King Asoka and Buddhism - Urban Dharma

1 EBUDDHANET'SBOOKLIBRARYE-mail: site: Dharma Education Association by Anuradha SeneviratnaKing Asoka and Buddhism Historical & Literary StudiesKing Asoka and Buddhism Historical & Literary StudiesKing A oka and BuddhismHISTORICAL AND LITERARY STUDIESEDITED BYANURADHA SENEVIRATNABUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY KANDY SRI LANKAPUBLISHED IN 1994 BUDDHIST PUBLICATION BOX 6154, SANGHARAJA MAWATHAKANDY, SRI LANKACOPYRIGHT 1994 BY ANURADHA SENEVIRATNAISBN 955 24 0065 / Indian History / Asian StudiesKing A oka and BuddhismKing A oka, the third monarch of the Mauryan dynasty in the third century , was the first ruler of a unified India and one of the greatest political figures of all time. After he embraced the teachings of the Buddha, he transformed his polity from one of military conquest to one of Dharmavijaya victory by righteousness and truth.

2 By providing royal patronage for the propagation of Buddhism both within and beyond his empire, he helped promote the metamorphosis of Buddhism into a world religion that spread peacefully across the face of present collection of essays by leading Indological scholars draws upon both the inscriptions and the literary tra-ditions to explore the relationship between king A oka and the religion he embraced. In highlighting the ways in which A oka tapped the ethical and spiritual potentials of rulership, these papers deliver a message highly relevant to our own time, when politics and spirituality often seem pitted against one another in irreconcilable : Richard Gombrich: A oka-The Great Up saka; Romila Thapar: A oka and Buddhism as Reflected in the A okan Edicts; Ananda Guruge: Unresolved Discrepancies between Buddhist Tradition and A okan Inscriptions; Jayawickrama: A oka s Edicts and the Third Buddhist Council; Anuradha Seneviratna: A oka and the Emergence of a Sinhala Buddhist State in Sri Lanka; John S.

3 Strong: Images of A oka; Ananda Guruge: Emperor A oka s Place in design by Mahinda JeevanandavThe EditorAnuradha Seneviratna is Professor of Sinhala at the Univer-sity of Peradeniya. His prior publications include The Springs of Sinhala Civilization; Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka; Mahintale: Dawn of a Civilization; and a two-volume work on the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Buddhist Publication SocietyThe BPS is an approved charity dedicated to making known the Teaching of the Buddha, which has a vital message for people of all creeds. Founded in 1958, the BPS has published a wide variety of hooks and booklets covering a great range of topics. Its publications include accurate annotated transla-tions of the Buddha s discourses, standard reference works, as well as original contemporary expositions of Buddhist thought and practice.

4 These works present Buddhism as it truly is a dynamic force which has influenced receptive minds for the past 2,500 years and is still as relevant today as it was when it first arose. A full list of our publications will be sent upon request with an enclosure of $ or its equivalent to cover air mail postage. Write to:The Hony. Secretary Buddhist Publication Society Box 61 4 Sangharaja, Mawatha, Kandy, Sri ContributorsRichard Gombrich is Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University and Fellow of Balliol College. He is also the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of the Pali Text Society. His previous publications include Precept and Practice: Traditional Buddhism in the Rural Highlands of Ceylon (1971), The World of Buddhism (with Heinz Bechert, 1984), Therav da Buddhism : A Social History from Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo (1988), and Buddhism Transformed (with Gananath Obeyesekere, 1990).

5 Ananda Guruge has served as Sri Lanka s Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO in Paris. He is presently the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States. He holds a and D. Litt. (Hon.) and is the author of The Society of the Ramayana (1960), From the Living Fountains of Buddhism (1984), Buddhism The Religion and its Culture (2nd ed. 1984), and The Mah va sa An Annotated New Translation with Prolegomena (1989). Jayawickrama was Professor and Head of the Department of Pali of the University of Peradeniya and later Professor and Head of the Department of Pali and Buddhist Civilization at the University of Kelaniya. He is at present Editorial Adviser to the Encyclopaedia of Buddhism and Professor Emeritus of the University of Peradeniya. His publications include The Inception of Discipline and the Vinayanid na (1962), The Epochs of the Conqueror (1968), and The Story of Gotama Buddha (1990).

