Turning the Wheel

 I was reading this morning about the concept of a "wheel turning" king, which is talked about in the early Buddhist scriptures. If my understanding is correct, the concept of a wheel turning king seems to be an interesting compromise. On the one hand, it's a person with some degree of spiritual authority who can give advice on matters and is said to conquer many kingdoms peacefully, rather than by might or force. This model would have had a strongly positive effect on kings around Buddha's time, because it encourages the king to expand the kingdom through accommodation rather than through violence. But on the other hand, the wheel represents the laws of karma, which are actually not under anyone's power whatsoever: they are considered laws of the universe, of sorts. In this way, the dharma-turning wheel king represents an impersonal law that cannot be contained in one king, and thus must be followed by everyone. This principle would allow people to think of power as not force or might, but more like the ability to accord with the laws of karma and nature.
   Do leaders in today's time govern by universal standards of being and acting in the world?It seems for the most part that they are able to rule because they are most popular, not because of the principles they follow. But the deeper meaning of wheel turning is that as long as a person learns the laws of the world, one isn't subject to any king whatsoever.So far as all beings are governed by the same laws, one is never more powerful or dominant than another, and all are subject to the same cause and effects. The wheel might even signify the vulnerable and always changing state of things. Kings are high one day and low the next, and vice versa, based on the merits they create as well as their previous actions and intentions. In this way, the wheel encourages people to detach from status and wealth, knowing that their social positions are only temporary and for the current moment.