What are some examples of Buddhist rulers?
Upvote:3
Asoka. But we know so little about what he did. His pillars say he introduced Buddhist-influenced, incredibly progressive public policies.
Emperor Wu of Liang- But I'm having a hard time finding good sources, I guess they didn't keep great records in 500CE It sounds like many of the stories about him were embellishments. ref: http://khyentsefoundation.org/2011/02/patron-kings-part-xii-emperor-wu-of-liang/
Empress Wu- She wasn't a very nice person though.
The Dalai Lamas of Tibet.
All of these leaders were old time leaders who presided over a state that did mean things. I think people care about this question because they want to know if a Buddhist government has ever been for the better. To know for sure, we'd need the counterfactual, of what would Tibet have been like if Buddhism didn't appear? If it weren't for Buddhism, would Asoka have done anything different?
Upvote:5
A good example is Asoka who ruled most of the India subcontinent between 269 BCE to 232 BCE. He converted to Buddhism after witnessing the slaughter at Kalinga, a slaughter that he was responsible for. A rock inscription made at the time details this.
His Majesty feels remorse on account of the conquest of Kalinga because, during the subjugation of a previously unconquered country, slaughter, death, and taking away captive of the people necessarily occur, whereat His Majesty feels profound sorrow and regret.
Asoka went on to rule for forty years on Buddhist principle and was one of the main people responsible for the initial spread of Buddhism out of the Indian mainland. He sent monks to many places throughout Asia and beyond including Mongolia, Burma, Afghanistan, Persia even as far as Turkey and Italy.
Such is his enormous repute they even made a Bollywood film about him. I have to confess that I've never seen it. I would be interested to know if it is worth the watch.
Additional Note
BBC radio have just done an excellent program on Asoka as part of the (also excellent) In Our Time series. Very much worth a listen if anyone is interested in this part of Buddhist history.
More post
- π About the doer and knower
- π Are Habits a Kind of Attachment?
- π Is lying at a job interview breaking a precept?
- π I have forgotten how to live
- π Is there any specific description of life according to Buddhism?
- π Can Buddhism be "modernized" by discarding the supernatural mythological content?
- π Can a Buddhist mix Buddhism with other religions?
- π Was the influence of Taoism on Buddhism responsible for the development of Mahayana?
- π About svasaαΉvedana (reflexive awareness) and having bodhicitta
- π Looking for an online resource of the commentary(SNA.ii.476; SA.i.155) which says that the Brahma Sahampati was an Anagami from the Suddhavasa realms
- π Am I condemned for an extramarital affair?
- π Do "and further", "again", in MahaSatipatthanasutta definitely mean "next step (aparam)"?
- π How is a mindstream associated with human forms?
- π Why focus below your bellybutton in meditation?
- π What is the destination of a Buddhist?
- π What effect does social media, mobile gaming and watching movies have on my meditation practice?
- π What are the differences between Hinduism and Buddhism?
- π In visualisation meditations, I donβt know βwhereβ to look
- π Why is mentally reproducing music so hard to control? How can it be counteracted?
- π How To Follow Buddhism Without Offending
- π Are Amitabha and Sakyamuni the same?
- π Why does insight lead to to compassion?
- π Which is the best posture to Practice meditation?
- π Is contemplation of death auto-suggestion?
- π Why island and not light?
- π Cetana and Karma
- π What could be some teachings that Buddha has not revealed to us?
- π Sunday-question: Learning Dhamma at working time, on other recource
- π What kind of meat Guan yin believer are allowed to eat?
- π What is it that is re-incarnated ?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- π What are some examples of Buddhist rulers?
- π What are some Buddhist ininterpretations of claims of past-life memories?
- π What are the common buddhist practices to eliminate sleepiness?
- π What are examples of identity-view?
- π What is ignorance in Buddhism and what are examples of ignorance?
- π What type of Buddhist monks are only allowed to eat two meals per day and why?
- π From a Buddhist point of view, what are the benefits of supernormal powers?
- π What are the resources a Buddhist can use during very hard times?
- π Examples of Buddhist traditions that are derived from popular superstitions
- π How are Buddhist Sacred Texts used in practice and historically, given the questioned authenticity of some of them
- π What are some entertaining/fictional movies, books, etc. about Buddhadharma or Buddha himself?
- π What are the various Buddhist scriptural designations and to what do they refer?
- π What are the Buddhist teachings on how best to live a married life?
- π What are good Buddhist Blogs / articles sites / resource sites out there?
- π What are some resources on Mahayana forms of Meditation?
- π What are the main warning signs in a Buddhist centre?
- π Can a buddhist enjoy life - what are the limitations and restrictions
- π What are the famous debates in canonical Buddhist texts?
- π What are Buddhist views about free will? Does the concept of free will vs determinism even apply? Is it a question with a wrong assumption?
- π What are some ways to improve my practice?
- π Are there buddhists who criticize Eckhart Tolle as it is not really a buddhist teach? If so, what is their critique?
- π What are the traditional Buddhist arguments for rebirth?
- π What is actually Nirvana -- what are some Tripitaka sources?
- π What are the Buddhist guidelines for choosing the true Dhamma?
- π What types of physical dwellings are most conducive for Buddhist lay life living?
- π What are the commonalities between Jewish and Buddhist thought?
- π Some daily-life examples to help explain what 'mindfulness' and 'mindless activity' are?
- π What are the different Buddhist views on marriage?
- π What are Buddhist perspectives on psychedelic drugs?
- π In what ways are the Advaita concept of 'Nirguna Brahman' and the Buddhist concept of Buddha Nature similar and different?