VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~

MID-SEMESTER ESSAY

THE EFFECTS OF ASHOKA THE GREAT’S

CONVERSION TO BUDDHISM

Lecturer: PhD Nguyen Tran Tien

Subject: History of India

Name of student: Nguyen Thi Thu Na

Matric card no: 19030141

Hanoi – 5/2021

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 Table of Contents

A. PREFACE INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................3
B. CONTENT..............................................................................................................................5
I. Asoka's biography..............................................................................................................5
1. The origin of Asoka.........................................................................................................5
2. Asoka before becoming a king.......................................................................................6
3. Asoka when becoming a king.........................................................................................6
II. The legends of Asoka's conversion................................................................................8
1. Mahavamsa......................................................................................................................8
2. Asokavadana....................................................................................................................9
3. Some other legends........................................................................................................10
III. Asoka's contributions to Buddhism.............................................................................11
1. Issue important decrees................................................................................................11
2. Spreading Buddhism.....................................................................................................12
3. Social charity.................................................................................................................13
4. Asoka worship Buddha.................................................................................................14
5. Collection of classics for the third time.......................................................................15
IV. Reviews of the Buddhist emperor Asoka....................................................................16
1. As a ruler of the country...............................................................................................16
2. Responsibility of a Buddhist.........................................................................................17
3. Achievements of Asoka.................................................................................................17
C. CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................................19

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A. PREFACE INTRODUCTION

Asoka, the third emperor of the Maurya dynasty of India, is a historical figure who
has left mankind many great lessons. His life and career were marked with special
marks, making his name legendary and historic. His notoriously brutal acts before
becoming a Buddhist earned him the nickname Candasoka (the brutal Asoka), after
which the human acts he devoted himself after becoming a Buddhist made him
worthy. with the title Dhammasoka (The benevolent Asoka). The same person, the
same life, but Asoka has two different names. All of them reflect the feelings and
attitudes of the people for him. They rumored that he was a brutal murderer, but
then they praised him for being a benevolent man. This proves that Asoka made
great changes in his life.

The documents and legends that remain today suggest that Asoka deserves eternal
credit for his special personality and for what he did for life: Asoka was the first
emperor in history. humankind advocates "overcoming himself over conquering
others," a policy that has turned him from an extremely evil man into a very good
man and opens up many great prospects for life. Asoka has also made great
contributions to the concept of the dharma and the nation, which is clearly
reflected in his policy of respecting freedom of belief and national independence.
In addition, Asoka also stands out as a messenger of culture and peace due to the
policy of renouncing the war, resolutely pursuing international peace and relations
on the basis of cooperation and assistance to other countries in many fields.

Perhaps due to such positive and human actions, Asoka's name has entered the
historical legend and the value that he left behind remains, even though he was
born more than 20 centuries ago. He left behind a great lesson, a lesson of effort,
enthusiasm, devotion, love and tolerance, a lesson of trusting in oneself and of
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trusting others in all things. do and in all relationships. He used love to eliminate
hatred, used good people to win cruelty, to use honestly to win against puppets.

Learning about Asoka's life and career, especially his conversion to Buddhism
helps us to understand the positive value of a human being: transition from evil to
extreme good, a firm belief of a person. determination to give up evil to do good, a
person's zeal and devotion, devotion in all endeavors towards goodness, self-
confidence and others in the conduct, responsibility, love and tolerance of a leader
towards the people.

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B. CONTENT
I. Asoka's biography
1. The origin of Asoka

Asoka belonged to the third generation of the Maurya dynasty founded by his
grandfather, Chandragupta. According to historians, the arrival of Chandragupta in
the fourth century BC marked an important event in the history of ancient India: it
liberated the country from Macedonian domination and built dominance. India's
first most political under the command of a king.

