Imagine you are standing in front of an edict, one of the many written in different languages by Asoka. You can see them written on pillars, boulders, and walls all around the whole empire. The edicts are written by a calm, enlightened ruler. Asoka ruled India from about 268 B.C.E to 232 B.C.E. He conquered all of India except for the south empires, for they were on good terms. Asoka became a buddhist when he conquered Kalinga, and had completed his empire. Was Asoka a ruthless conqueror or an enlightened ruler? A ruthless person shows no pity for anyone, while an enlightened person is spiritually aware. Asoka was an enlightened ruler because he was just and generous. First, the way Asoka is enlightened ruler is because he was a just ruler
The second Noble Truth is, the cause of suffering is the desire for things that are really illusions, such as riches, power, and long life. Siddhartha had all of these things, however, no matter how rich, how powerful, how old, one can not reach nirvana by materialistic matters. In Siddhartha’s life, while a merchant, he played dice. However, when he lost he did not get mad, due to the fact that riches were not greatly important to him.
Religion has always had an impact on an individual’s perspectives and the government, and this can clearly be seen with Buddhism and the Tang Dynasty. Before Buddhism pervaded China, the traditional religion in China was Confucianism, and the majority of individuals strictly followed the rules and principles of Confucianism. When Buddhism was introduced, every person engendered their own views on Buddhism and the influences the religion would have on the government. The Tang Dynasty generated a prosperous time in China, until the dynasty spiraled down into its demise in c. 750 (Smarr “Tang China”). Many individuals believed that the reason why the collapse of the Tang Dynasty occurred was because of Buddhism and foreign ideas. A Chinese poet, named Han Yu, believed in the concept that Buddhism was the ultimate cause for the destruction of the Tang Dynasty, and his ideas were very influential. Han Yu’s ideas promoted the riddance of Buddhism values and monasteries in China (Smarr “An Lu-shan Rebellion”). Therefore, the question that arises from such observations is was this an accurate portrayal of perspectives during the Tang dynasty and how influential was this portrayal? Although, one portrayal of the Tang Dynasty’s collapse was Emperor Xuanzong’s carelessness, Han Yu persists that the accurate portrayal of the collapse was brought about by Buddhism through monasteries and monks, and selfish values.
Was Asoka an enlightened ruler or ruthless conqueror? I believe he was an enlightened ruler. Due to the fact that he chose to become a better person. Most ruthless people, would choose to stay that way. But Asoka was different. Asoka was affected by all the suffering and death that he came across. He was affected so much that he chose to change himself. He switched from Hinduism, to Buddhism and changed his ways to help others. Like giving rich gifts to the poor, and meeting with communities. Examples are; Missionaries, Legacies, and Edicts.
“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love . Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.”-Mohandas Gandhi . Abraham Lincoln, John F, Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto were all peaceful leaders of their time. They led their people to many great successes and were loved by most for their belief in nonviolence. However, their endings were destructive and unforgettable for the many who pursued them.
There are countless religions in our world today; Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and more. These religions are all so different, yet bear the same mindset behind them: to be a better person. People strive to come to peace with themselves and others by practicing and worshiping certain deities. While the overall mentality of these religions are equivocal, the details become astoundingly diverse. For example, Buddhism’s core belief system goes off the approach of knowing suffering will happen in the world and coming to peace with it through meditation. Only then can the power of enlightenment bring worshipers to eternal peace. Unfortunately, in Burma during the 1920s suffering was anything but depleted. In this Buddhist based country, an imperialist force had taken over: Britain. However, in the midst of pandemonium, one man broke away from the imperialist outlook and saw the world for how it truly was. This is why George Orwell’s literary perspective was substantially influenced by the conditions he witnessed during his services in the Indian Imperial Police Force.
During the Halley’s Comet, a great leader was born, Kamehameha. He was born with a prophecy saying “the child born from an eye of the tiger shark will cause the blood of the chiefs to run in the streams over the land”. His family then decided to hide him until a point of time and name him Paiea. When he was grown he lived up to his prophecy and conquered all the Hawaiian Islands. Kamehameha was an effective leader because he was intelligent and cared for his people.
