Dharma is the Religion and Law of the Asokan Buddhist State: By Sona Kanti Barua
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Dharma (in Pali Dhamma) is a
Sanskrit word and there is an all embracing
term related with the maintenance of universal order. The climax of
Emperor Asoka’s life appears to have come soon after the conquest of Kalinga (Orissa , India
Under
the Emperor Asoka, nearly whole South Asian Continent was unified for the first
time in history. The question again and again arises concerning the Dharma of
emperor Asoka. Dharma meant for Asoka morality, active social concern,
religious tolerance, ecological awareness and observance of ethical precepts
and renunciation of war.
“Everywhere”
he adds, “men conform to the instructions of the King as regards the Dharma (
in Pali Dhamma ), and even where the emissaries of the king go not, there, when
they heard of king’s Dharma, the folk conform themselves, and will conform
themselves, to the duties of the Dhamma.” 7
King Asoka sent his ambassadors to China ,
South East Asia, Syria, Egypt ,
Macedonia , Eprius, Kyrene,
South India and Sri Lanka .
Bodhisattva Avaloketeshwar’s devotee or consort’s name is Tara goddess (Hindu scholars made Kali / durga). Tibetan
rulers have dedicated the Tibet
to Bodhisattva Goddess Tara (kuanim in Chinese, Kannon sama in Japanese) in the
Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism. Hindus
took over Buddhist temples including the Great Mahabodhi Temple of Buddhagaya
in Bihar . Bihar
means Buddhist temple in Hindi. Hindus did not take over Jaina, Tamil and Sikh
temples in India .
Hindus kidnapped Buddhism due to political reasons. Buddhism is the platform
for Hindus to stand on into the world politics. Japanese and Chinese Buddhists
are not Hindus. Buddhist world knows very well Hindu ruler’s tactics and
diplomacy.
Lord Buddha’s tooth relic
was enshrined in the Puri’s (Orissa or Kalinga) Jagannath Temple
7 T. W. Rhys
Davids, Buddhist India
BUDDHIST HOLOCAUST IN INDIA
AND RATHA YATRA FROM BUDDHISTS)
Emperor Asoka’s Rock Edicts and Inscriptions have a
great role to play in the law and Religion in India and the West. I present my
book entitled “In Quest of Truth” to our respected professor and instructor Dr.
Robert Yelle. I went to Saranath June 25, 1988 and
its museum where emperor Asoka’s rock edict is situated. I saw the wheel
of righteousness with four lions and Mulagandhakuti Vihar temple. According to
the 496 HIS – 0101 :Asoka’s rock edicts and Inscriptions subject to modern
secular “societies, law and religion.” However, emperor Asoka won the war of
Kalinga ( modern Orissa) but he witnessed a river of blood and tears. History
repeats itself. As the UNESCO’s preamble, “Since wars begin in the minds of
men, it is in the minds of men that defenses of peace must be
constructed.” Emperor Asoka tried his
best to build peace in the minds of men. Human beings did not listen to
History. But Emperor Asoka wrote his state laws in rock edicts to follow and
live and let live. Today’s India India
British discovery of Buddhism and Asoka’s Rock Edicts:
Before
British archaeologists discovered the Buddhist holy places and Asoka’s rock
edicts in India
nobody knows about Emperor Asoka and Buddhagaya, Saranath etc. Even Hindu
pundits could not read Asoka’s Inscriptions and rock edicts. No Hindu books did
mention Emperor Asoka. Is it conspiracy against of Buddhism? British India ’s
archaeologist James Princep read the Asoka’s Inscription after a dark age of
thousand years. The credit for the discovery of monuments of Taxila, Bharhut,
Sanchi, Saranath, Kausambi, Buddhagaya and numerous other sites goes to
archaeological director Alexander Cunningham. Later many scholars dedicated
their times on Buddhist discovery were Foucher, J., John Marshal, Percy Brown,
Dr. A.K. Coomarswami and several others. In1904 the political history of India
was published by Vincent Smith at first. 9
In following
James Princep’s system of reading the Asoka’s Inscriptions, Vincent A. Smith,
Romila Thapar and other scholars wrote and edited several books. Among them Dr.
Beni Madhab Barua wrote an important book entitled “ Asoka and His
Inscriptions (New Age Publishers Ltd., Calcutta, Second Edition 1955). Dr.
B. Barua writes, “The history of a country is its collective life movement
shaping the course of and determining the character of a distinct form of
culture and type of civilization within certain territorial limits and a
definite period of time.” 10
King Asoka experienced an ecstasy and
inspiration, as he sat, when he first came across the Buddhist narratives
through the Buddhist monk Nigrodha Kumar. It is needless to say that his
narrative rock edicts and inscriptions were mainly based on the Buddha’s
ethical law and legends. The Buddha taught,
“By birth is not
one an outcaste,
By birth is not
one a Brahman,
By deeds is one
outcast,
By deeds is one
a Brahman.” 11
It
happens that India
owes to Asoka . Let me allow discuss on the edicts and Inscriptions of the
Maurya emperor Asoka prohibited killing of certain species. Among them Rock
Edict 1 refers to peacock and antelope(1) and pillar Edict V speaks of parrot,
starling, redbreast, crane, ruddy goose, swan, fish of Ganges, skate fish,
tortoise, frog, hare, deer, bull and etc. In short, Asoka’s dictum that, “No
living being is to be nourished by another living being.” 12
Among fruits,
Pillar Edict V11 of Asoka encouraged to grow mango groves. The Emperor Asoka
directly indicated in Rock Edict 1, to grow trees. Asoka’s rock edicts are as
follows:
“Rock Edict, No. One. (1) No
animal may be slaughtered for sacrifice. (2) Tribal feasts in high places are
not to be celebrated.” Emperor Asoka’s
reforms were the almost total prohibition on hunting and slaying of animals for
food. He abolished the tradition in the royal kitchen of slaughtering one
peacock each day.