Chandragupta ascended to the throne of India from 324 to 300 BC when he ceded
the throne to his son Bindusara and became a Jainian monk. Jainism refers to him
as a hermit, a disciple of Bhadrabahu, and early tenth-century inscriptions
discovered near Seringapatam mention a mountain peak called Chandragiri, which
is said to be a spiritual retreat by Chandragupta. During his 24-year rule,
Chandragupta expanded his territory, south as far as Mysore and northwest to the
Persia borders. Territories such as Punjab, Sind, Beluchistan, Afghanistan,
Himavatkuta, Nepal and Kashmir were all under his rule.

Bindusara succeeded his father to govern the Maurya dynasty from 300 to 273 BC.
Despite being a great emperor of the Maurya dynasty, Bindusara is not talked
about as much by historians as Chandragupta and his son, Asoka. He stood
between the two great emperors, Chandragupta and Asoka. And this is probably
the reason why he did not attract the attention of historians, who always show
respect and respect for heroic deeds as well as dedication to the religious field of
Chandragupta and Asoka. Under the aura of these two emperors, historians viewed
him as an obscure figure and ignored his contributions to religious cause.

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2. Asoka before becoming a king

Asoka was born in 304 BC. His father, Bindusara was the husband of 16 wives and
the father of 101 sons, of which only three were known as Sumana - the eldest son,
Asoka - the third son, and the youngest son named Tisya.

Some legends tell that Asoka's childhood was not lucky because he had a rough,
rough skin. However, in adulthood, Asoka completely won the trust of his father -
Bindusara by his military strategy. This can be seen clearly when he was sent by
Bindusara to Takkasila to quell the rebellions there. During the time Asoka was
appointed vice monarch in the West Indies territory called Avantiratham with
Ujjain as the capital, riots broke out in Takkasila that his brother, Prince Sumana,
could not deal with. So, he was sent to Takkasila to replace Prince Sumana to
suppress the rebellion.

Although historical sources do not mention Asoka's education, he must have

enjoyed a formal education like his younger brother Vitasoka. Because in addition
to military skill, Asoka also excelled in the management of the country, diplomacy,
enactment of laws, especially the German rule (Dharma-vijiya) that he proposed:
"For the happiness and well-being of all people both this life and the next" (as his
inscriptions make it clear). Asoka's marriages are also not known precisely,
through legends and inscriptions indicating that Asoka was multi-wives.

3. Asoka when becoming a king

Asoka inherited the Maurya throne in 273 BC, but he was officially crowned in
270 BC. The legend of Asoka's ascendancy is highly debated. This is also
understandable because: first, Bindusara has many children, so choosing Asoka to
take the throne must have caused dissatisfaction among his children; second, eight

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years after ascending the throne (262 BC) Asoka changed from a notoriously brutal
person to a benevolent man - this fact must have created the legends and myths of
a king is as powerful as he is, but as compassionate as Asoka.

According to historical sources, Asoka's enthronement was associated with the

brutal battles that occurred between his brothers. There is a legend that describes
Asoka as the killer of 99 of his brothers, except Tisya - brother of the same mother,
for the purpose of usurping the throne. Because of this event Asoka is called
Candasoka. However, the battle for the throne only happened between Asoka and
Sumana - his brother, in which Sumana was murdered. There are also other sources
that do not attribute Asoka to any murderous acts against his brothers, but mention
that he applied brutal policies. For example: Asoka was the killer of his
subordinates, burned alive many women in the palace, setting up a prison to
execute innocent people. Asokatreo prices for the heads of the Balamon monks,
deliberately insulting Buddha statues; This incident only ended when Vitasoka -
his brother intervened. Things like this could only have happened before Asoka
officially became a Buddhist.

