Ven. Sujato (trans.), Rājantepurappavesana Sutta, Numerical Discourses 10, 5. Abuse, 45. "Entering a Royal Harem" (AN 10.45); Dhr. Seven (ed.), Ananda (DBM), Wisdom Quarterly; AJ; A-M
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| How one sultan's harem is another's school (Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East) |
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“Meditators, there are ten drawbacks to entering a royal harem. What are those ten?
“First of all, say a king is sitting with his chief-queen when a monk comes in. When the queen sees the monk, she smiles. Or perhaps when the monk sees the queen, he smiles. Then the king thinks, ‘They’ve had sex for sure, or they will have sex.’ This is the first drawback of entering a royal harem.
“Furthermore, a king has many duties and much to do. He has sex with one of the females but does not remember. She gets pregnant. So the king thinks, ‘No one else has entered here, except for that monk. Could this be that monk’s doing?’ This is the second drawback of entering a royal harem.
“Furthermore, a gem is lost somewhere in the royal harem. So the king thinks, ‘No one else has entered here, except for that monk. Could this be that monk’s doing?’ This is the third drawback of entering a royal harem.
“Furthermore, secret deliberations in the royal harem are leaked outside. So the king thinks, ‘No one else has entered here, except for that monk. Could this be that monk’s doing?’ This is the fourth drawback of entering a royal harem.
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| No thank you, King. We do not visit royal harems. |
“Furthermore, the king promotes someone to a higher position. Those upset by this think, ‘The king is close to that monk. Could this be that monk’s doing?’ This is the sixth drawback of entering a royal harem.
“Furthermore, the king demotes someone to a lower position. Those upset by this think, ‘The king is close to that monk. Could this be that monk’s doing?’ This is the seventh drawback of entering a royal harem.
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| A "harem" is not what you think it is | Arts and Culture (Al Jazeera English) |
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“Furthermore, the king dispatches the country’s army at the wrong time. Those upset by this think, ‘The king is close to that monk. Could this be that monk’s doing?’ This is the eighth drawback of entering a royal harem.
“Furthermore, the king dispatches the army at the right time but orders it to turn back while still on the march. Those upset by this think, ‘The king is close to that monk. Could this be that monk’s doing?’ This is the ninth drawback of entering a royal harem.
“Furthermore, in the royal harem there is a trampling of elephants, horses, and chariots, as well as arousing sights, sounds, fragrances, tastes, and touch sensations that do not befit a monk. This is the tenth drawback of entering a royal harem.
“These are the ten drawbacks of entering a royal harem.”
What is a "harem"?
Challenging the Orientalist portrayal of the harem as a place where ambitious women battled with the power of their sexuality, Erdogan praised the harem, saying:
“For the members of the Ottoman family, the harem was a school. It was a center of education, where women were prepared for life and organized volunteer activities.
This household was led by the mother sultans.”
As Erdogan’s speech highlighted, the harem is an intriguing concept to contemporary audiences.
The word’s original meaning, “forbidden or sacred,” was applied to the female members of the family. In societies where men and women are segregated, women have their own quarters, the harem. In the Ottoman palace, it would be the quarters where all the slave girls, concubines, eunuchs, and the sultan’s female relatives resided.
The kind of education provided to residents of the harem depended on the leader and the era in question. More
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