Dhamma Raja

7/27/2019 Dhamma Raja

1/10

The Dhammaraja: Textual Utterances and an Examination into Geese Behavior

Dr. Dion PeoplesMahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University

Are ancient principles suitable for the modern, technologically-advanced world?

The Aggaa Sutta of the Digha Nikaya discusses the Maha-Sammata, or the person whois the peoples choice, the lord of the fields, the one that also gladdens others withDhamma. Such a person is elected as the chief of the people. Often, we are forced toendure periods of our lives under rulers that we never elected they have been in power

before we were born or before we were eligible to vote, or finally they were of theopposition that we do not validate as our own leader. For many people, whoever is in

power is not the representative that the majority of people prefer. Its additionally oddthat citizens are forced to pledge their allegiance to these people, against their better

judgment or from fear of being arrested if not performed. Quite often there is an air offalse pretenses that encircle the leader around the citizenry. There is a culture of fear innations with such principles. Therefore, I was asked to write an article about the idea of

the Dhammaraja. I have no other context for the theme of this topic or for the gathering,so forgive me and comprehend why, if, I have strayed from the main theme. What are thecharacteristics of a Dhammaraja1, characteristics that were taken from the Mahhasa-Jtaka? Are these terms absolute or do they change according to some social context?

1. Dna: Kings should give in beneficial ways; be involved in charity, liberality,generosity resultantly, they should not crave or be attached to their wealth and

property, and equalization efforts are done through various basic social welfare

projectsincluding giving useful advice and even forgiving people.2. Sla: Kings should possess moral virtues or be of a high moral characterupholding

and never breaking any religious or national laws.

3. Pariccga: Kings should personally sacrifice everything for the good of other people,including being prepared to give up wealth, comfort, name, fame, life all in thenational interest.

4. jjava: Kings should possess loyalty, honesty and integrity part of this involvesbeing free from fear and be sincere in his intentions, never deceiving the public.

5. Maddava: Kings should possess open-mindedness, kindness and to not be arrogant.6. Tapa: Kings should be diligent in their royal duties - engage in austere habits, never

living an indulgent life, rather live simply and possess sensual-restraint or self-

control.7. Akkodha: Kings should not be envious, be free from ill-will, and not be antagonistic,

bearing no grudgesthis is being a compassionate ruler, if he is thinking clearly.8. Avihis: Kings should thrive on affliction or in non-violent behavior and non-

violent actions, not harming anyone and promote peaceful principles internally and

with neighboring nations, and abroad (if possible).

9. Khanti: Kings must be patient, have forbearance, be tolerant and havecomprehension into many endeavorsthrough this form of understanding, matters areknown and rational decisions can be made. He should persevere: against greed,

1 Phra Dhammapitok (P.A. Payutto): Dictionary of Buddhism (Bangkok: Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University,2000), pp. 285-287 and the various terms are defined somewhere within:http://dictionary.buddhistdoor.com/en/search --accessed and defined on 2 August 2013using multiple dictionaries to shape the definitions.
http://dictionary.buddhistdoor.com/en/searchhttp://dictionary.buddhistdoor.com/en/searchhttp://dictionary.buddhistdoor.com/en/searchhttp://dictionary.buddhistdoor.com/en/search


2/10

hatred and delusion; against harsh language; and maintain the dignified royalcomposure.

10.Avirodha: Kings should be steadfast in righteousness, never opposing the will of thepeople and not obstruct any measures that benefit the peoples welfare within thekingdomthis means: correcting the behaviors of wrong-doers and reward those who

do good.

These are the ten characteristics for a Buddhist King to take upon as his ownvirtues, during his reign, for the welfare of his kingdom and people if he can do or

perform these characteristics: his family, his citizens and even other people in othernations will respect him as a role-model and a sort of teacher for others. There are lists

found on the internet, pertaining to the worlds richest monarchs, and a Buddhist king isamongst the elite.2

Interestingly, if you actually read the Maha-Hasa Jtakathe Great Goose Story(J: #534), it refers you, the reader, to the Culla-Hasa Jtaka (J: #533) The JuniorGoose Story, which further begs the reader to investigate the Hasa Jtaka (J: #502)the

Goose Story. What are these goose stories all about? Maybe all along, modernBuddhist leadership have been duping the subordinated class, the common masses ofthe citizenry of the nation. Are these abstract principles just relicts of bygone eras? Dothese ideas sound paternalistic or is it some form of adaptive feudalism? Almost any ideacan be adapted and interpreted into a new context, but it does help to know where these

ideas that we are working with are sourced from. The three goose stories will beinvestigated:

3

#502, Hasa Jtaka: This old-world story deals with the renunciation of theVenerable nanda. The elder bhikkhus in the sangha were sitting around discussing thevirtues of nanda; then later the Buddha interjects that this was not the first time thatnanda had renounced his former householder-life for the sake of service into the

2http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id229.html - accessed on 12 August 2013; but there seems to be some discrepanciesin the list found here:http://www.forbes.com/thailand-billionaires/- accessed on 12 August 2013 & also as found here:http://www.forbes.com/sites/investopedia/2011/04/29/the-worlds-richest-royals/ - accessed on 12 August 20133https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/A_couple_of_Tadorna_ferruginea.jpg accessed on 2 August2013, perhaps the only real image of something resembling a literally golden goose. This site was useful foradditional images:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_India- also accessed on 2 August 2013.

Contextual Comment on the Photo: I searched theinternet for a picture that could most literally be something

of a golden or ruddy goose, as mentioned in the Jtaka-stories, and this was the most striking of the images.Perhaps this species is the type found in ancient India.
http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id229.htmlhttp://www.almanachdegotha.org/id229.htmlhttp://www.almanachdegotha.org/id229.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/thailand-billionaires/http://www.forbes.com/thailand-billionaires/http://www.forbes.com/thailand-billionaires/http://www.forbes.com/sites/investopedia/2011/04/29/the-worlds-richest-royals/http://www.forbes.com/sites/investopedia/2011/04/29/the-worlds-richest-royals/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/A_couple_of_Tadorna_ferruginea.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/A_couple_of_Tadorna_ferruginea.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/A_couple_of_Tadorna_ferruginea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Indiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Indiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Indiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Indiahttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/A_couple_of_Tadorna_ferruginea.jpghttp://www.forbes.com/sites/investopedia/2011/04/29/the-worlds-richest-royals/http://www.forbes.com/thailand-billionaires/http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id229.html


3/10

Buddhas sangha of world renunciates. The Buddha recollects the account of KingBahuputtaka, of Benares (Father of Many Sons, later mentioned as having five score andone), and states that he was the chief-goose, a golden-goose, of a flock of 90,000 wildgeese. The queen of Bahaputtaka, Khema, had a dream: a dream where a woman wascraving to listen to the Golden Goose give a sermon to his flock. The king knew of such a

flock where this might be possible, putting his wifes dream into reality, he had a lakebuilt in her honor, and planted a lot of enticing crops to tease the flock into shifting theirresidence into this newly formed land. Additionally, he sent out a proclamation into every

major direction for hunters to catch geese, and relocate them into this newly establishedrealm. Some geese were trapped in snares. The great leader of the geese was caught in anoose and stick, and was being stretched by his neck, but still had the insight to lookaround to see where other geese where being taken. Some geese were able to flee or fly

away from the hunters, and were never taken as captives, yet Sumukha never wanted toleave from the side of the Golden Goose (Dhataraha). In fact, according to the accountgiven in the text, when the hunter was trying to ensnare Dhatara ha, Sumukha wasnoisily proclaiming the virtues of the Golden Goose, Dhataraha. The hunter was

overcome with guilt or grief and decides to set the geese free, loosened the noose, andwashed the blood from off the body of the golden goose, and even set-right the dislocated

joints or tendons of the bird. Therefore, because of this kindness, and because of theproclaimed perfections of the Golden Goose, his body was instantly healed and therewas much joy being proclaimed by Sumukha. The Golden Goose decides, as a gesture of

kindness, to investigate this newly created realm, and came to the realm under his own

free will. Upon seeing this, the King was pleased, and gave the best goose-food he could.The goose ate from the kings hand, and proclaimed to the king that he should rule justly.The Golden Goose further proclaims that the King should rule with virtue, and cherish hissons until they grow wise, like seedlings in the rain. In this story, the Buddha is theGolden Goose, nanda was the chief-Goose, Channa was the hunter, Sriputta was the

King, the flock was the Sakya tribe, some unmentioned bhikkhuni (but later identified asKhem) was the Queen.