More and more later, as the inscriptions of Asoka make it clear: Asoka more
clearly a gentle and devout king. There is a legend that Asoka took so much care of
the Bodhi tree that his beautiful young wife Tishyarkshita became jealous of
wanting to destroy it. Xuanzang, a Chinese astrologer and scholar who studied to
India around the seventh century, noted the above story and added that in order to
protect the Bodhi tree, Asoka built a wall of stone. Today, the majority of scholars
believe that Asoka became holy through Buddhist influences. Anyway, the things
that Asoka did before becoming a true Buddhist was also difficult to avoid the
name Candasoka that was attributed to him. Just the fact that he invaded the land
of Kalinga, in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed and hundreds of

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others imprisoned and enslaved was enough to give him this title. Historically, it is
not uncommon for kings to be called brutal, but it is rare that a king can change his
mood as radically as Asoka. From a man nicknamed Candasoka, people again
proclaimed him Dhammasoka. In 232 BC, Asoka died 38 years after reigning
Maurya.

II. The legends of Asoka's conversion

1. Mahavamsa

According to Mahavamsa, Nigrodha was the first Buddhist monk to transform

Asoka from the Balamon faith to the Buddhist faith. This legend says that
Nigrodha was Sumana's son - Asoka's brother, who was murdered by Asoka in the
war for the throne of Maurya. When Sumana was murdered, Nigrodha's mother,
while pregnant with him, was forced to leave the royal palace to live in a village
for lower-class residents. On the day she left the palace, she gave birth to Nigrodha
- a baby with many special signs at birth and seven years later ordained as a
Buddhist monk.

One day, Nigrodha passed by the palace and caught Asoka's eye by her unusually
serene and calm appearance. Asoka, feeling delighted, invited royal Nigrodha and
said, "Darling, choose the seat you think is appropriate." Nigrodha glanced at the
vacant throne and Asoka realized that Nigrodha had the intention of becoming
master of the palace. He took Nigrodha's hand and sat the boy on the throne, then
offered Nigrodha special dishes for him. After the solemn reception, Asoka asked
Nigrodha about the Buddha's teachings. Nigrodha spoke to him about Appamada,
pointing out that pious fervor results in immortality and the moral disdain that
leads to mortal suffering. Inspired by this teaching, Asoka announced his
renunciation of the Balamon faith and accepted the Buddha's teaching. The event

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takes place in the fourth year since Asoka took the throne of Pataliputra, or in the
year Asoka's coronation, around 270 BC.

2. Asokavadana

The legend of Asokavadana are records of the scholar Xuanzang when traveling to
India in the 6th century BC. If Mahavamsa considers Nigrodha the first to make
Asoka a Buddhist and Moggaliputta Tissa is considered his second teacher, the
documents provided by Xuanzang claim that it was Elder Upagupta who
transformed Asoka's faith.

According to Asokavadana, Asoka met Upaguta after he broke the barbaric prison
regime he established in Ujjain. This account update Asoka for setting to setup
system rush to at Pataliputra, the region of the list is address of the Earth because
those who have fallen here have no chance of escaping. One day, a monk named
Balapandita accidentally entered the prison door associated with the administrative
managers. A few days later, Balapandita was thrown into the burning cauldron but
unharmed. This work to at Asoka, he thong to the current field view and is feel by
the normal warning and the recommend of the monk Balapandita. He began to
pursue genuine education and abandoned the path of sin. Prison was destroyed and
suspended prisons burned.

Thus, according to Xuanzang, Asoka met Upagupta after the prison regime was
dismantled, that is, after Asoka was transformed by Balapandita. Therefore, to say
that Upagupta was the first person to transform Asoka it is completely contrary to
what is described in the legend of Asokavadana. Furthermore, the documents
provided by Xuanzang did not agree with Mahavamsa about Asoka's construction
of stupas to worship Buddha relics everywhere in his kingdom.

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3. Some other legends

Indian legend records that after completing construction of the stupas, Asoka
expressed the desire to travel to admire the Buddhist relics. He invited Upagupta,
who was living in seclusion in Urumunda mountain near Mathura, to fulfill his
intention. Upagupta thus becomes the king's guide on this journey.

