Mauryan Empire- Ashoka, Buddhism and Dhamma

• Chandragupta Maurya established the Mauryan Empire in 322 BCE after conquering the kingdom of Magadha and the northern Macedonian satrapies
• Bindusara, the second emperor of the Maurya Dynasty, gave birth to a son named Ashoka Bindusara Maurya in 304 BCE
• Emperor Ashoka the Great reigned as the third monarch of the Indian Mauryan Empire, the greatest ever in the Indian subcontinent and one of the world’s largest empires at the time, from 304 to 232 BCE. From 268 BCE until 232 BCE, he governed and became a model of kingship in the Buddhist tradition
• Upon Ashoka’s death, the Mauryan dynasty and its empire came to an end

The Rise of Buddhism

Ashoka was the last major emperor of India’s Mauryan empire. During his reign, his ardent support for Buddhism aided the religion’s spread throughout India. Following his victorious but violent victory of the Kalinga kingdom on the east coast, Ashoka renounced armed conquest in favour of “conquest by dharma.”

In the eighth year of his reign, Ashoka defeated the Kalinga kingdom (today known as Orissa), according to his own records. He was driven to such guilt by the hardships imposed on the vanquished people by the conflict that he rejected violent conquests. At this time, he became acquainted with Buddhism and accepted it. He vowed to live according to the dharma and preach it, as well as to aid his subjects and all mankind, under its influence and driven by his own active character.

Ashoka said repeatedly that dhamma is the vigorous practise of the sociomoral qualities of honesty, truthfulness, compassion, mercy, benevolence, nonviolence, attentive behaviour toward others, “little sin and many good actions,” non extravagance, non acquisitiveness, and non injury to animals. He made no mention of any specific religious faith or form of worship, nor of any philosophical theories. He only mentioned Buddhism to his fellow Buddhists and not to outsiders.

The Rise of Dhamma

The term dhamma comes from a Sanskrit word dharma. Dharma was not a specific religious belief or practise, nor was it an arbitrary created royal policy. Dharma was concerned with broad rules of social behaviour and activity; Ashoka the Great attempted to integrate diverse social norms prevalent at the period. 

It cannot be comprehended if it is assumed to be one of the different faiths that existed at the period. To understand why and how Ashoka the Great developed Dharma and its meaning, one must first grasp the features of his period and then turn to Buddhist, Brahmanical, and other works that describe societal standards.

• Ashoka and Buddhism

Ashoka felt that Buddhism should be practised by all human beings as it is beneficial for them and it is also good for animals and plants. As mentioned in the Ashokavadana, Ashoka ordered the construction of 84,000 stupas.

1. He visited holy places of Buddhism like Lumbini Garden, Sarnath, Kusinagara and Sravasti.
2. He went on a mission along with his son Mahendra and daughter Sangmitra.
3. Ashoka convened the Third Buddhist Council at Pataliputra in 240 BC which was presided over by Moggaliputta Tissa.

• Ashoka policy of Dhamma

Ashoka’s dhamma had its own principles. It did not favour worship of a god, or the performance of a sacrifice like Hindu practises do. The easiest method to grasp what Ashoka the Great means is to read his edicts, which were meant to teach the concepts of Dharma to the people of that time across the empire. He also appointed dhamma mahamatta and gave them the work of going from place to place and teaching people about dhamma. 

Not only this, he got his messages inscribed on rocks and pillars. He also instructed his officials to read his message aloud so that those who could not read it themselves would hear it. Ashoka also sent messengers to spread the officials of dhamma to foreign lands like Syria, Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka.

1. Ashoka’s Dhamma was not similar to Buddhism.
2. Dhamma narrated about tolerance and moral as well as ethical conduct.
3. The major objective of dhamma was to preserve the social order as with the expansion of the Mauryan Empire, the population had become diverse as well as multi-racial.
   • According to dhamma, people should obey their parents, they should respect the Brahmanas and Buddhist monks as well as they must be kind to the poor or servants.
4. Emperor Ashoka commissioned dhamma mahamatras to promote and execute the dhamma’s precepts. Mahamatra was an Indian monarch Ashoka’s “morality officer.”
5. His policy of Dhamma is so universal that it appeals to humanity even today.

Conclusion

As a result of Ashoka’s encouragement, Buddhism, which had previously been a minor group restricted to certain areas, spread throughout India and eventually beyond the country’s borders.