King Asoka and Buddhism - Urban Dharma

not only urges diligence on others, but leads by example: heattends to business at any time, whether he is eating, in thewomen’s quarters, in his bedroom, in his litter, in the garden,or even — if our understanding is correct — on the toilet. “ForI am never satisfied with my efforts and with settling business,because I think I must work for the welfare of the wholeworld.” 18Near the end of his last and longest inscription, 19 after summarizinghis efforts to propagate dhamma, Aśoka says: “People’sprogress in dhamma is achieved in two ways, by dhamma rulesand by conviction. Rules count for little; most is by conviction.”A perfect Buddhist sentiment, which I find touching inthe context.Some scholars have questioned Aśoka’s Buddhism on thegrounds that he never mentions Nibbāna or other key conceptsof Buddhist soteriology. A consideration of Buddhist lay-religiosity,both in the Canon and after, proves that this objectionis foolish. There are also certain inscriptions, apart from theannouncement of his conversion, which have a purely Buddhistcontent in the narrowest sense. In an inscription found at thesite 20 he announces that he has visited Lumbinī, the Buddha’sbirthplace, and remitted the village’s taxes. In another 21 he saysthat he has doubled the size of the stūpa of a (named) formerBuddha and come himself to worship at it. So Aśoka went onBuddhist pilgrimages. There are also two remarkable inscriptionsaddressed to the Saṅgha. In one 22 he recommends thatthey study certain specific texts; most but not all have beenidentified. In another, which has been found at three sites 23(though badly damaged at two), he says that any monk or nunwho splits the Saṅgha is to be made to wear white clothes(i.e. revert to lay status) and made to leave the monastery; the5