In Sri Lankan history, the name Moggaliputta Tissa is associated with many
Buddhas the importance is carried out under the patronage of Asoka. Firstly, the
purification of the Sangha organization is in a period of serious separation and
division by fame and benefits. Mahavamsa reported that with Asoka's devotion to
Buddhism, temples were built everywhere and Buddhist monks were offered full
material comforts. The pagans who lost their fame and gain immediately tried to
infiltrate the Sangha. The number of non-Buddhists who are ordained is increasing,
their old customs and understanding have affected the reputation and prestige of
the church. Asoka was deeply concerned about the current state of the church, so
he summoned Moggaliputta Tissa to the capital Pataliputra to find a solution to the
problem. The purification measure was carried out by Asoka, by questioning the
Buddhist monks about the Guru's teachings. Those who believe that Buddhism
advocates the theory of the immortal soul or similar issues are expelled from the
Sangha. Only those who say that the Master advocates analytical teachings will
remain in the church. As a result, 60.000 non-Buddhist monks were forced to
disembark after the Sangha purification and the church returned to pure activities.

In short: although Nigrodha was the first to instill his faith, it was Moggaliputta
Tissa who played an important role in Asoka's life and career. Asoka became
famous for her many religious and cultural activities in part thanks to the merits of
Moggaliputta Tissa.

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III. Asoka's contributions to Buddhism
1. Issue important decrees

During the Buddhist revival career, from the 12th to the 39th year, for nearly 28
years King Asoka often issued very important decrees to revive Buddhism.
Decrees engraved on stelae, caves and stone pillars scattered in many parts of India
have been discovered by recent archaeologists. These decrees are precious
historical milestones for historians as well as the existence of Buddhism today, and
to know that Buddhism at that time influenced the rulers and forces in society such
as how; Typically, the rock pillars at Lumpinivattu garden and other inscriptions
and cliffs.

The material words engraved on the stone pillars, the inscriptions on inscriptions as
well as the cliffs largely match with the data recorded in Sri Lanka's history. The
date of these inscriptions is around 250 BC. This script is a local language, close to
Pali and Sankrit. Currently discovered there are five types of large cliffs, seven
types of small cliffs, ten pillars, all carved in rock caves and stone tables... Of the
ten discovered stone pillars, there are six pillars high from 10 to 13m, size not the
same, on the pillar surface are engraved with the rupas of Asoka. The content talks
about respecting the Dharma, advising good deeds, eliminating evil, forbidding
killing and doing benevolent deeds equally... In particular, on the stone pillar is
engraved with the legend of Asoka. The other four pillars are about 7.5m high,
recording the personal prostrations of King Asoka to the Buddhas and other
material qualities, such as the prohibition of breaking the Sangha. In addition to the
stone pillars, there are also many material qualities carved into the cliffs of
different large and small and spread across India. In which most rupas on small
rocks take the name Asoka.

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In general, the content engraved on the stone is the words that are true to the
Buddha's teachings as well as his history, and at the same time there is also
engraved on the meaning of serving a political goal on the basis of Buddhist
teachings. to rule over the people. Implement a policy of tolerance for the people in
the spirit of Buddhism.

2. Spreading Buddhism

Asoka year 13-14 rule, the king sent missionaries, great dharma leaders to spread
the teachings throughout India and abroad such as Greece, Egypt, Siria, African
countries. and the Far East, the localities of the East, the Mediterranean coast, the
countries of the North and South. Especially Asoka for her son Mahinda to ordain
and evangelize in Sri Lanka. There is a written theory, after the third collection of
scriptures was completed, Mahinda brought the Tripitaka Pali Canon to Ceylon for
evangelization, and Mahinda was the one who diligently built the foundation of the
Buddhist Southern Venerable.

