King Asoka and Buddhism - Urban Dharma

as Japan were inspired to emulate it. 65 Even today, it remains amodel for certain rituals in Southeast Asia. 66But nowhere was this episode developed quite as spectacularlyas in the Lokappaññatti, written in Burma in the 11 th century.Here the festival celebrating the completion of the 84,000stūpas becomes a sort of model for merit-making festivals ingeneral; in it, Upagupta plays the important role of keepingMāra at bay so that he will not disrupt the proceedings, whileAśoka himself, as king and layman, takes on the role of chiefdevotee. He prepares magnificent offerings for presentation tothe monks and to the stūpas during seven years, seven months,and seven days. But the most spectacular event of this greatceremony, and the one I wish to focus on, is the last, whenAśoka, in a moment of self-sacrifice and devotion, makes anoffering of himself to the great stūpa in his capital. The episodehas been much neglected in Aśokan studies and is worthtranslating here:On the seventh day, King Aśoka, desirous of paying pūjā to thegreat stūpa, had his own body wrapped in cotton up to his neckand his limbs up to his wrists, and had himself soaked with fivehundred pots of scented oil. Then, standing facing the Mahāstūpa,making añjali, his head anointed with oil, and mindfulof the Buddha, he had his body set on fire; and the flames roseup in the air to a height of seven persons. The king kept repeatinga stanza in praise of the Buddha: “Namo Bhagavato ArahatoSammāsambuddhassa — Hail to the Blessed One, the arhat, hewho is altogether enlightened. For the benefit of many he taughtthe Dharma which is well spoken, made visible, timely, opento all, leading to Nirvāṇa, to be known by each individual, andwell practised by the wise. His is the community of discipleswhich conducts itself uprightly, properly and correctly.”In this way he recollected the Triple Gem, and, while he was171