La legitimidad religiosa del poder en el buddhismo: modelos canónicos, proyecciones históricas

Abstract

This paper attempts to provide a ge­neral approach to the problem of the le­gitimation of power in Buddhist tradi­tions focusing on Pali canonical sources. A methodological introductory section addresses common Western scholarly prejudices regarding the alleged apoli­tical and a-religious character of Budd­hist tradition. Canonical references are then systematised in four models and a counter-model and critically discus­sed. Their historical relevance is analy­sed concerning the figure of Asoka and throughout a series of Asian examples. The implicit potentiality of canonical references in the political context is de­fended as a final conclusion.