From Chinese documents, we know that Asoka played an important role in

bringing Buddhism into Kashmir. In his memoir about Asoka, Xuanzang said that
Asoka sent Buddhist monks to Kashmir for the purpose of popularizing Buddhism
here. According to Xuanzang, Asoka built many temples in Kashmir and donated
the whole country to the church. The Chinese media see Asoka as a strong
supporter of the Sarvastivada sect whose life center is in Kashmir. According to
the Tibetan historian Taranatha, Asoka supported the novice monks in Aparantaka,
Kashmir and Tukhara.

Although the inscription and stone pillar sources do not mention the missionary
activities, it does make it clear that Asoka has sent many messengers around the
country and abroad to popularize the line of virtue (Dharma-vijava). Inscription

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XIII insists on the principle of moral rule or moral subjugation that Asoka wants to
introduce and expand to the masses not only in the country but also in other
countries and peoples such as Yona, Kamboja, Nabhaka, Pitimika, Andhra, Palida,
the northwestern Antiocho country governed by the Greeks. Asoka's desire to
expand Buddhism was so great that his missionary activities were not limited to
India but also expanded to neighboring countries. Thanks to these Asoka efforts,
Buddhism was firmly established in many parts of India and in a number of other
countries. Asoka was the first Indian emperor whose vision and thought extended
the Buddhist teachings to other countries and he succeeded. This is a very
meaningful event in Buddhist history.

For about 200 years after Asoka's death, Buddhism spread throughout India and
peacefully began to invade Asia. Buddhism has played such a huge role in
enriching the cultural capital of the peoples here that Asian Buddhist countries
have constantly sought and are often proud of them if they find any traces. it,
though very small and historically insecure, shows that their country had a
predestined relationship with the Dharma since the Asoka period.

3. Social charity

Charitable work is one of the jobs that King Asoka pays great attention to. He
issued decrees such as: Planting herbal plants to treat people's illnesses, digging
wells to provide water for everyone to live, giving supplies to the poor. In
particular, the king issued a decree to organize "Consumers" to provide for medical
treatment and have a place for the frail, afflicted, and handicapped. Also issued a
decree for mandarins and people to celebrate "For old age".

Every year, Asoka often makes offerings to the virtuous beings, and at the same
time brings Buddhist teachings to the people, popularized in society by the forms

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of practicing the five precepts in the home, living in peace, reconciliation and
peace. The remarkable thing is that the king himself advises people not to kill,
teaches people to live a cultural life, mutual respect, respect for the elders, parents,
brothers and sisters, the disabled, the servant, and the encouragement of good
deeds.

Thereby, we see that Asoka is imbued with the Buddha's teachings, is a king with
the mind of Bodhisattva, for the benefit of everyone, his forgiving heart is not
narrow. Doing so is truly worthy of the status of a Buddhist king. The merit in
building a peaceful of Indian society at that time was so great that history could not
be forgotten.

4. Asoka worship Buddha

In addition to political work as well as Buddhism, Asoka also spends time

admiring the holy places - Buddha relics. He invited the higher ranks to meet the
practice of everyone. In particular, Asoka came to worship the Four Caves of Tam
- where the relics of the Great Prayer were left, where the King ordered the stone to
be carved to make a mark there. Thanks to the inscriptions handed down to this
day, Buddhism in general and Indian Buddhism in particular have a precise and
convenient way of transmitting, creating widespread belief in the Dharma and
easier. At Bodh Bodhisattva, Asoka erected large stone pillars, on top of them
there was also a lion carving. The art of sculpture on the stone pillars is very
sophisticated, to this day the sculptor must also respect. Moreover, Emperor Asoka
also built many monasteries and stupas to worship Buddha's relics. According to
the First Sutra of Amitabha volume 1 says: "The king, thanks to Bhikshu Hai,
knew about the legendary Buddha's story, went to King Amnesty citadel to get four
promotion relics buried by King A-beam. These six places are probably located

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around the area belonging to King Amnesty citadel or other unknown cities), then
made 84,000 treasure boxes, each with a relic. 84,000 stacks of silk and 84,000
towers to worship. This we can confirm that this is real work; because Asoka was
an Emperor who devoted all his energy to spreading the Dharma. Asoka's
contributions to Indian culture, especially to Buddhist culture, are immense.
However, to this day, these stupas have gone through a long time, almost
disappearing. Besides, during the period of Buddhism in the period of sectarian
division, Asoka ended the internal division of Buddhism, at the same time he was
most remembered by the Buddhists as the first collection of sutras. The following
three that we learn to come.

