Question

Ashoka’s Dhamma was not a narrow religious faith. Its broad objective was to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst people of the realm. In this context explain: Means adopted for the propagation of Dhamma and the spread of Buddhism.

Answer 1

In the context of Ashoka’s Dhamma was not a narrow religious faith. Its broad objective was to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst people the following principles were adopted:

The means adopted for the propagation of Dhamma were as follows:

1. Ashoka practiced what he preached. He gave up the Royal Hunt and also stopped the killing of living creatures for the delicacies of the royal kitchen,
2. The officers of the State were required to tell people about their duties,
3. Ashoka created a special class of officers, called Dhamma Mahamatras, who was charged with the duty of enforcing the moral code and looking after the welfare of the people, Missionaries were spent to all frontiers of the empire and to Sri Lanka, Syria, Egypt, and Macedonia for the propagation of Dhamma and the spread of Buddhism.