King Asoka & Buddhism

King Asoka was one of 101 sons of King Bindusara who had 16 wives. His name means “No Sorrow”. His eldest brother, Prince Susima plotted to kill Asoka’s wife and child but was intervened by his mother who got killed instead. Because of this event, Prince Asoka was driven by hatred and vengeance, he killed all his brothers except one brother from the same mother. He started conquest of neighbouring territories with furious wars.
After Kalinga war, the brutality of the conquest and the sight of the aftermath led Asoka to adopt Buddhism and he used his position to propagate the relatively new religion to new heights, as far as ancient Rome and Egypt. He made Buddhism his state religion around 260 BC, and propagated it and preached it within his domain and worldwide from about 250 BC. Asoka undoubtedly has to be credited with the first serious attempt to develop a Buddhist policy.

1. Dhamma-vijaya 

After the Kalinga war and conversion to Buddhism, Asoka ceased Digvijaya or ‘conquest by war’ and embarked on Dhammavijaya, meaning ‘conquest by Dhamma’.

• His reign became more humane as he ruled according to the Dhamma.
• He was the first king to build major edicts with Buddhist inscriptions all over India and Central Asia.
• He set up a department of religious officers to look into the moral education for the people.
• He went on Dhammayatra (pilgrimages) to the holy places.
• He was generous with the requisites for the Sangha and supported them handsomely.
• His son and daughter joined the Sangha, spreading the Dhamma most successfully in Sri Lanka.
• He claimed to his neighbours that he had no expansionist intentions towards countries bordering his empire.
• After the 3rd Buddhist Council, missionary work to the adjacent 9 countries saw the spread of Theravada Buddhism under his patronage. 9 countries are: Kashmir & Gandhara (N. Punjab), Mahisamandala (South of Vindhyan mountains), Vanavasi (N Kanara), Aparantaka (N. Gujarat, Kathiawar, Kacch & Sind), Maharattha (country of the Marathi, modern Bombay), Yona countries (clans of foreign race on NW frontier, Greeco-Bactrian kingdom), Himavanta (Himalayan region), Suvannabhumi (Lower Myanmar, Thailand, Java and even Malaya) and Tambapanni (Sri Lanka)
• The most important and successful mission was to Sri Lanka. It was led by King Asoka’s own son, Ven. Mahinda, who converted the Sri Lankan king, and eventually all his subjects, to Buddhism. The Tipitaka was also brought over and eventually compiled into writing in Sri Lanka about 300 years later.

​Read more: http://www.suttas.com/king-asoka.html​