4

#533, Cullahamsa Jtaka: This old-world story again deals with the renunciationofnanda, from the householders life, into the Buddhas sangha of world-renunciates.Elder bhikkhus were sitting amongst themselves discussing the virtues ofnanda. Theywere discussing how the venerable nanda continues to lay his life on the line for hiscousin, the Buddha. Through the stories of real miseries, like the real-world events of

4https://reader009.{domain}/reader009/html5/0403/5ac2cccc9cc2d/5ac2cccedec9e.jpgaccessed on 2 August 2013

Contextual Comment on the Photo:taking the defensive posture to chase

away an antagonist.
http://larry5154.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/goose.jpghttp://larry5154.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/goose.jpghttp://larry5154.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/goose.jpghttp://larry5154.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/goose.jpg


4/10

Devadatta trying to usher the downfall of the Buddha, through the assassination attempts:the falling (dropped) stone/boulder and the rampaging elephant - because of theseassassination attempts, the Buddha had nanda gather monks from the eighteen templesthat surrounded Rajagaha for a great gathering, to witness the defeat of the rampagingelephant. nanda attempts to place his own life on the line, but the Buddha rejects the

offer and pacifies the elephant through encouraging the elephant to do good deeds, acts oreven thoughts of charity. The heretics that set up the plot were defeated. So, the Buddhatells the old-world story, of the righteous King Sakua of Mahisaka, in the city ofSakua. Hunters were being paid to capture birds and sell them in the city, where therewas also a great bird-park with a nice lotus-filled lake, Mnusiya, some twelve leagues incircumference. Some hunters would capture various species, and set them free in this

bird-park. As named above, Dhataraha and Sumukha were among the flock of 96,000geese (although the conclusion of the Jtaka reduces the number to 90,000), and theyentered, as a flock, into the rich feeding ground of the Mnusiya. Going there reluctantly,Dhataraha was ensnared, but bore the pain, without making a sound, which could alarmothers, feeding and enjoying themselves; but when they had gotten their fill, he released

his anguish. Sumukha flew around but could no longer see the Golden Goosesomethingmust have happened to the goose-king? Finally, he sees the golden goose trapped and

bloodied, and though he is told to flee by Dhataraha, Sumukha stays and gives animpassioned speech a speech much like a lover would give to ones burdened partner:I either then must die with thee or live a life forlorn; far better it is to die at once, thanlive with your loss to mourn The hunter heard the passionate speech and wasovercome with emotion, so much so that he released and tended to the Golden Goose.Soon after being tended, the golden goose was healed, as if nothing had happened. Later,

Sumuka speaks in a human voice to the hunter, and begs to see the King. After meetingthe king, the birds were excellently fed, asked to sit upon golden chairs, and the royal-

presence asked for a discourse from the Goose King. After the discourse was finished,

the Golden goose recommended that the King follow the five precepts and rulerighteously to win the hearts of the people. Then, basically the geese were free to go, and

after the leaders of the birds were back into the flock, joyous sounds erupted fromamongst the winged animals.

5

#534, Mahhamsa Jtaka: This old-world story reflects upon the Hamsa Jtaka,where the Queen has her dream of the golden geese. Yet, on this occasion, the Queen is

frantically searching for these geese after her dream, longing to hear the Dhamma, as

spoken by them. She even dupes the King, Sayama (of Benares), into believing that she

5http://xaxor.com/images/other/111161/traditional_goose_fighting_in_russia_05.jpg accessed on 2 August 2013

Contextual Comment on the Photo:Geese-fights are a common winter-

sport for Russians.
http://xaxor.com/images/other/111161/traditional_goose_fighting_in_russia_05.jpghttp://xaxor.com/images/other/111161/traditional_goose_fighting_in_russia_05.jpghttp://xaxor.com/images/other/111161/traditional_goose_fighting_in_russia_05.jpghttp://xaxor.com/images/other/111161/traditional_goose_fighting_in_russia_05.jpg


5/10

will die if she does not have the opportunity to hear the Dhamma from the geese sittingupon the golden throne, covered by a white umbrella (objects described in the previousstory). So, if she gets to hear the geese, she will live, allegedly. So the King summoned

his Brahmins and asked them if such animals existed, and they said: according totradition, such animals exist, somewhere in the Himalayas, and they can be strategically

lured away if you construct a lotus-filled lake about three leagues in diameter, and includeother bird-enticing plants so that they would enjoy the location. Then, strategically call ita sanctuary, so that common people will not be allowed to enter, and place hunters around

the laketo eventually trap the Golden Goose in a horse-hair noose. The golden goosewas indeed snared after many days, and Sumukha faithfully remained near his comrade.Sumukha begged the hunter to take him instead of Dhataraha, and at last uttered that ifthe goose-king was killed then the hunter would have to face hell or similar states of

suffering. Being fearful of hell, the hunter took the pair of golden-geese to the King, andawaited his fate as a failed-huntsman. The old-world story continues along, and of later

significance: Dhataraha compares his rule over his flock to that of King Samyama s ruleover his own kingdom. The have similar ways to do things, but then diverge when

