DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45392#0253
A Buddhist Emperor
previously unconquered involves the slaughter, death, and
carrying away captive of the people. That is a matter
of profound sorrow and regret to His Sacred Majesty,”
and thus connecting his conversion with the change of
attitude toward others, he continues :
“ Thus of all the people who were then slain, done to
death, or carried away captive in the Kalingas, if the
hundredth or the thousandth .part were to suffer the same
fate, it would now be matter of regret to His Sacred
Majesty. Moreover, should any one do him wrong that
too must be borne with by His Sacred Majesty, if it can
possibly be borne with. . . . His Sacred Majesty desires
that all animate beings should have security, self-control,
peace of mind, and joyousness. . - . And for this purpose
has this pious edict been written in order that my sons
and grandsons, who may be, should not regard it as their
duty to conquer a new conquest. If, perchance, they
become engaged in a conquest by arms, they should take
pleasure in patience and gentleness, and regard as (the
only true) conquest the conquest won by piety. That
avails for both this world and the next. Let all joy be in
effort, because that avails for both this world and the next.”
In many other edicts, which were engraved on stone and
are still extant, Asoka proclaims his Dhamma in great
detail. This Dhamma is distinctively Buddhist, but it
differs from the teaching of Gautama in omitting all
references to the analytic aspect and dwelling exclusively
on ethics: Nibbana is not even mentioned, and the
reward of well-doing is to be the Imperial favour in this
world and well-being in the next, ‘ the beyond ’—not the
avoidance of rebirth. The mention of former Buddhas
together with other details, shows already some develop-
ment of Mahayanist doctrines. It is thus possible that
183
previously unconquered involves the slaughter, death, and
carrying away captive of the people. That is a matter
of profound sorrow and regret to His Sacred Majesty,”
and thus connecting his conversion with the change of
attitude toward others, he continues :
“ Thus of all the people who were then slain, done to
death, or carried away captive in the Kalingas, if the
hundredth or the thousandth .part were to suffer the same
fate, it would now be matter of regret to His Sacred
Majesty. Moreover, should any one do him wrong that
too must be borne with by His Sacred Majesty, if it can
possibly be borne with. . . . His Sacred Majesty desires
that all animate beings should have security, self-control,
peace of mind, and joyousness. . - . And for this purpose
has this pious edict been written in order that my sons
and grandsons, who may be, should not regard it as their
duty to conquer a new conquest. If, perchance, they
become engaged in a conquest by arms, they should take
pleasure in patience and gentleness, and regard as (the
only true) conquest the conquest won by piety. That
avails for both this world and the next. Let all joy be in
effort, because that avails for both this world and the next.”
In many other edicts, which were engraved on stone and
are still extant, Asoka proclaims his Dhamma in great
detail. This Dhamma is distinctively Buddhist, but it
differs from the teaching of Gautama in omitting all
references to the analytic aspect and dwelling exclusively
on ethics: Nibbana is not even mentioned, and the
reward of well-doing is to be the Imperial favour in this
world and well-being in the next, ‘ the beyond ’—not the
avoidance of rebirth. The mention of former Buddhas
together with other details, shows already some develop-
ment of Mahayanist doctrines. It is thus possible that
183