6 ViiAnuradha Seneviratna is Professor of Sinhala at the University of Peradeniya. His publications include The Springs of Sinhala Civilization (1989), Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka (1992), Mahintale: Dawn of a Civilization (1993), and a two-volume work on the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (1987, 1990).John S. Strong is Associate Professor of Religion at Bates College, , and author of The Legend of king A oka (1983) and The Legend and Cult of Thapar is Professor of Ancient Indian History at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Her publications include A oka and the Decline of the Mauryas (1961), A History of India, Vol. I (1984), and From Lineage to State (1984).viiiContentsThe Contributors .. viEditor s Preface.

7 XiEditor s Note .. xi iAckno wledgements .. xii i 1 A oka The Great Up sak aRICHARD GOMBRICH .. 11. A oka s Inscriptions .. 22. A oka in Buddhist Tradition .. 63. The Missions: Interpreting the Evidence .. 10 Notes .. 13 2 A oka and Buddhism as Reflected in the A okan EdictsROMILA THAPAR .. 15 3 Emperor A oka and Buddhism : Unresolved Discrepancies between Buddhist Tradition & A okan InscriptionsANANDA GURUGE .. 371. Introduction .. 372. Conversion of A oka to Buddhism .. 423. When, How and by Whom? .. 464. Major Discrepancies in Events and Dates .. 495. Historical Reliability of Rock Edict XIII .. 546. A oka s Role in the Propagation of Buddhism in his Empire .. 637. Foreign Missions of A oka .. 70ix8. Conclusions .. 79 Notes.

8 84 4 A oka s Edicts and the Third Buddhist JAYAWICKRAMA .. 92 Notes .. 10 6 5 A oka and the Emergence of a Sinhala Buddhist State in Sri LankaANURADHA SENEVIRATNA .. 11 11. Introduction .. 11 12. Sources .. 11 23. The Mission to Sri Lanka: Brief Account .. 11 54. The Political Background .. 11 85. The Sri Lanka-Kalinga Tie .. 12 26. A oka and Tissa .. 12 57. The Advent of Mahinda .. 13 08. Sa ghamitt and the Bodhi Tree .. 13 29. Conclusion .. 13 5 Notes .. 13 7 6 Images of A oka: Some Indian and Sri Lankan Legends and their DevelopmentJOHN S. STRONG .. 14 1A. The Early Traditions .. 14 61. The Gift of Honey and the Gift of Dirt .. 14 62. The Fate of the Bodhi Tree .. 15 2x3. The Gathering of the Relics .. 15 44. The 84 ,000 St pas or Vih ras.

9 15 7B. Later Developments .. 16 21. The Gift of Dirt Reconsidered .. 16 22. The Legends of the Queens .. 16 53. The Collection of Relics: A New Story .. 16 84. The 84 ,000 St pas Once More .. 17 0 Conclusion .. 17 3 Notes .. 17 4 7 Emperor A oka s Place in History: A Review of Prevalent OpinionsANANDA GURUGE .. 18 21. Introduction .. 18 22. A oka in the Mainstream Indian Tradition and Literature 18 43. A oka of the Northern Buddhist Sources .. 18 84. A oka of the Sri Lankan Pali Sources .. 19 55. A oka of Edicts and Inscriptions .. 20 16. A oka in the Eyes of Recent Writers & Scholars .. 20 37. A oka and the Decline and Fall of the Mauryan Empire .. 21 78. Conclusion .. 22 1 Notes .. 22 4 Map sA oka s Indian Empire .. 23 5 Areas to which Buddhist Missions were sent.

10 23 6xiEditor s PrefaceALARGE NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS agree that Emperor A oka of India in the third century was one of the greatest conquerors who later achieved the most difficult conquest of all the conquest of himself through self-conviction and his perception of human suffering. After embracing the Dhamma of the Buddha as his guide and ref-uge, he transformed the goal of his regime from military con-quest to conquest by Dhamma. By providing royal patronage for the propagation of Buddhism both within and outside his vast dominion, he helped promote the metamorphosis of Buddhism from one among many sects of Indian ascetic spirituality into a world religion that was eventually to pene-trate almost all of southern and eastern present collection of papers by leading Indological scholars is intended to highlight different aspects of the close connection between the political and religious life of this exem-plary Indian ruler.