Dhataraha issues the following criteria: Almsgiving, justice, penitence, meek spirit,temper mild, peace, mercy, patience, charity, with morals undefiled. It is furthermentioned that the king being addressed was filled with anger, and needed to be appeased

by Sumukhas speech. The final message in this Jtaka is that when the heart is filledwith love, then someone can succeed in anything that they choose to do.

6

Literature Summary:

We have three instances of behavioral-projection upon geese. Geese (plural), or agoose (singular) is a medium to large-sized water-loving bird found on many of theworlds continents. Geese are an ancient species of birds skeletal-fossils have beenfound dating back to 12 million years ago. Humans have used geese as guard-animals

because they are very aggressive birds, not afraid to attack humans. The geese depictedin these old world tales are very caring and loving, alert and defensive (in the sense of

protecting an injured friend). So, what can we learn by studying animals? Are there anybenefits to the study of animals towards some relationship with humans? A Nobel Prizewas awarded to such studies in 1973.7 These ideas are only some of the traits that

6http://buddydon.blogspot.com/dead_geese.jpg accessed on 2 August 20137 For instance, see the research pertaining to Konrad Lorenz:http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1581 accessed on 3 August 2013, and:http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1582 , reaccessed on 11 August 2013

Contextual Comment on the Photo:Geese are quite the delicious birdsa

testament that is proven byconsumption of geese across manycultures.
http://buddydon.blogspot.com/dead_geese.jpghttp://buddydon.blogspot.com/dead_geese.jpghttp://buddydon.blogspot.com/dead_geese.jpghttp://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1581http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1581http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1582http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1582http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1582http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1581http://buddydon.blogspot.com/dead_geese.jpg


6/10

scientists have ascertained about geese behavior.8 Recall that psychological projection isa concept that serves as an immature defense mechanism: the unconscious rejection of

ones unacceptable attributes through ascribing them to other objects or other people.Projection tends to come to the fore in normal people at times of crisis, personal or

political, but is more commonly found in the neurotic or psychotic in personalities

functioning at a primitive level as in paranoia or borderline personality disorder.9

First, what is the depiction of geese in the three Jtakas? The three stories are

about Venerable Ananda protecting the physical well-being of the Buddha, and it is

illustrated through the metaphors of a chief bird in a flock of geese protecting its goldenleader. This is not abstract behavior, but a trait common to the species.10 Here, we mustalso assess any negative actions that the king engaged upon, so another look is needed:

Relevant

Jtaka:Negative Action by the Human Response by the Geese:

Hamsa-Jtaka;Mahavamsa-

Jtaka

King fell for the deception of his queen, and

built a goose-enticing lake due to her

superstitions

Goose states: under cover of a lie,each act of sinful greed forfeits

rebirth as man or god, and straight tohell he must lead.

Hamsa-Jtaka;Mahavamsa-

Jtaka

King orders hunters to trap geese, toappease the superstition of his wife, the

queen.

Hamsa Jtaka;Cullahamsa-

Jtaka

Hunter follows the orders of the king, to

trap or kill a certain goose, for his personalgain.

Goose gives talk to hunter, who soon

frees and tends to the injured goose,and then takes the birds to the King.

Hamsa Jtaka;Cullahamsa-

Jtaka

Hunter thinks that if he takes the geese tothe king, he may get some grand reward. Inthis sense he is not motivated by virtues butdelusionally motivated by greed, and the

fear that if he does not bring the geese to theking then he may be considered as a thief.

Goose, in response to being freed,will persuade the king to give variousrewarding riches to the hunter.

Hamsa Jtaka

Goose asks the King a series of questions,

and one is: Is your queen of equal birthobedient, sweet of speech, fruitful, fair,

famous, waiting on your wishes and doingthem all? To which the king answers tothe affirmative. This though, is a lie or a

misrepresentation towards the goose,because the Queen has actually been

manipulative.

