More than twenty-five thousand years ago, Magadha was a big country located in the South bank of downstream Ganges River in India. During the later years of the Buddha, Ajatasattu, the King of Magadha was falling foul with the neighboring Vajjians located in the North. He often spoke to his staff: The Vajjians, who relied on their large population and increasing national strength, showing less and less submission and increasing posted a threat. I should find an opportunity to bring them to ruin and destruction.

One year before his entering into nirvana, while traveling through Rajagaha, the capital of Magadha, the Buddha was staying at outskirts of Rajagaha on the mountain called Vultures’ Peak. Upon learning the Buddha was staying the nearby Vultures’s Peak, King Ajatasattu dispatched his trusted staff, the Chief Minister Vassakara to consult with the Buddha on attacking the Vajjians. Because King Ajatasattu knew that the Buddha was always speaking to the point and never lie.

Assembled an entourage of five hundred, having had the state carriages harnessed, Vassakara mounted one of them and drove in state from Rajagaha to Vultures’ Peak, riding as far as the ground would allow, then continuing on foot to where the Buddha was. He exchanged courtesies with the Buddha, then sat down to one side and delivered the King’s message. Upon learning purpose of his visit, the Buddha told Vassakara: “In the past, I had traveled to visit the Vajjians, and spoke to them on “the Seven Principles of Preventing Decline” If the Vajjians believed in and carried out the Seven Principles of Preventing Decline without violation, then the Vajjians would win.”

Afterward, the Buddha turned around and asked the Venerable Ananda who was standing behind fanning him. During the question and answer, Venerable Anaada verified one by one that the Vajjians had realized following “The Seven Principles of Preventing Decline”:
1. Hold regular and frequent assemblies.
2. Meet in harmony, break up in harmony, and carry on their business in harmony.
3. Do not authorize what has not been authorized already, and do not abolish what has been authorized, and proceed according to what has been authorized by their ancient tradition.
4. Do not forcibly abduct others’ wives and daughters and compel them to live with them.
5. Honor, respect, revere and salute the elders among them, and consider them worth listening to.
6. Honor, respect, revere and salute the Vajjian shrines at home and abroad, not withdrawing the proper support made and given before.
7. Proper provision is made for the safety of Arahants, so that such Arahants may come in future to live there, and those already there may dwell in comfort.

Consequently, the Buddha told Chief Minister Vassakara that those who hold regular and frequent assemblies would prosper and not decline; those who discuss official business in solidarity would prosper and not decline; those who insist their system would prosper and not decline; those who establish practice of not attacking women would prosper and not decline; those who rely upon the experience of elders would prosper and not decline; those who respect religious faith would prosper and not decline; those who support Arahants the sages would prosper and not decline.

Upon listening such replies from the Buddha, Chief Minister Vassakara sighed with emotion: Alas, Reverend Gotama, if the Vajjians kept to even one of these principles--not to mention all seven--they would be expected prosper and not decline. Certainly King Ajatasattu will never conquer the Vajjians by force or by diplomatic maneuvers, but only by means of propaganda and setting them against one another. And now, Reverend Gotama, may I depart? I am busy and have much to do. I have to report to the King.

1. This story was derived from Madhyamagama 142 Sutra, Dirghagama 2nd Sutra, Ekottarikagama 2nd Sutra, Chapter 40, Dirghagama 16th Mahaparinibbana Sutra, and Anguttaka-nikaya Volume 7, 20th Sutra.

2. Numerous countries coexisted in India during the Buddha’s time. Over 16 countries were located alongside the Ganges River. The countries of Magadha, located in the southeast bank of downstream Ganges River, and Kosala, located in the north bank of the mid- to downstream Ganges River where the Buddha stayed the most during his 45 years of traveling and preaching the Dharma. The national strength of Magadha was stronger between these two countries. In contrast, the territories of Vajjians was smaller, it located in the north bank of the Ganges River adjacent to Magadha. At that time, the Vajjians was formulating a republic with the tribes of Liccha and Bitike. However, the Vajjians were Oriental, which was different from the Occidental Aryans and had been less influenced by the Aryan culture. Vajjians literally translated as diamond, according to Samyuktagama 1252th Sutra, the Buddha praised them as “Often use woodblocks as pillow and cracks were found all over their hands”. Therefore, by inference, they should be a tribe of bravery and hardworking.

3. According to comments of “Var Sakara” in Chung Hua Buddhism Encyclopedia, …”King Ajatasattu subsequently stopped the plan of attacking the Vijjians and ordered Var Sakara to build fortress to defense against the Vejjians. This fortress was Ptalkputta, (Fataliputra) which became capital of Magadha later.” “Vrji” was the same as the country Vajjian, “Var Sakara” was the Chief Minister Vassakara in the present story. King Ajatasattu finally listened to the Buddha’s suggestion, did not mobilize armed forces to attack the Vajjians, instead, built fortresses along the boarder as defense. The Buddha utilized “Theory of Actual Strength” to put an end to an imminent war.

4. War is full of cruelty and terror; naturally the Buddha would not advocate wars. According to text in Samyuktagama 1236th Sutra, Samyukta-nikaya 14th Sutra, Samyukta 3rd, the Buddha said clearly: “Winning a war increases the number of resentful enemy, losing a war suffers from uneasy in sleep, if gives up both winning and losing, one feels the joy of quiet and tranquility in sleep.” However, from the perspective of Causes and Conditions: “This one Being Exist so the Other Exists, This one Being Nonexistent, so the Other Being Nonexistent.” only after establishing the causes and conditions for peace, the war could be avoided. Any disputes involving politics and profits would have numerous complicated causes and conditions, it would be difficult to maintain peace if merely rely upon on morality as persuasion for peace. Strength thus became the sole fact of causes and conditions. An example similar to this story was that according to text in “Gong Su Volume 50, Mo Zi”, during the Warring States Periods in ancient China, Mo Zi was a peace practitioner. Upon learning Gongsun Pan invented for the State of Chu scaling ladder as wall-city attacking weapon, and planning to mount a war against the State of Song, he swiftly and actively developed countermeasure weapon as defense to neutralize the tactic of using scaling ladder vehicle for attack, finally prevented the outbreak of war. (Translator’s note: Mo Zi (466-376 B.C.), Chinese philosopher, founder of Mohist School--a school of thought in the Spring and Autumn and Warring Sates period (770-221 B.C.), which advocates, among other notions, non-attack, frugality, simplicity in funeral service. Gong Su records the words and deeds of Mo Zi and his disciples.).

5. It looks that in today’s terminology, the first and the third items listed in the Seven Principles of Preventing Decline are the Democracy and Legal System; the fourth to the seventh items are the moral structures for the general atmosphere of the society. What the Chief Minister cared the most was the Vajjian’s determination of solidarity. This could be verified from what Chief Minister had said that, in addition to the means of force and diplomacy, the tactic of propaganda must be employed to defeat the Vajiians. (See Dirghagama 16th Mahaparinibbana Sutra.)

6. In order to avoid self-destruction, politicians of those countries that surrounded by strong enemies should take note from this story and avoid being consumed by the internal struggles of political benefits and the dividing issue of country identity.

7. By the same token, if a country, a corporation, a non-profit organization, even a Buddhist group lacks a common goal and the centripetal force of solidarity; it would be difficult to expect any achievements from such organization.