"Herein, Vyagghapajja, whatsoever wealth a householder is in possession of, obtained by dint of effort, collected by strength of arm, by the sweat of his brow, justly acquired by right means — such he husbands well by guarding and watching so that kings would not seize it, thieves would not steal it, fire would not burn it, water would not carry it away, nor ill-disposed heirs remove it. This is the accomplishment of watchfulness."
"Dighajanu (Vyagghapajja) Sutta: Conditions of Welfare" (AN 8.54), translated from the Pali by Narada Thera. Access to Insight, 14 June 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an08/an08.054.nara.html .
In reality there's no legitimate reason for any government to claim authority over an individual. This authority is only a convention. In Buddhist terms, it's a delusion. The power of the government doesn't originate from moral superiority, but from threat and force.
No comments:
Post a Comment