Goose gives five admonishments tothe king:1. Dont put things off (dont delay)2. Dont let your knowledge fade3. Try to see some truth in falsity

to become wiser4. Try to appreciate being virtuous5. Cherish your sons

Conclusion: Be vigilant and rule your kingdom in righteousness.11

The 1973 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology, Konrad Lorenz12, has stated that theabove may just be uncritically presumed positionsthis was quite common in the ancienttimes. He suggests that there is nothing false about any of these ancient analogies; they

can be informative but lack the necessary scientific specifics, and as a result: people may

8 For a generalized presentation, see:http://www.worldanimalfoundation.net/f/Goose.pdf- accessed on 13 August 20139https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection- accessed on 4 August 201310 For instance, see:http://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htm - accessed on 2 August 2013, this activity is onlydone for a mate or family-member. Geese are also very defensive by nature. It is also in the nature of the leader of agroup of geese to chase out or outcaste an injured goose, to protect the rest of the flock. The interesting websitecontinues to illustrate a number of behavioral patterns for the species.11 King Bhumipol Adulyadej committed himself to this slogan when he became the King of Thailand. See:http://www.thailandtoday.org/monarchy/elibrary/article/167 - accessed on 5 August 2013.12http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1973/lorenz-lecture.pdf - accessed on 3 August 2013
http://www.worldanimalfoundation.net/f/Goose.pdfhttp://www.worldanimalfoundation.net/f/Goose.pdfhttp://www.worldanimalfoundation.net/f/Goose.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projectionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projectionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projectionhttp://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttp://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttp://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttp://www.thailandtoday.org/monarchy/elibrary/article/167http://www.thailandtoday.org/monarchy/elibrary/article/167http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1973/lorenz-lecture.pdfhttp://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1973/lorenz-lecture.pdfhttp://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1973/lorenz-lecture.pdfhttp://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1973/lorenz-lecture.pdfhttp://www.thailandtoday.org/monarchy/elibrary/article/167http://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projectionhttp://www.worldanimalfoundation.net/f/Goose.pdf


7/10

fall victim to the generalized positions. He warns against unrational/irrational-factors.He speaks about how geese marry each other and get very jealous about other potential

birds. Male geese (ganders) must chase or distract jealous mates/females from attacking

other femalestherefore, we comprehend that falling in love and jealousy has some sortof function. There are other reoccurring behavioral patterns. There have been additional

scientific observations about the organizational behavior of geese, since those ancientobservations. Recently, it has been learned from geese:

Leader groups of geese will chase and outcast an injured goose to protect the rest ofthe group from predators.13 This suggests that there is a sense of knowing thatanother is injured, but since there are no viable options for animals to medically assist

others, they are pushed away, so that they dont draw the attention of predators. Whilethis may protect the larger group, the outcaste is at a disadvantage and falls easier as

the victimized prey for a predator. Humans have hospitals for their injured, animalsleave their weakened to the whims of predators for the sake of the greater group.

While watching the video14, it was learned that family of geese in larger groups spendlesser time in vigilant behavior, while families in smaller groups spend more momentsin vigilant-behaviorvigilance as opposed to feeding. It may be difficult to determinewhat is actually vigilance and raising the neck to make the food go down to thestomach or to allow blood to flow back properly back into the body from the brain

and from the heart to the brain easier following the lowering of the brain again toresume the feeding activity. It appears that when some are feeding there is someoneremaining vigilant. Some species of geese intermix into the flocks of other geese, soa large number of them together, could be different species, some eat or search for

food, while others watch for threats. Also larger species of geese are more aggressiveor dominant than smaller geese.15

Each male can service two to six females (depending on the male).16 - I cannotprescribe polygamy, despite any sensual urge/lust I may have. Polygamy has beensanctioned in ancient India, and until recent times, it was not frowned upon by thesocial elites in Buddhist Southeast Asia, and it is additionally sanctioned in Muslim

nations, despite any civil-law to the contrary, many observe the religious allowance.In Buddhist nations, our priority here, polygamy was seen in the royal-courts of manymonarchs in the Thai dynasties. It was only in recent times, within the last 100 years

that this practice has officially diminished. In modern civil law, there is no crimeagainst having multiple children with a wife, divorcing a woman to marry another,and have additional children with the next woman, and to further repeat the cycle withothersin a sense this spreads out the royal blood-line and allows for the possibilityof future additional and suitable heirs to the throne.

