.jp/en/194931

"In Asia there will be a great State from the Pacific and Indian Oceans to the shore of the Volga. The wise religion of Buddha shall run to the north and the west. It will be the victory of the spirit. A conqueror and leader will appear stronger and more stalwart than Jenghiz Khan and Ugadai. He will be more clever and more merciful than Sultan Baber and he will keep power in his hands until the happy day when, from his subterranean capital, shall emerge the King of the World."
- Baron Ungern von Sternberg
[From Beasts, Men and Gods by Ferdynand Ossendowski]

The boar as the symbol of the Dawn Goddess is an interesting interpretation. The Boar is also the symbol of the Germanic God Ing Frey / Freyr who is also associated with the Harvest, sunlight, and as progenitor establishing the tribe or bringing forth offspring. While Ostara / Eostre is the Germanic Goddess for the Dawn the Goddess Freya (the sister of Freyr) is often cross associated with the same aspects. --Temple of the Immovable.

“Spelled Marīci (Sanskrit). Rays of light, the sun’s rays, said to go before the sun; mirage. A goddess, independent and sovereign, protectress against all violence and peril. In Brahmanic mythology, the personification of light, offspring of Brahmā, parent of Sūrya. Among Chinese Buddhists Marīci is represented as a female with eight arms, two of which are holding aloft emblems of sun and moon, and worshipped as goddess of light and as the guardian of all nations, whom she protects from the fury of war. She is addressed as 天后 queen of heaven, or as 斗姥 (literally “mother of the Southern Measure μλρστζ or Sagittarī), and identified with Tchundi and with Mahēśvarī, the wife of Maheśvara, and has therefore the attribute Mātrikā -- Mother of the Myriad Buddha. Taoists address her as Queen of Heaven.” Soothill also identifies Marīci with Saptakotibuddha-mātṛ (Shichikuchi Butsumo Son 七倶胝佛母尊), the fabulous mother of seven koṭīs of Buddhas (70 million Buddha). Other entrees in Soothill’s dictionary say she is known as well as Candī / Cundi 準提 / 准胝 / 尊提 or as Cundī-Guanyin 準提觀音 (a form of Kannon). In Brahmanic mythology, Candī / Cundi is a vindictive form of Hindu goddess Durgā, who can appear in the form of a wild boar."
--- William Edward Soothill via Onmarkproductions https://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kankiten-idaten-other-tenbu.html#marishiten

Narayana by Talon Abraxas

Indra / Śakra "the thousand eyed" ruler of Trāyastriṃśa Heaven.

"There's no samsara or nirvana, only the bliss of primordial awareness that enjoys the miraculous displays of the Dharmakāya" —- https://t.me/vajrarastra