Discuss Ashoka's ''Dhamma''. Was his ''Dhamma'' related to Buddhism? Give reasons for your answer. What steps did Ashoka take to spread religion?
Discuss Ashoka's ''Dhamma''.
Was his ''Dhamma'' related to Buddhism? Give reasons for your answer.
What steps did Ashoka take to spread religion?
Ashoka's ''Dhamma'' :-
It is known from the book ''Rajatarangini'' written by Kalhana that Ashoka was a worshipper of Shiva in his early life. But the terrible outcome of the Kalinga War created deep regret in his heart and he adopted Buddhism from a Buddhist monk named Upagupta. But according to Romila Thapar, (a) the emergence of urban civilization in the Mauryan era created administrative complications, (b) the merchant community became eager to gain social recognition and ( c ) Buddhism created social awareness which created a new situation in front of the state. In this situation, Romila Thapar believes that Ashoka adopted Buddhism to preserve the central structure of the state and to achieve harmony among different ethnic groups.
Minor Rock Edict 1 mentions that after being initiated into Buddhism, Ashoka traveled to pilgrimage sites such as Kapilavastu, Lumbini, Kushinagar, Buddha Gaya, etc. To spread the message of Buddha across the country, he arranged for missionaries to be sent to Syria, Egypt, Epirus, Sinhala, etc. Ashoka was also careful to maintain close relations with the Buddhist Sangha. He called the third Buddhist Conference in Pataliputra. As a result, unity was re-established among the Buddhist communities.
The essence of religious policy of Ashoka: -
Although Ashoka was actually a Buddhist, the religion he preached was not Buddhism. The religion preached by Ashoka was more liberal and humane than Buddhism. The aim of his religion was to instill a sense of social responsibility in the minds of the people. In the words of Romila Thapar, ‘’It was a plea for the recognition of the dignity of man and for a humanistic spirit in the activities of society’’.
( A History of India - vol 1, Page 86 )
In the context of explaining his religious policy in the second pillar inscription, Ashoka says that religion is – the scarcity of sins, the abundance of benevolence, kindness, truth and cleanliness. Tolerance of other religions glorified Ashoka’s religious policy. In fact, Ashoka’s religion was a liberal, benevolent and philanthropic religion. He declared -
“ All men are children and just as I desire for my children that they may obtain every kind of welfare and happiness both in this and the next world; so do I desire for all men.’’
( Rock Edict VI )
Historical statement on whether Ashoka’s religion was Buddhism or not:-
From Minor Rock Edict 1 it is known that Ashoka adopted Buddhism and lived like a householder. In the ‘’ Bhavaru Inscription ’’ it is known about Ashoka’s deep respect for Buddhism. The influence of Buddhism is clearly observed in Ashoka’s policies in the form of carving the words of Buddha on stupas, pillars, mountain peaks; maintaining close relations with the Buddhist Sangha; calling for the Third Buddhist Conference -- etc.
On the other hand, Fleet believes that Ashoka’s religion was a reflection of the royal religion. Welfare of people was his desired goal among political and moral disciplines. According to Ridge Davids, Ashoka's religion is not a specific religion but a principle of duty and action. According to Panikar, Ashoka's religion and Hinduism are identical.
Despite all these arguments, it can be said that the religion that Ashoka preached was not exactly Buddhism. It had no place for performing specific religious rituals and he did not give any instructions to be associated with the Buddhist Sangha. In fact, Ashoka's religion was humanistic. Its aim was to awaken a sense of social responsibility among people. In the words of Romila Thapar - It was a plea for the recognition of the dignity of man and for a humanistic spirit in the activities of society.
( A History of India - vol 1, Page 86 )
Ashoka's steps for preaching religion:-
As a king, Ashoka followed a new ideology of royal duty. This ideal of his regarding royal duty set an example in the history of the world. He declared -
“ All men are children and just as I desire for my children that they may obtain every kind of welfare and happiness both in this and the next world; so do I desire for all men .’’
( Rock Edict VI )
Ashoka introduced Dharma Yatra instead of Vihara Yatra. He tried to make the people religious by visiting Buddhist pilgrimage sites, calling for religious assemblies, and preaching the Buddha’s message. To instill religious sentiment in the minds of the people, he arranged for the basic principles of religion to be engraved on mountain slopes and on rocks by the roadsides. To arouse people’s interest in religion, he appointed royal officials with the titles of ‘‘ Rajuka ’’, ‘‘ Yuta ’’, ‘‘ Mahamatra ’’ and arranged for three-yearly and five-yearly tours everywhere. So that the people followed the path of righteousness and were not oppressed by the royal officials, he appointed ‘‘ Dharma Mahamatra ’’.
To maintain the purity of Buddhism and the unity of the Buddhist community, he convened the Third Buddhist Conference in Pataliputra. Moggaliputta presided over this meeting. The decision of this meeting is engraved in the Sarnath Pillar inscription. According to the decision of the Third Buddhist Conference, he sent missionaries to Kashmir and Gandhara, Nepal, Maharashtra, Mysore, Varanasi, the Pandyas of the Deccan, Satyaputras, Keralaputras - etc.
Evangelization in foreign countries: -
The Buddhist scripture called ''Mahavamsa'' mentions that Ashoka sent his envoys to different parts of the Tamil kingdom. As envoys to Sinhala, Ashoka sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamittra. He sent missionaries with the title of ''Maharakshit'' to Syria, Egypt, Macedonia, Epirus - etc. It is known from Buddhist literature that Ashoka established hospitals for both humans and animals in Greek countries. Therefore, these philanthropic and humanitarian activities of Ashoka had a considerable impact on the sensitive minds of the Greeks. It is known from the work of ''Sylvan Levi'' that many Greeks accepted Buddhism within a short time after Ashoka's death. Ashoka claims in his thirteenth stone inscription that his envoys were welcomed by the courts of Greek-ruled Egypt, Syria, Cyrene and Epirus. Therefore, there is no doubt that this was the result of Ashoka's missionary work. However, it cannot be said with certainty that Ashoka's missionaries were successful in spreading Buddhism in Africa and Greek countries.
According to historian Sanders, Ashoka's missionaries were able to spread cultural influence among the superstitious inhabitants of Asia, Europe and Africa. Ashoka also established charitable institutions in several foreign countries.
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