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Dhamma is a set of edicts that formed a policy of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka
Maurya, who succeeded to the Mauryan throne in modern-day India around 269
B.C many historians consider him one of the greatest kings of Ancient India for his
policies of public welfare. His policy of Dhamma has been debated by
intellectuals.
History of Dhamma:
The word Dhamma is the Prakrit form of the Sanskrit word Dharma. There have
been attempts to define and find equivalent English words for it, such as “piety”,
“moral life” and “righteousness" but scholars could not translate it into English
because it was coined and used in a specific context. The word Dharma has
multiple meanings in the literature and thought of ancient India. The best way to
understand what Ashoka means by Dhamma is to read his edicts, which were
written to explain the principles of Dhamma to the people of that time
throughout the empire.
Ashoka as a Buddhist:
Various arguments are formulated to show that Ashoka was a Buddhist. It is
quoted that Ashoka took the tour of all the holy places associated with the Buddha.
He visited Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar. He constructed a number
of monasteries or viharas for the Buddhist monks. These places became the centers
of Buddhist learning. He also constructed a number of stupas over the relics of the
Buddha. He convened the third Buddhist Council at Pataliputra in 251 B.C.E. for
sorting out differences among the followers of the Buddha. The Council presided
over by Mogaliputra Tissa not only helped in resolving differences among various
Buddhist sects but also recommended measures to further propagate Buddhism.
Ashoka’s inscriptions also reveal that he was a Buddhist. In the Bhabru and
Saranath edicts he makes an open confession of his faith in the trinity— the
Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. In the 1st rock edict he uses the term
sanghaupete. The word sanghaupete has been interpreted differently by different
scholars. Some say that it stands for Ashoka’s visit to the sangha while others hold
the view that Ashoka became a bhikshu and lived in the sangha. In several cases
Ashoka refers to the Buddha as “the Lord” and in one case the Buddhist doctrine is
mentioned as ‘the true faith’. Minor pillar edict 2 contains the text of his order to
his officers to the effect that the heretical monks and nuns should be expelled from
the sangha. This attempt on Ashoka’s part to promote the unity of the Buddhist
church is also known from the Southern Buddhist tradition. Ashoka’s emphasis on
non-violence also implies that his Dhamma was somehow the expression of
Buddhism because in Buddhism also we see emphasis on non-violence. To
understand the true nature of Ashoka’s policy of Dhamma let us see what Ashoka
did mean by the term Dhamma.
Turk-Mongol raids-
In the north-western parts of medieval India, the Himalayan regions, as well
regions bordering central Asia, Buddhism once facilitated trade relations,
states Lars Fogelin. With the Islamic invasion and expansion, and central
Asians adopting Islam, the trade route-derived financial support sources and
the economic foundations of Buddhist monasteries declined, on which the
survival and growth of Buddhism was based. The arrival of Islam removed
the royal patronage to the monastic tradition of Buddhism, and the
replacement of Buddhists in long-distance trade by the Muslims eroded the
related sources of patronage.