Ancient Buddhist Legend Of Ashoka

As seen in the sources, Zhi Dun, a Chinese scholar, re-interpreted and reminded the Chinese people, who were at the time enduring the invasion by central Asian steppe nomads, on how to reach the ultimate goal of Buddhism (Doc 5). Ashoka was heavily influenced by Buddhism and was a man of high power. During his rule as Indian emperor, he created a Dhamma practice for his people to follow (Doc 6). Although this was not a religion, he treated it as it was and spread it across cultures and created a long-lasting impact among people. This shows how Buddhism was transformed and simplified as it spread to different regions. Some regions, like China, may have simplified the religion slightly, while others reinforced and created more complexity in how people should act in

Asoka, Emperor of India, made one of the most famous artifacts to express the history towards Buddhism in India. During his years, he created his famous edicts that around 250 BCE, the teachings of buddha inscribed in it so that many would be able to find a way to reach to reach the state of Nirvana , “ the highest place that someone can attain of perfect peace and happiness like what is considered heaven.” (vocabulary.com, 2003) By following this path of the Buddha, it was believed that it would lead to great welfare, health, happiness, and fortune to you. His 33 edicts are currently located throughout modern India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Ashoka was said to be one of the greatest rulers in India. Ashoka conquered a lot of land including the empire of Kalinga. After winning the war to claim Kalinga, Ashoka road his horse and looked out at the bloody battle, he then was filled with horror at the sight of war, and swore to give up violence and wars from then on, (BGE, Frey 161). But was King Ashoka a ruthless conqueror, or an Enlightened Ruler? Ashoka was an enlightened because of how he gives up violence and how he encouraged Buddhism.

In addition to Buddha not being spoken of before the Han Dynasty, many of the

Finally, 50 years after Ashoka's death, the Mauryan Empire collapsed, but not after leaving many clues for historians to find and piece together Ashoka's history, and finding out whether he was a good or bad ruler. Was Ashoka a mean and cruel conqueror, or a more aware and spiritual Ruler?Ashoka was an enlightened ruler for three reasons: he was kind to people, spread Buddhism, and had a historical impact on the world today. The first reason that Ashoka was an enlightened ruler is that he was kind

" The King, like the moon when full should feel great joy, for he has acquired a wondrously noble son. I do not worship Brahma, but I worship this child; and the gods in the temples will descend from their places of honor to adore him. Banish all anxiety and doubt; the omens manifested indicate that the child now born will bring deliverance to the whole world. The wheel of empire will come to him. He will either be a king of kings to govern all the lands of Earth, or eh will become a Buddha. He is born for the sake of everything that lives. His pure teaching will be like the shore that receives the shipwrecks. His power of meditation will be like a cool lake; and all creatures parched with the drought of lust may freely drink from it. The king of the law has come forth to rescue from bondage all the

​According to the British Museum, “growth can be attributed to two main factors: the support of the general population and royal patronage.” Introduced by merchants during the 6th century AD Buddhism had spread throughout Cambodia and to China during 50 AD. Another strong hold that allowed the religion of Buddhism to blossom was the conversion of Ashoka to Buddhism. By broadcasting his beliefs on inscribed stones and pillars Ashoka gave Buddhism the royal support it needed to thrive, he also sent Buddhist missionaries all over Asia making it as far as Syria. Eventually Buddhist philosophical schools began to rise and teach the religion, such as two prestigious schools in China, Hua-Yen and T’ien-t’ai.

When Ashoka originally became king in 273 B.C., he was just as ruthless as his grandfather. He would slay people he conquered with no mercy. However, one of his massacres took the lives of 100,000 captured people. After committing this act, he was horrified and ashamed of himself. He then vowed to follow the Buddhist teachings of “peace to al beings”.

