Duty of a Noble Wheel-Turning Monarch

The Perfectly Enlightened One spoke about a Wheel-Turning Monarch of long long ago, this conversation is between the consecrated Khattiya King (Son) and King Dalhanemi (Father).

But what, Sir, is the duty of a Noble Wheel‑Turning Monarch?

“It is this, my son: Yourself depending on The Teachings, honoring it, revering it, cherishing it, doing homage (respect) to it and venerating it, having The Teachings as your badge and banner, acknowledging The Teachings as your master, you should establish guard, security, and protection according to The Teachings for your own household, your troops, your nobles and royal subordinates (vassals), for Brāhmins and Householders, town and country folk, Ascetics and Brāhmins, for beasts and birds.

Let no crime exist in your Kingdom, and to those who are in need, give property.

And whatever Ascetics and Brāhmins in your Kingdom have renounced the life of sensual desire (obsession) and are devoted to patient mental discipline and gentleness, each one taming himself, each one calming himself and each one striving for the end of craving, from time to time you should go to them and consult them as to what is wholesome and what is unwholesome, what is blameworthy and what is blameless, what is to be followed and what is not to be followed, and what action will in the long run lead to harm and sorrow, and what to welfare and peacefulness. Having listened to them, you should avoid the evil unwholesome and do what is wholesome.

That, my son, is the duty of a Noble Wheel‑Turning Monarch.

(Reference: DN 26)

In this Teaching, there is a conversation between a father and son who are the heads of a royal family as Kings.

During the lifetime of The Buddha, a son became a King at a certain age allowing the father to retire. This conversation is between a father and son with the father providing guidance to his son of how to run his Kingdom.

The father is explaining how The Teachings of The Buddha are a central aspect of being a wise King and that his Teachings will provide guidance helping him to be a successful King. The father advises his son to consult with “Ascetics and Brāhmins” “as to what is wholesome and what is unwholesome, what is blameworthy and what is blameless, what is to be followed and what is not to be followed, and what action will in the long run lead to harm and sorrow, and what to welfare and peacefulness”.

The father is advising his son to practice The Teachings of The Buddha sharing “Having listened to them, you should avoid the evil unwholesome and do what is wholesome. That, my son, is the duty of a Noble Wheel‑Turning Monarch”.

A Wheel-Turning Monarch is an individual who is a leader of a large population of people who chooses to guide them based on The Teachings of The Buddha.

During the lifetime of The Buddha, these were actual Kings.

Today, we could think of a President, Prime Minister, Kings, Queens, politicians, and others who lead a large population of people through wise decision making based on The Natural Laws of Existence shared in The Teachings of The Buddha.

A Wheel-Turning Monarch is a leader of a population of people who decides to implement rules for the population based on these Teachings. With their influence to be able to set rules and guidelines for the population, it is seen as beneficial to guide a population of people through these good wholesome Teachings.

These individuals have deep wisdom of The Teachings and choose to practice them for their own life while also making decisions about their leadership of a large population of people based on The Natural Laws of Existence, specifically, The Natural Law of Kamma.

They are a role model of these Teachings, in that they are setting an example for others to observe that benefits the population of people through more closely understanding how to practice The Teachings in daily life through the example displayed by the “Wheel-Turning Monarch” or today, a leader of a large population of people.

The Natural Laws of Existence are a much higher law than any laws that could be created by human beings. Therefore, for a King or leader to function through these Natural Laws of Existence, this would lead to wholesome outcomes for large groups of people. A Wheel-Turning Monarch has significant influence to help large populations of people through structuring their Kingdom and how it operates based on these natural laws as this would help individuals in the population more readily progress towards Enlightenment.