5. Collection of classics for the third time

While Buddhism began to differentiate in response to development, there was

inevitably a growing internal disagreement about a number of texts. Emperor
Asoka contributed to a part of the rectification. It is said that Asoka put an end to
the division of 60.000 monks at Asoka temple which lasted for 7 years. First, the
king ordered the monks at the pagoda to perform the joint Bo slapping ceremony.
Asoka sent elders in the court to the temple to urge the execution of the imperial
order. But the elders here do not accept the ceremony together with the public
because they consider it a pagan heresy. This shows us, this is the basis of the
division divided into the Sect later.

After a number of monks died unjustly, the king personally went to the temple to
consider this. Asoka asked the monks where this incident happened, and was this
sin caused by the king? At the disagreement of the indistinguishable monks, Asoka
sent an envoy to summon Moggaliputtatisa, who was in retreat at Mount
Ahoganga. He refused, but due to his urgency to ask for a third time, he accepted.

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He lowered the mountain, went down the Ganges river to Hoa Thi Thanh. Through
Asoka's questions, Moggaliputta replied: "There is no sin without malice in
acting". Thanks to this, Asoka was able to clear away doubts as well as regret. On
that occasion, the king ordered to open the congress of the classic gathering at Hoa
Thi Thanh which lasted for 9 months.

The congress gathered Moggaliputta's presidency, Asoka sitting behind a curtain to

listen to the monks talking about the differences in the dhamma. At the same time,
raised 62 opinions of the pagan beliefs that the Buddha raised and condemned in
the Sutra Pitaka. The king finished listening, distinguishing between what is
righteous, what is evil, what is truth, is puppet. Since Asoka ordered the expulsion
of some of the monks who were infidels in disguise to destroy them from the
congregation, forcing them to return to lay life. This order is inscribed in the 26th
and 27th year of the reign of Asoka.

After finishing the purification, the king requested Moggaliputta to choose 1000
people who understand the Holy Tripitaka to gather the scriptures. Perhaps the
Abhidhamma Pitaka was first recorded on this occasion, and possibly also because
Moggaliputta was the author of the treatise entitled "The Commentary" or "Theory
of Thesis" aimed at counteracting the heresy.

IV. Reviews of the Buddhist emperor Asoka

1. As a ruler of the country

Xuanzang commented that after consulting with reliable records, he wrote: "It was
the painful and devastating scene of the Kalinga war that awakened Emperor
Asoka from his dream of power, back to the main. That is the last tear filled the
glass of water of awareness ".

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That's right, after becoming king, Asoka returned to the main road, took refuge in
the Three Jewels, so he applied thoroughly Buddhist teachings in the governing of
the country. He made the main point of kindness and the reward and punishment
were justified, encouraged to help the people, and used righteousness to eliminate
negative karma. The treatment of my king and his subjects is regardless of class,
race, or belief. Asoka has built for Indian society a foundation of peace, happiness
and well-being. That merit is so great that history has confirmed.

2. Responsibility of a Buddhist

After returning to the Dharma, taking refuge in the Three Jewels, maintaining the
Precepts of Wisdom, practicing the precepts of wisdom, the king is also a very
enthusiastic Buddhist, devoting himself to promoting the Dharma, that is the
greatest work that the Great has received and fulfilled his responsibility well. This
has been proven by inscribing material qualities on stone pillars, caves,
inscriptions... as a historical landmark for Buddhism, at the same time gathering
sutras, spreading the dharma to popularize humanity. In particular, sending people
abroad to spread the Dharma, making the house of Dharma to be spread to this day
is global. This initiative to spread Buddhism is courageous and wise.

