No Questions for Makhandiya : An Analysis of the Concept of Justice through “Silence” of Monks in the Stories of “Withuthabha” and “Samawati” in Dhamapada commentary

Abstract

This article is a study about the concept of justice in Buddhism through an analysis of the tales of Withuthabha and Samawati in Dhammapada Commentary. A focus is on main characters in the stories. An analytical framework is based on the concept of poetic justice. I would like to offer three analyses on (1) the justice rendered to the main characters in the stories of Withuthabha and Samawati i.e. Makhandiya, and Wasabhakhattiya and Withuthabha; (2) the concept of social justice presented through the "silence" of the monks in these two stories; and (3) the attitude of Theravada Buddhism toward social justice as shown through the rendering of justice to the main characters by the commentary author, Buddhaghosa, and the Buddha’s action in the stories.