[Buddha-l] Dharmapala

[Artur Karp]

2010/7/18 L.S. Cousins <selwyn at ntlworld.com>:

> I am also not sure what the point is.
>
>
> It is clear that for some periods the author of Mhv has very little
> historical information available to him. So some chapters are reduced to
> a) how this or that king came to power and b) a small amount of
> information on donations and good works derived either from sangha
> records or from inscriptions which were in situ.

Yes, it's obvious that the author of the Mhv has scanty material at
his disposal. He, however, manages very well to convey the idea that
royal violence, even of most extreme form, can be atoned for by
donating to the Sangha. Which, in its turn, is an important factor
legitimizing royal power.

What's especially interesting (at least to me) is the culture-specific
inventory of excuses used to belittle/relativize royal transgressions
against ideal morals. I find such excuses in Indian epic tradition,
and it's not difficult to find them in the Buddhist tradition, too.

That much.

Artur K.