3. Achievements of Asoka

Asoka has built a country that is successful in all fields such as politics, society,
education, culture. He created a peaceful and peaceful society and brought
practical benefits to the people such as planting trees, providing clean water,
building and protecting the environment, and living beings. This inscription on the
Emperor's inscription still sounds very close to the current era as well as the
current civilization. The policy of respect for folk beliefs, tolerance and non-
violence are still forever the beauties of human culture.

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The most outstanding success was the propagation of the web of Dharma by the
inscriptions and sutras. The emperor has built Buddha relics, erect stone pillars to
mark the presence of the Three Jewels in the world, making life happy. The form
of Buddhist beliefs was developed from here. Tripitaka saints are still preserved in
Ceylon to this day. This is a great cultural source of humanity that has flourished in
India, advocating the introduction of Buddhism, righteousness, and the unification
of the difference between 18 Buddhist sects for a happy life.

Emperor Asoka passed away from the Indian realm for the past 23 centuries, but
his life and career are still bright on earth. It is Asoka's greatest achievement that
has contributed to both life and religion that the history will never forget. As
people saying about him:

"Every step is an epic plagiarism,

Each step is an imposing page of history,

Each step shook all over the river,

Each step benefits all species in the world ".

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C. CONCLUSION

Before coming into contact with Buddhism, Asoka's life and career did
not shine through; on the contrary, it is somewhat obscure and critical
because of ambition and power. But since meeting Buddhism, Asoka
began to light up thanks to the inherent wisdom of a man awakened and
encouraged by Buddhism. Asoka devoted her mind to pursuing the
Buddhist way, taking love to erase hatred, using benevolent people to
win brutality, to conquer evil with generosity, to use honestly over evil.
His life and career are remarkable believed that a person can make
mistakes and cruelty in the past, but if he knows how to change his
personality and is determined to pursue good, he will not make mistakes
and become a good man, a kind person. Buddhism opens the door to
people like Agulimala and Asoka and helps them become holy. Indeed,
with the respect of Buddhism, Asoka changed himself so that, from a
notorious brutal man, he was called a King of kindness.

The Buddhists and the Asian people in general owe a great favor to
Asoka, because thanks to him the Buddha's teachings were expanded
and spread everywhere, benefiting many countries and enriching cultural
for many nations. The propaganda of Buddhism advocated and
supported by Asoka has made many Asian lands become green and
fertile, many peoples become peaceful and noble, serene, joyful and
receptive. Collect the invitation, have a calm mind to understand
everything, forgive all and finally have a generous heart open to human.
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Asoka followed the teachings of Buddhism, determined to pursue a path
of peace, nonviolence, and succeeded in her unwavering will and
decisive attitude towards war and all thoughts related to war. He gave up
military aggression, quelling all ideas of war, leaving other nations and
peoples no longer afraid of being attacked or worried about defending.
He pursued peace, advocating relations to help other peoples in many
fields, making every nation prosper. This is truly a peaceful move, and at
the same time the only and most radical measure to establish peace and
great sympathy among peoples. This attitude of Asoka reminds us of our
limited and ineffective solutions to world peace, warns us of the root
danger of war, illuminates us on the true path to go to peace.

Asoka is born only once and his actions are limited to a certain range
and time, while life progresses nonstop. He has left to life a great lesson,
a lesson of zeal, devotion, love and tolerance, a lesson of trusting in
oneself and of trusting others in all things and in all relationships. He
used love to eliminate hatred, used good people to win cruelty, to use
honestly to overcome evil. Asoka set a great example for life. Although
the progress of his life was not what he wanted, the manner and the
parable he left are always standards and guidelines for those who love
morality, cherish kindness, and yearn for peace, love mankind.

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