Adult snow geese collected in coastal marshes had larger bodies, thicker bills, longerskulls, and longer culmens [upper ridge-portion on a birds beak] than did thosecollected in rice-prairies17

I never observed male geese walk to or guard nests during female incubationrecesses. Males were out of the cameras view during all female incubation recesseswith 4 exceptions; in all 4 cases, males never stood on their mates nest..., (p. 15)18(p. 19): selection for male nest attendance may be weaker in geese than in swans.

13http://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htm accessed on 2 August 201314http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeJHW5n-PXY accessed on 11 August 201315http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdf - accessed on 2 August 201316http://www.avianweb.com/africangeese.html accessed on 2 August 201317http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdf accessed on 2 August 201318http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdf
http://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttp://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttp://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeJHW5n-PXYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeJHW5n-PXYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeJHW5n-PXYhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.avianweb.com/africangeese.htmlhttp://www.avianweb.com/africangeese.htmlhttp://www.avianweb.com/africangeese.htmlhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.avianweb.com/africangeese.htmlhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeJHW5n-PXYhttp://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htm


8/10

Male presence near nests was similar for both species; males were out of the camerasview, on average, for 40% of the time. Male geese probably use these absences fromtheir mates to feed, drink, or seek out forced extra-pair copulations...19 Some speciesof geese are involved in brood/nest-parasitism.20 This means that parent-birds deposittheir eggs in another nest of another bird, leaving that egg to develop under the

warmth and care of another mother. This eliminates the responsibility of the real-parents to build a nest and to take care of the baby-birds, freeing them up fromfeeding responsibilities and other acts of social behavior in geese. In humans, this is

similar to fornicating and becoming pregnant, but being able to care for the newborn,and leaving it with some relative to care for it; or donating the sperm and egg, butleaving it (medically implemented) inside another woman and her body, to developthe new child. This raises a number of ethical-behaviors, ranging outside the scope of

this brief paper.

Geese find out quickly that it pays handsomely to be team players. Second, wiseleadership: when the leader at the apex of the V gets tired, it is relieved by anothergoose. Leaders rotate, empower, delegate, and even step down when it's in the best

interest of the team. How often do we see this taking place among organizationalleaders? Wise leaders ensure that their followers are well trained and developed inorder to achieve true empowerment and smooth succession processes. Third, humane

behavior: if a goose drops to the ground when it gets hurt or sick, two of its colleagues

go down with it to take care of it until it either gets healthier or dies. In this fast-pacedand competitive age, we seldom see managers going out of their way to helpcolleagues who are in trouble. In organizations, morale, productivity, and loyalty

increase when employees are treated humanely.21 Geese are migratory birds, so if the ancient Indians are scrutinizing the golden-goose

species, they are only observing the species for a brief time, and cannot gain

appropriate levels of knowledge about the species, because they are unable to gather

this information for an entire year, and collect data and samples on an annual orseasonal basis. Therefore, the behavioral patterns depicted in the Tipitaka are

comprised of only partial or inconsistent truths.

Geese exhibit different behaviors: group behavior, family behavior, and flightbehavior.22 Geese seem to have no apparent leader.23 its constantly shifting andchanging. This is a result of the fact that the birds in the flock are taking turns flying

in the lead position in order to give the other birds a chance to rest near the back ofthe line. This also ensures that the flock evenly distributes the workload so that theycan easily make the long journey to their target destination. Similarly, when leading a

team or group of employees, its important that theres an understanding thateveryone on the team has each others back and that the workload will be shared tomake sure that no one wears out before the team can reach their objective. For the

Canada geese, the act of flying in V-formation has certainly been vital to their ability

to migrate over vast distances as the seasons change. As with so many other examples

