Buddhism, a belief system that originated in India and became popular in China, appealed to foreign rulers because of its teachings about ideal monarchs, called chakravartin rulers. Such rulers didn’t have to live in monasteries or take vows of sexual abstinence as monks did. Continuing to rule in the secular world, they contributed land, money, and other gifts to the Buddhists and so fulfilled the traditional chakravartin ideal. By ruling in accordance with Buddhist tenets and encouraging their subjects to follow Buddhism, they accrued Buddhist merit.