A set out on a longest journey for a Chinese Buddhist named Xuanzang and did the journey. He traveled by land, west on the silk Road across the Central Asia before turning south to india. His goal was to spread the Buddhist learning and forming India and China closer ties. He traveled through dangerous ways, like Gobi Desert and Tian Shan Mountains that he nearly die of thirst. In India, Xuanzang studied with Buddhist monks and visited sacred buddhist sites. At the time, China was gaining strength under the Tang dynasty. Just two years later King Harsha died Xuanzang returned and the kingdom fell apart and divided for centuries. The world changed in many ways because kingdoms and empires rose and fell. In this lesson, you will read about how they expand and developed.

It is said that history is shaped by the lives of great men.  Great men are leaders.  They bring about change; they improve the lives of others; they introduce new ideas, models, and theories to society.  Most of the world's religions were founded, developed, or discovered by great men.  Two particular religions - Christianity and Buddhism - developed in different parts of the world, under different circumstances, and in different social atmospheres.  But each religion is based upon the teachings of a great man.  When one compares the life of Buddha with the life of Jesus, one finds that the two share many things in common.  This essay aims to compare and contrast the lives of Buddha1 and Jesus in two key areas:  conception and birth.

Buddhism is a major global religion with a complex history and system of beliefs. The founder of Buddhism is said to be Siddhartha Gautama, the son of an Indian warrior-king. Gautama led an extravagant life through early adulthood, reveling in the privileges of his social class. Gautama became bored with the indulgences of royal life so he wandered into the world searching for understanding. After encountering an old man, ill man, a corpse, and an ascetic, he was convinced that suffering lay at the end of all existence. He then became a monk, depriving himself of worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth of the world around him. The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a tree, where he finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation. Gautama became known as the Buddha, meaning the “Enlightened One.” He spent the remainder of his life

In 624 BC, a future Buddha and founder of Buddhism, who would eventually be named by his mother and father as Shakyamuni, was born into a royal Shakya family (About Buddhism). The King Shuddhodana and Queen Mahamaya had many predictions of their son extraordinary life; it as predicted that he son would one day become “either a Chakravartin, a universal monarch, or an “awakened one,” a Buddha” (The Kagyu Office, 2016).

Buddhism’s founder was a man named Siddhartha Gautama, meaning “one who realized his goal.” Buddhists believe that when Siddhartha’s mother, Maha, was conceived she had a dream involving a white elephant carrying a lotus flower. She interpreted the dream to mean that her son would grow up to become a great spiritual leader. Just a week after Siddhartha was born, his mother died. Upon her death, he lived with his wealthy aunt and his father on a large estate. As Siddhartha grew up, his father kept him away from all suffering and anguish of the world. Unlike many of his peers, he was well educated and free from the world’s sorrows.

Imagine sitting in a palace with Ashoka. Your are probably wondering if he's a ruthless conqueror or an enlightened ruler. Enlightened means that he was educated, modern, and had a well- informed outlook. Ruthless means that he killed people and conquered lots of empires. Ashoka ruler in the Mauryan Empire in 268 B.C.E and died in 232 B.C.E. Ashoka´s family are Susima (brother), Bindusara (father), Subhadrangi (mother). Is Ashoka a ruthless conqueror or an enlightened ruler? Ashoka was a ruthless conqueror because he conquered Kalinga. He also killed a lot of people and left them to die.

Imagine you have a project due, you haven’t even started working on it yet and you need it done by the next day. If you don’t get the project done, you will get a detention and will not be allowed to go to the mall. You decide to fake being sick so you could work on it. You end up finishing the project while you are “sick” and you turn it in in time. Does the goal justify your actions? Ashoka had a similar problem except he killed thousands to achieve peace. He ended up uniting all of India and did achieve peace. Ashoka ruled over the Mauryan Empire, and Ashoka was the first ruler to promote Buddhism. He made a huge impact on many parts of Asia. Ashoka is considered to be either a ruthless warrior or an enlightened ruler: How should history remember him? Ashoka was an enlightened ruler because he stopped going to war with others and he felt remorse and regret for the evil he had done and because he cared for human life.