Emperor Ashoka was an Indian emperor who reigned during the Maurya Dynasty. He reigned over the majority of India from 268 to 232 BCE. He is noted as being one of India’s greatest emperors. Around 260 BCE, Ashoka constructed a war against the state of Kalinga so brutal it could have been considered genocide. He ended up conquering Kalinga, which added to his notoriety as an emperor, considering none of his ancestors had accomplished this feat. After witnessing the mass destruction of Kalinga, Ashoka felt great remorse, which led him to convert to Buddhism. Ashoka then devoted his life to spreading Buddhism across Asia. Without Emperor Ashoka, Buddhism wouldn’t be nearly as internationally renowned as it is today. Ashoka led to mass amounts of Buddhist conversions throughout Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Egypt, and even Europe. Informing masses of what Buddhism is and how it could be beneficial to their lives.
…show more content…
Ashoka’s monks used this to their advantage when speaking to prospective converts. They used reference of how wicked Ashoka was before he was enlightened by Buddhism. They spoke of how horrible he was and how he was the reason over 100,000 people had to die in the state of Kalinga. They then spoke of how he found Buddhism and was transformed from Ashoka the Wicked to Ashoka the Great and how great of a person he had become due to enlightenment. Ashoka was born to the Mauryan emperor Bindusara and his wife Dharma, who interestingly enough was of a relatively lover class rank. It’s historically known that Ashoka wasn’t even the legitimate heir of the throne. It’s said that Ashoka had to trick the heir of the throne to enter a pit filled with live coals in order to become the Emperor. Obviously, Emperor Ashoka wasn’t exactly overflowing with integrity, however this only gave merit to his monks’ stories of how Buddhism changed him for the
Ashoka’s monks used this to their advantage when speaking to prospective converts. They used reference of how wicked Ashoka was before he was enlightened by Buddhism. They spoke of how horrible he was and how he was the reason over 100,000 people had to die in the state of Kalinga. They then spoke of how he found Buddhism and was transformed from Ashoka the Wicked to Ashoka the Great and how great of a person he had become due to enlightenment. Ashoka was born to the Mauryan emperor Bindusara and his wife Dharma, who interestingly enough was of a relatively lover class rank. It’s historically known that Ashoka wasn’t even the legitimate heir of the throne. It’s said that Ashoka had to trick the heir of the throne to enter a pit filled with live coals in order to become the Emperor. Obviously, Emperor Ashoka wasn’t exactly overflowing with integrity, however this only gave merit to his monks’ stories of how Buddhism changed him for the