Buddhtim In India

47

for very serious crime; and he was especially impressed by

the fact th a t hum an freedom was respected and people were
able to move freely from one part of the land to the other
w ithout passports or other forms of interference from the
government. In M egasthenes day all classes freely ate meat,
while in th e tim e of Fa-hsien only the outcastes did so.^ It
seems certain th at Buddhism had something to do with the
great change in the direction of mildness and nonviolence
which had taken place in th e seven hundred years between
the two travelers. Certainly Buddhism was not the only
factor in the change, for sentim ents in favor of tolerance,
mildness, and nonviolence are to be found also in H indu
and Jain writings, b u t it is very probable th a t Buddhism was
th e greatest single factor, for it was the most active and vig
orous religion in th e period in question.
Though Ashoka was practically forgotten by India his
message calling for good relations between rulers and ruled
was not, and echoes of it may be heard in many non-Bud
dhist sources of later date. O n th e other hand his fond hope
th a t aggressive wars would cease forever as a result of his
propaganda was unfulfilled, and the successors of Ashoka
seem to have been if anything more m ilitant than his pre
decessors. I t would seem th a t Buddhism had little effect in
encouraging peace w ithin th e borders of India.
Conditions of the W elfare of Societies
The following passage occurs in the Discoune of the Great Passingaway, which describes the last days and death of the Buddha.
Though the words are put into his own mouth, it is quite likely
that the passage is based on a series of popular aphorisms current
among the Vajjian tribesmen themselves. It is followed by a longer
passage in which the Buddha is purported to have adapted the list
of the seven conditions of the welfare of republics to the circum
stances of the Buddhist Order. According to a tradition preserved
by the commentator Buddhaghosa, King Ajitasattus wily minister
VassakSra, hearing the Buddhas words, set to work by fifth col
umn methods to sow dissension among the leaders of the Va//is,
with the result that Magadha was able to annex their lands within
a few years.
* If we are to believe the pilgrim, who may have exaggerated some
what.