19http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdf 20http://www.behavecol.com/pages/pdf/books/Sedinger_Vol19(2).pdf accessed on 3 August 201321http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1529336 an abstract, from an article that I cannot access,because it must be paid forwebsite accessed on 2 August 2013, entitled: Leadership lessons from Canada geese; andfrom another website, which mentions the V or U-formation of geese and the role of shifting personal to take the lead-position, which can also be done by a female:http://suewidemark.com/lessonsgeese.htm - accessed on 13 August 2013.22http://www.seafwa.org/resource/dynamic/private/PDF/SMITHEY-43.pdf- accessed on 2 August 201323http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/geese.htm &http://med.fsu.edu/uploads/files/FacultyDevelopment_LessonsGeese.pdf - accessed on 13 August 2013
http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdfhttp://www.behavecol.com/pages/pdf/books/Sedinger_Vol19(2).pdfhttp://www.behavecol.com/pages/pdf/books/Sedinger_Vol19(2).pdfhttp://www.behavecol.com/pages/pdf/books/Sedinger_Vol19(2).pdfhttp://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1529336http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1529336http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1529336http://suewidemark.com/lessonsgeese.htmhttp://suewidemark.com/lessonsgeese.htmhttp://suewidemark.com/lessonsgeese.htmhttp://www.seafwa.org/resource/dynamic/private/PDF/SMITHEY-43.pdfhttp://www.seafwa.org/resource/dynamic/private/PDF/SMITHEY-43.pdfhttp://www.seafwa.org/resource/dynamic/private/PDF/SMITHEY-43.pdfhttp://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/geese.htmhttp://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/geese.htmhttp://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/geese.htmhttp://med.fsu.edu/uploads/files/FacultyDevelopment_LessonsGeese.pdfhttp://med.fsu.edu/uploads/files/FacultyDevelopment_LessonsGeese.pdfhttp://med.fsu.edu/uploads/files/FacultyDevelopment_LessonsGeese.pdfhttp://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/geese.htmhttp://www.seafwa.org/resource/dynamic/private/PDF/SMITHEY-43.pdfhttp://suewidemark.com/lessonsgeese.htmhttp://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1529336http://www.behavecol.com/pages/pdf/books/Sedinger_Vol19(2).pdfhttp://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Jonsson_Jon.pdf


9/10

in nature, this behavior can also serve as a valuable reminder for businesses on how to

approach leadership and team collaboration.24 Some action patterns of the Magpie Goose are clearly ritualized as signal actions,

whilst others, although not so ritualized, are none the less characteristic of particular

moods of the bird. It is considered that the action patterns form a simple language

such that individual geese are aware and can often anticipate the actions of othergeese. Particular attention is given to fighting actions, which appear on the second

day of a goose's life, and to concerting, at first a threat display but later also used inpair maintenance, where it appears very similar in function to the triumph display of

true geese. The family, comprising the reproductive group and its offspring, is thefundamental entity in Magpie Goose flocks. Males may be paired to one or two

females, but they dominate their mates and offspring and defend a territory aroundthem from other geese. Magpie Goose flocks are built up of families, each of which

acts independently except in an alarm situation, when the flock acts as an entity.Flocks build up at feeding, roosting and watering sites, and although constant inlocation are probably composed of a different combination of families each day. The

flock behavior of Magpie Geese closely parallels that of the true geese. No alarmstimuli have been found which are innately recognized by Magpie Geese. The factthat alarm stimuli are learnt, taken with the unstable nature of the flocks, suggests thatit may be very difficult to produce a magic wand which effectively scares the birdsfrom rice crops.25

Its the female goose that leads in a flight away, and it is the female that in itiates thesex-rituals.26

Conclusion:

Geese are a migratory species. Observation of a particular species is only apartial-seasonal observation, and not all habits of a species would be properly learned by

a particular stationary human-population. People are unable to properly scrutinize groupand family behaviors of a particular species when only certain stages of the species is

being observed during the particular season. Within geese-examinations, there are a few

dynamics: family dynamics and gaggle (group) dynamics. Larger group leaders mayexile a particular injured bird; yet a family member may try to defend the life of that

injured bird. In this respect, the group leader is trying to exile the injured bird to protectthe larger group from predators. If the injured is casted out from the group, it becomes aneasier target for a predator. The protecting family member remains at risk of being

critically injured from this unwillingness to depart from the side of the injured animal. Itwas written in the Mahahamsa-Jtaka: Being a mere bird, as he is, he can do what formen is impossible. For they cannot remain in constant friendship. Oh, what a wise,

eloquent, and holy creature is this! Ganders (male geese) are even known to fornicatewith multiple partners, yet, many remain in permanent breeding pairs, so polygamy seemssomewhat sanctionable as an activity within the species. Ganders even avoid taking care

of the eggs in the nest of its mate. Some geese (the females) will even lay their eggs in

another nest of a goose (nest parasitism), which forces another mother and male to raisethose goslings as their own babies. Is this type of activity a form of sanctioned socialistic