“`Rock
Edict No. Two (3) Docility to
parents is good. (4) Liberality to friends, acquaintances and relatives, and to
Brahmins and monks is good.” Asoka respected multicultural ideal and
inter-faith systems.” As the Buddha explained the freedom of thought and emperor Asoka accepted it in
making his policy of religion in ancient India . Following the main parts of the Kalama Sutra:
“Before experiences and evidence
1. Be not led by
reports,
2.
Be not led by traditions,
3. Be not led by hearsay,
4.
Be not led by authority of texts,
5.
Be not led by mere logic,
6.
Be not led by inference,
7.
Be not led by considering appearances,
8.
Be not led by the agreement with a considered and
approved theory;
9.
Be not led by seeming possibilities,
10. Be
not led by the idea, “This is our teacher.” 13
The
Asoka’s reflections on the promulgation of law on Dharma:
“Rock
Edict No. Three (5) Not
to injure living beings is good. (6) Economy in expending and avoiding disputing,
is good. Rock Edict, No. 7
(7) Self mastery (8) Purity of heart (9) Gratitude (10) Fidelity are
always possible and excellent even for the man who is too poor to be able to
give largely.
Rock
Edict Nos. 9 and 11 (11) People perform rites or ceremonies for luck on
occasion of sickness, weddings, childbirth, or on starting on a journey –
corrupt and worthless ceremonies. Now there is a lucky ceremony that may be
performed, - not worthless like those, but full of fruit, - the lucky ceremony
of the Dhamma. And therein is included right conduct towards slaves and
servants, honour towards teachers, self – restraint towards living things,
liberality to Brahmins and recluses. These things, and others such as these,
are the lucky ceremony according to Dhamma. Therefore should one whether father
or son or brother or master – interfere and say: “So is right. Thus should the
ceremony be done to lasting profit. People say liberality is good. But no gift,
no aid, is so good as giving to others the gift of the Dhamma, as aiding others
to gain the Dhamma.
8 Trevor Ling,
The Buddha, p. 155
9 Dr.B. M.
Barua ,Inscriptions of Asoka, p. 4
10 Dr. B. M.
Barua, Asoka Edicts in New Light, p. 2
11 Narada, Dhammapada,
p.112
12 T. W. Rhys
Davids, Buddhist India
13 Soma Thera,
edited, Kalama Sutta, p. 7
Rock Edict, No.12
Toleration. Honour should be paid to all, laymen
and recluses alike, belonging to other sects. No one should disparage other
sects to exalt his own. Self restraint in words is right the right thing.
(Dhammapada). And let a man seek rather after the growth in his own sect of the
essence of the matter.
Pillar Edict, No. 2
The Dhamma
is good. But what is the Dhamma? The having but little, in one’s own mind, of
the intoxications; doing many benefits to others; Compassion, liberality, truth and
purity.
Pillar Edict, No. 3
Man sees but
his deeds saying: “This act have I done.” Man sees not at all his evil deeds,
saying: “That bad act have I done, that act is corruption.” Such self- examination
is hard. Yet must a man watch over himself, saying: “Such and such acts lead to
corruption, -such as brutality, cruelty, anger and pride. I will zealously see
to it that I slander not out of envy. That will be to my advantage in this
world, to my advantage, verily, in the world to come.” 14
In this effect, the Buddha taught,
“When a wise
man, established well in virtue,
Develops
consciousness and Understanding,
Then as a
bhikkhu (monk), ardent and sagacious
He succeeds in
disentangling this tangle.” 15
Above
the rock and pillar edicts of Asoka, there is not any name on God, the Buddha
and soul. Lord Buddha did not speak about almighty God of Hinduism. Without God
how did Buddhism become a religion? Two
thousand six hundred years after Buddha’s death, Buddha still huge. He is
Bigger than the Beatles. The original charge of Brahmanism or Hinduism against
the Buddha was blasphemy. Same as Asoka who was converted into Buddhism. So the
Hindu scriptures was never mentioned the name of emperor Asoka.
In the
Vishuddhaimagga( Path of Purification, edited by Acharya Buddhagho) we read, “No God no Brahma can be found,
No
matter of this wheel of life,
Just
bare phenomena roll,
Just
bare phenomena roll
Dependent
on conditions all.”16
In the
history of civilization and a precocious the seventh Pillar Edict of Asoka are
as follows:
1.
The appointment of functionaries in charge of districts
and provinces to instruct the people.
2.
The putting of pillars of the Dhamma (that is, pillars
with the Edicts inscribed on them), and the appointment of special ministers at
the court to superintend the propagation of the Dhamma.
3.
The planting of trees for shade, and the digging of
wells, at short intervals, along the
roads.
4.
The appointment of special ministers to superintend
charit ies to both householders and wanderers, and to regulate the affairs of
the order, and of other sects having jurisdiction apart from the ordinary
magistrates.
5.
The appointment of these and other officers to inspect
the distribution of the charities of the Queen and their children.” 17
( Rhys Davids, T. W. , Buddhist India, p. 304.)
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