Asoka’s conversion to Buddhism, affected with the help of his own teacher, Upragupta, was gradual. Even though he did little to change the system of government he inherited, he introduced a novel and powerful moral idealism, which was a moral rule or way of life in the Buddhist sense, as he understood it. He called this the “Law of Piety.” This law, though following the tenets of the Buddha, was distinct from them and peculiar to Asoka. It was to become one of the great turning points of the civilization of the East, having profound effects throughout the neighboring kingdoms, not least in
(Doc F) Ashoka is stilled remembers for being a great and astonishing ruler. Ashoka promoted Buddhism and was an active leader who had done good deeds. He followed Buddhist Values, Justice, Security, and General Welfare (Doc C) Most of his edicts were based on good deeds such as, “prisoners who has been convicted and sentenced to death shall be granted a respite of three days when their relative hay appeal to the officials for the prisoner's
At least every Asian country with a Buddhist community has experience some sort of civil war, foreign invasion, or systematic poverty and tyranny. During the Khmer Rouge era, Buddhism was nearly destroyed. Monks were tortured, killed and forced into lay life. Buddhist temples were destroyed and used as a prison area. After the defeat of the Khmer Rouge, Buddhism remained repressed within Cambodia. Some Buddhist monks or leaders responded with forms of social engagement. That being said, Maha Ghosananda is one the monks who played a key role in rebuilding Buddhism in Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. His work, Dhammayietras was the first program to set up for peace and non-violence in Cambodia. The Dhammayietras consisted of peace walks through war-torn, landmine-infested regions. This non-violence and social action is considered to be “engaged Buddhism.” The idea of “engaged Buddhism” places an emphasis on the need for compassion for compassionate action is rooted in the Buddhist practice. Ghosananda activism rebuilt Buddhism in Cambodia by teaching peace through example. T...
Asoka was the third ruler of the Mauryan Empire and is considered the greatest ruler of ancient India. Asoka not only unified India under one government, he also introduced the concept of conquest by moral force over violence. Furthermore, he is arguably one of the most important figures in the early development of Buddhism. It is because of Asoka’s royal patronage that Buddhism spread beyond India and became the world religion that it is today.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable… We may ignore him at our own risk.” King cited Gandhi as one of his biggest inspirations, which should come as no surprise, as Gandhi helped end racism towards as many if not more people than King himself. Gandhi pioneered the use of what he called satyagraha, or political change through nonviolence, and helped bring millions of India’s oppressed to equality. Lord Mountbatten, the last British ruler of India, is quoted as saying, “Mahatma Gandhi will go down in history on a par with Buddha and Jesus Christ.” There is no denying the truth in this statement because of the way he had a profound impact on the lives of those around him, just like these other two famous figures of history. Gandhi may have been very small man, relatively speaking, but he grew to be a giant in the eyes of the world.
Enlightened absolutism is when there is absolute monarchs or despots that were influenced by the Enlightenment. Enlightened monarchs took in the ideas and beliefs of the Enlightenment, most significantly the emphasis on rationality, and applied them to their kingdom or country. Most Enlightened monarchs or despots allowed religious toleration, the right to hold private property, and other human freedoms. The difference between an absolutist and an enlightened absolutist is based on the policies and ideas that were influenced and executed in their territories. Controversy arises from the distinguishment between the "enlightenment" of the ruler through personal endeavors versus that of their regime.
The idea and philosophy of moral development has been around for thousands of years, for it places expectation and rules on one’s self to follow based upon a law of conscience. A law of conscience is a set of rulers made by one’s inner voice that helps determine one’s perspective of right and wrong. That law of conscience aids a person’s actions into determining their level of moral development just as Lawrence Kohlberg did in his six-level theory of moral development. Antigone and Gandhi are stage six moral development based on their will and courage to stand up for what is right as well as their acceptance of any and all consequences that were to follow.
Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism made a great impact on the Mauryan Empire. If Ashoka continued to be a ruler with such evil ways of enforcement, the people of the Mauryan Empire would not be happy. His conversion to Buddhism saved a lot of lives because of his new belief in ahimsa. Ashoka also sent out many Buddhist missionaries all over the country to spread the religion of Buddhism. Significant events like these were very important events that occurred during the time period of the Mauryan Empire.