The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-12


and that has played so great part in the
history of Buddhist India. The whole site
il now dssolate ruin, and no attempt has
yet been made TO give in drawing restora'
ton OF how ii must have appeared In the
days Of it's early beauty. The illustrations
in the book before us show the present
appearance of the principal tope and some
of the details of the surrounding sculptures
At Bodh Gaya, though IL il known that
Asoka built the original temple, the build
ing has been so often changed and added e.
that only a few fragments Of railing. and
probably the very remarkable throne
remain of the work done in his time. The
present building has been restored as a
national monument by order Of the British
Government The difference in outline
from the ancient form exemplified in the
Sanchi tope is due to difference of ideal
The ancient tope WAS an enlarged and glori-
fled circular burial mound, The later
tOpes initiate an ordinary dwelling hut
the outline OF which was determined by
the natural bend of the bamboos, planted
apart i'll the ground and drawn together at
the top. This shape il characteristic of all
the medieval temples in India, and pict-
ure of the Jain temple at Khujarao Is intro
duced in this book Az afiording one Of the
best examples OF the style.
~.
Returning 10 Asoka's own doings, Prof
Davlds notes that the edicts of his ihue far
discovered, number thirty-four 1t ia
recorded that others were seen in the seventh
century Of our era, and the sites on which
they were seen are approximately known.
or these the most instructive are short
proclamations inscribed on stone, with the
view Of propagating the So called Dhamma,
or Of explaining the methods adopted by the
Emperor to that end. A paragraph is
allotted to the word "Dhamma, which
has given great trouble to translators
Enymologically. it is identical with the
Latin word formd; and our author thinks
that the way in which it came 10 be used
in India in Asoka's time may be ilust rated
by the history Of the English colloqualism
good FORM" Dhamma has been rendered
law but, according to Prof Davids, il
never has any one OF the various senses
attached to the word "law" in English.
1t means rather, as it is used by Asoka,
that which it Is good form" to do, in accord
with established custom. IL never means
exactly religion, but rather what 1t be-
hooves a man Of right feeling to do. or
what man OF senses will naturally hold
1t has no relation to questions either of
ritual OF Of theology. Touching such
Dhamma, the Brahmins in Asokas time
did not even profess to be authorities
II was, on the other hand, the main SUBJ
Iect OF thought and discussion among the
so-oalled Wanderers (roving teachers) and
10 them the people OF India looked up az
expoundes Of the Dhamma. While, more
over. the Dhamma was common property
to all Indians, being Indian rather than
Buddhist. yet the people we now call Bud
dhists they did not call themselves so)
were concerned so exclusively with the
Dhamma. as distinguished from ritual
or theology. that their doctrine came 10
be called the Dhamma. For them the
doctrine fell naturally into three divisions,
quite distinct one from the other, first, the
theory OF what it was right good FORM
Tor the laymaD, or upGsdkd, TO do and to be,
secondly, what Il was right for the Wan
derer, or Pabbajita, to do and to be; and,
thirdly, what the men OF women. whether
belonging to the laity or TO the Wanderers,
who had entered the Path to Arahatship.
or self-eifacement. should do, and be;
and know. The Dhanma promulgated by
Asoka dealt with the first only of these
three divisions.
What the Emperor proclaimed was the
Dhamma for lay men, a. 1t was generally
held in India, but in the form and with the
notifications adopted by tho Buddhists.
prof' Davids points out that the curious
thing about this code of ethics or summary
OF the whole duty Of the good layman, Ia it's
extraordinary simplicity. There is not a
word about God, or the soul; not word
about Buddha or Buddhism The appeal
is made In apparent confidence that the
statements concerning a laymans duties
are self-evident TO all the subjects Of Asoka's
empire. Had there been anything new or
strange in the view Of life propounded,
there would have been phrases in the edicts
striving to meet the objections that were
anticipated. Asoka's attitude corresponds
exactly to the position that would be taken
IN country already Christian II the King
should issue proclamations calling upon
his people In this point or that TO act up
to the recognized ideal Of the Christian
life. IT is manifest that Asoka, az in the
parallel case Of Constantine. embraced
cause that was already 40 far successful
that it seemed on the verge OF victory.
Nor is 1t, our author thinks, at all unlikely
that reasons OF state may have had their
share in influencing Asoka, IA they GER
tainly had in the case of Constantine.
1t was not only within the boundaries
OF his own empire that Asoka tried TO spread
the Diam ma. In the thirteenth edict,
engraved about 255 B. C., he says, after de-
claring that he found pleasure in couquests,
rather by the, Dhamma than by the sword,
that he had already made such ethical con-
quests in the realms Of the Kings Of Syria,
Egypt, Macedonia Eprus and Kyrene,
among the Cholas and Pandyas IN South
India. in Cevlon and among a number of
peoples dwelling on the borders Of his
empire. Prof, Davids hnds 1t difficult to
say how much OF this is rhodomc Mt ade
N ia pronounced quite likely that the Greek
kings are only thrown In by wav Of make
weight, 80 TO speak, and that no emssar ies
had been actually sent to them. Even
had such ENJOYS been sent, there Is little
reason to believe that they would have
made much impression on Greek self COM
placency. II Ia suggested that Asoka's esti-
mate Of tho results obtained Ia better evil
dence of his own vanity than it is Of Greek
docillty.. In the third century B. G. an
educated Greek would have been amused
az the idea of barbarian" teach ing him
his duty
The Chronicles preserved in Ceyion and
Burmah help us 10 learn what Asoka ac-
tunllv accomplished In the way of propa-
gandism. They give the names Of mis-
sionari sent out by the President Of the
third Council held in Asoka's reign,
under the Emperor's patronage. They
were sent, il seems. to Kashmir, to Gand-
hara tthe modern Kandahar), to the Eimn-
lava (Nepaul or Tibet, to the border
lands on the Indus, to the coast of Burmah,
to South India and Ceylon. When we
thus, find the chronicles ascribing the des-
patch OF missionaries, not primarily to
Asokn. hut to the leaders of the Buddhist
order NJ