The Buddha mentioned democracy in terms of equality, fairness/justice, and ultimate freedom or liberation for all beings.
In the Indian caste society of His time the Buddha was a revolutionary sage, the first to treat every being equally. He accepted into His Sangha people from all walks of life: from the rich and the powerful such as kings and queens, to the pariah, slaves, outcasts and members of the underworld such as beggars, robbers, and prostitutes….We learn from Buddhist scriptures stories about Sumita the outcast, Sati the fishing-net thrower, Ambabali the prostitute, and Punna and Punka, the two slaves.
In Buddhist view “all beings have Buddha Nature,” hence they must be treated equally. Humans are considered “noble” and ‘holy,” or “undervalued” and “unholy,” depending on their respective actions, not because of their birth or their family heritage. People from the four castes in Indian society, once they are accepted into the Buddha’s Sangha, no longer have the title they used to have, but become Sakya Putta, or followers of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. They are like all the rivers coming into the sea, thus having the same taste, the taste of the Dhamma. That is why Ananda, who was born into an upper-class family and became one of the most famous Buddhist disciples, accepted the drinking water given from Pakati, a slave woman who was carrying water from a fountain.
There is no social class, race, or gender discrimination in Buddhism. Still, a Buddhist novice who came from a royal family, and recently joined the Sangha must show respect to seniors who were originally from the lower classes but had taken the vows before him/her. The reason for this respectful attitude is to learn to be humble, and to avoid arrogance.
Many times the Buddha Himself set good examples to teach us to treat every being with compassion, and fairness or justice. One day the Buddha learned about a monk who suffered from a skin disease so badly that his body became too stinky with legions all over; no one else wanted to get near him. The Buddha entered the unfortunate monk’s dwelling, asked for some warm water, and compassionately cleansed the wounds on his body. Then the Buddha said to his disciples, “Those who helps this patient, also serve the Tathagata.” (Tathagata=One who has thus come/One is beyond all transitory phenomena).
The Buddha also taught us tolerance towards differences in religions and viewpoints, respectfulness to the truth, and avoidance of all verbal and physical conflicts or violence. When a Buddhist who respects the truth has a thought, s/he knows that it is his/her thought. The Buddhist never thinks or says, “ My thought is right, and others' thoughts are wrong,” out of respectfulness for the truth. If everybody thinks s/he is right, and others are wrong, conflicts and wars are unavoidable. Buddhism teaches us to be open-minded, and free from dualistic judgment or discrimination.
Buddhist doctrine of Karma provides further explanations about justice and equality. Everybody has to reap the good or the bad seeds they have sowed. Even the Buddha and His great disciples, with all the magical power they had, could not avoid their Karma from time immemorial. In the Dhammapada, karma is compared to one’s shadow, and to the traces the wheels of the oxcart leave wherever it moves. Thus, all beings have Buddha Nature, and may become Buddhas some day. All beings also have their respective karma, and must reap the results in due time fairly and equally. Such is Buddhist justice.
Finally, Buddhism advocates ultimate freedom or liberation. However, this is self-liberation, or seeking for freedom from the inside, not demanding freedom from without, or from others. Such an inner freedom is achieved by one’s efforts to conquer oneself. The Dhammapada teaches us that the greatest conquest is the conquest of oneself. The skillful practitioner is one who turns inward, seeking for ultimate freedom, inner peace and equilibrium. In the Kalama Sutra and the Dhammapada, the Buddha told His disciples to be their own torches, and never to depend on others, nor pray for or expect help from any authorities or supernatural powers.
"Attadhipà attasaranà annasaranà dhamma dhipà dhamma saranà".
Once one has developed inner peace, and achieved liberation, one may be able to spread such qualities out to the surrounding world. Democracy, therefore, is a process that begins with the individual, and that requires much effort from within. Otherwise, it is only an abstract political concept.
Sources:
http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/pg-nganh/xa-hoi/cn-xh/9188-Giao-Ly-Phat-Giao-va-Y-Niem-Dan-Chu.
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