King Asoka and Buddhism - Urban Dharma

to in the edicts and in relation to these Aśokan paternalismwas at its maximum.Mauryan society shows a wide range of diversity whichis reflected both in the archaeological picture and that availablefrom literary sources. The Greek and Aramaic-speakingpeoples of the northwest would have appeared as alien tothose of the Ganges valley as were the megalithic peoples ofthe peninsula. The governance of such a diversity requiredboth political control as well as persuasive assimilation. Themachinery of political control had to be backed by force andfinance. Persuasive assimilation required an ideology whichwould appeal to this diversity at all levels. The question thenis whether Aśoka’s concept of dhamma provided such anideology.The corpus of Major Rock Edicts (hereafter RE) and PillarEdicts (hereafter PE) provide us in some detail with a pictureof what Aśoka meant by dhamma or what has since beenreferred to by historians as his policy of dhamma. Those whoobserve the precepts of dhamma are said to be people of fewfaults, many good deeds, mercy, charity, truth andd purity(PE 2, 7). Where he refers movingly to having given a gift ofinsight, cakkhudāne, to people through dhamma he describes itas an awareness of the sins of cruelty, harshness, anger, prideand envy. Elsewhere he mentions the behaviour required ofthose who observe the dhamma. This consists of obedience toparents, elders and teachers; concern for friends and relatives;gifts to brahmins and śramaṇas; abstention from killing; goodtreatment towards slaves, servants and the poor; and moderationin attachment to possessions (RE 3, 9, 1). Perhaps to thiscan also be added his negative attitude to rituals, ceremoniesand assemblies (RE 1, 9) and his suggestion that behaviour in28