24 http://www.tanveernaseer.com/migrating-geese-a-lesson-in-leadership-and-collaboration/ - accessed on 3 August2013; further, one should read the comment section of this post, where people are perceiving human traits in geese, andprojecting their ideals unto the birds. This leads towards further misconceptions or contradictions that exist betweenscientific observations and religious-texts. The Jtakas project that there is a leader, and the rest follow dictatorial;whereas the common observer is suggesting that geese are ego-less social creatures working for the benefit of the

group.25http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1963.tb02476.x/abstract - accessed on 3 August 201326http://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htm - accessed on 6 August 2013
http://www.tanveernaseer.com/migrating-geese-a-lesson-in-leadership-and-collaboration/http://www.tanveernaseer.com/migrating-geese-a-lesson-in-leadership-and-collaboration/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1963.tb02476.x/abstracthttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1963.tb02476.x/abstracthttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1963.tb02476.x/abstracthttp://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttp://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttp://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttp://www.preservewildlife.com/geeseworld.htmhttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1963.tb02476.x/abstracthttp://www.tanveernaseer.com/migrating-geese-a-lesson-in-leadership-and-collaboration/


10/10

or communal behavior? Additionally, people can search on Youtube for geese attacksagainst humans it seems that this is a common experience where people and geeseinteractI have even charged by a goose before.

With all of the above being said, it is necessary to reassess the goose as the model

for kingship. If the following is reconsidered, what now exists, and how do we proceed.

Reassessment of the Ten Characteristics of a Dhammaraja:

Pali Term Implications:

Dna:Parent geese lead their young to the water, but the goslings feed almost immediately oncelead away. There is not much that geese provide for others, unless one ascertains thatsentry-duty and protection-services are a sort of gift for the relevant group.

Sla:

Humans have a different code of morality, one that takes into consideration that if youmake a baby with your partner, you have the responsibility to raise it together as motherand father to the child, geese-ethics may be similar to humans, in the sense that there areirresponsible parents, and others are forced to look after the offspring. There is

questionable ethics involved in the scenario about exiling or casting-out the injured.

Pariccga: When does a king decide to relinquish his throne, in favor of the next-in-line?

jjava:

How much honesty is there in a kingship that seldom makes public appearances, and onlygives important addresses on special occasionsyet the people are supposed to trust aleader that is seldom seen but has a government of ministers and their minions who may be

out oppressing the populace? Who takes ultimate responsibility for the actions? Is thereany crime involved in making such accusations? People may fear retribution, and

corruption grows.

Maddava: Kindness should not be taken as a weakness.

Tapa:

Luxurious habitats are well-known amongst royalty, and living humbly is not among theircommon traits. If royalty engages in austere religious habits, never living an indulgent life,

rather live simply and possess sensual-restraint or self-controlthis is relatively unheard

of; yet being wealthy and managing ones wealth, it appears that the royalty do well-enough for themselves.

Akkodha:Kings should be free from ill-will, and not be antagonistic or even envious, bearing nogrudges. Some nations manage a concept of lese-majeste, which seems to be antagonisticto the principle of akkodha.

Avihis:

Exuding non-violent behavior and engaging in only non-violent actionsnever harminganyone, and promote peace internally and with neighboring nations, and abroad (if

possible) is the best deemed behavior; although given the non-violent principle, manymonarchs have sought to justify or rationalize their violent behavior. Kings should benefithumanity and rule with loving-kindness; and these potentially violent activities or theactual violent activity becomes justified. Niccolo Machiavellis The Prince resurrectsother ideas, and suggests that royalty should be feared; Sangharajas give special allocationsto their monarchs for defensive-activity (essentially: violence) to eliminate threats from

within its borders (as if they are a defilement like greed, hatred or delusion that needseliminated from the body.)

Khanti:Patience is seen as an honorable kingly virtue, as well as forbearance and tolerance, andhave comprehension into many endeavorsthrough this form of understanding, matters areknown and rational decisions and perfections can be attained.

Avirodha:

No one should ever oppose social harmony or the will of the people and not obstruct anymeasures that benefit the peoples welfare within the kingdom (but be very well of harmfulmob behavior). Royalty should take on the ideas of the people and learn to solve varioussocial problems.

Kings have different challenges that affect their rule, and each king because of thediverse challenges react differently. These goose-like ideas provide benchmarks to attaintowards, or serve as a sort of analogy. However, like the Nobel Prize winner Konrad

Lorenz warned: analogies can be misleading, and he studied geese, idealized by Jatakas.

Dhamma Raja

Documents

Transcript of Dhamma Raja