Buddhism Was Born Four Thousand Years Ago

f the most important calculations of Indian history hasto ensure that Buddhism spread all across the globe. In
been done on the basis of the lifetime of a certainBengal, one follower of Mahavira drew a picture
Indian emperor called Ashoka, considered to be one ofshowing Buddha bowing at the feet of Mahavira.
the greatest emperors of world history. He was aAshoka came to know about this and ordered that all
Buddhist emperor who was responsible for the spreadMahavira followers at that place be executed - 1800
of Buddhism, to distant corners of India and theof them were slain in a single day! He decreed in a
neighboring countries, by sending large number ofsimilar manner on another occasion, promising gold to
Buddhist missionaries to these places. He builtthose who brought slain heads of non-Buddhists! And
thousands of Buddhist stupas and establishedAshoka went out of his way to convert people into
thousands of Buddhist monasteries all over his empireBuddhism as some legends show. He wanted to
that stretched from Iran to Bangladesh and fromconvert his brother Veetashoka to Buddhism; for doing
Central Asia (Afghanistan) to South India. A largethis, he enacted a drama. One day, he contrived with
number of rocks and pillars, present all over his empire,his ministers to get Veetashoka sit on the emperor's
have been inscribed with his edicts and promulgationsthrone for a few minutes. He then, as if he was not
to his subjects, written in Magadhi, Sanskrit, Greek, andaware of the happenings, caught his brother in the act.
Aramic languages. He was initially a cruel king whoHe then declared that his brother sitting on his throne is
killed a large number of his brothers in order to ascendan act of treachery and decreed that his brother be
the throne. He inherited a large empire and tried toexecuted. Ashoka, however, gave one week time for
expand it by waging a war against the neighboringthe execution and let his brother enjoy all the royal
kingdom of Kalinga. He won the war, but thecomforts for a week, as if he (Veetashoka) were the
gruesome sight of thousands of mutilated dead bodiesemperor. At the end of the week, Ashoka called his
at the war completely changed his heart. He feltbrother and asked him if he enjoyed the one week of
repentant about it, stopped his empire expanding spree,heavenly comforts of an emperor. Veetashoka told
and converted to Buddhism after being attracted tohim that the death that was hanging on his head did
the Buddhist principles of non-violence and renunciation.not allow him to enjoy the heavenly comforts at all.
We have two sources to thank for much of thisAshoka then told him, "if you are oblivious to pleasures
information on Ashoka - his rock edicts and Buddhistjust because of one impending death, how do you
scriptures (one Indian and two Sri Lankan). Theexpect enlightened monks to be happy about
scriptures talk about Ashoka of Mauryan dynasty.comforts of this life when they have to fear the
Mainstream historians are not much aware of Ashokadeaths of hundreds of lives in future births?"
of the Gupta dynasty. As per them, there is only oneVeetashoka was taken by this and converted himself
Ashoka - Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty, as giveninto a Buddhist monk.
by the Buddhist scriptures. And these Ashoka's rockHowever, the Ashoka of the rock edicts gives us a
edicts mention five neighboring Greek and Egyptiancompletely different picture. In one of the edicts, he
kings - Antiochos, Ptolemy (second), Antigonos, Magas,does profess his faith in the Buddha; but that is about it.
Alexander (second). Since these kings are dated toThere is no evidence that he carried out any
250-300 BC, this has been the date arrived formissionary activities. None of his rock edicts mention
Ashoka (Mauryan). As per the Buddhist scriptures,anything about the teachings of the Buddha. In fact, the
Ashoka (Mauryan) was crowned two hundred andAshoka of rock edicts talks about equality of all
eighteen years after the demise of the Buddha. Thisreligions! One of the edicts, mentions the following :
would mean that Buddha's date is roughly 500 BC.“Whoever praises his own religion, due to
And this date tallies perfectly with the date of 500 BCexcessive devotion, and condemns others with the
they arrived through the Aryan Invasion methodology.thought ‘Let me glorify my own religion,’
The calculations seem completely perfect and prettyonly harms his own religion.” Therefore contact
straight forward, and mainstream historians have(between religions) is good. One should listen to and
accepted these calculations completely for the lastrespect the doctrines professed by others.
two hundred years.Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi (Ashoka), desires
The most troubling aspect with these date calculationsthat all should be well-learned in the good doctrines of
is that there are two Chandragupts and two Ashokasother religions.”
in Indian history. And as per the writings of GreekUnable to explain these dichotomies, some mainstream
traveler Megasthenes, the Gupta dynasty was rulinghistorians have dismissed the Buddhist scriptures as
India at about 300 BC. And these writings ofunreliable; they go purely by the rock edicts to get a
Megashtenes tally with the Puranic calculations as well.picture of Ashokan personality, while they rely on the
And Indian history does not talk about twoBuddhist scriptures for historical aspects. We can see
Chandragupts or two Ashokas ruling India at the sameas to how selective they have been about the whole
time. While traditional Indian and Greek sources talkAshokan episode - they have dismissed Megasthenes
about Ashoka of Gupta dynasty ruling India at aboutas a liar, they have dismissed the Indian scriptures as
300 BC, mainstream historians have arrived at thepure mythology, they have shrugged off other Greek
conclusion that Ashoka of Mauryan dynasty was rulingwritings, and they finally have dismissed even the
India at around 300 BC. So we either have to discardBuddhist scriptures! I think that they have a whole lot of
the writings of Megashtenes as well as Puranicanswering to do about the Ashokan episode, even if
sources completely, or we have to see if mainstreamthey seem to currently think that their calculations are
historians have got the date of Ashoka wrong.perfect.
Several mainstream historians are not aware of thisI think the whole confusion has arisen because there
controversy. Even if they are aware, they dismissare two emperor Ashokas, and both are Buddhists!
Megasthenes as an unreliable writer and dismiss theThe Ashoka of Buddhist scriptures belongs to the
Indian scriptures as pure mythology. They even easilyMauryan dynasty of 1500 BC. He was a compulsive
shrug away the fact that other Greek accounts at theindividual, devout in his faith, and took steps to spread
time of Megasthenes do not talk much about thehis religion far and wide by sending missionaries and
presence of Buddhism in India. And almost all theconstructing Buddhist monasteries and stupas.
mainstream historians are blissfully unaware of theHowever, he had nothing to do with the edicts and the
presence of two Ashokas in Indian history. A handfulKalinga war. The Buddhist scriptures are talking about
of Indian historians are aware of this puzzle; they haveAshoka the Mauryan. The scriptures mostly talk about
suggested that the Ashoka of the Buddhist sourcesparts within India - Kashmir, Maharahtra, Mysore,
belongs to Gupta dynasty and he ruled India aroundHimalayas, Western India. Buddhism was not yet
300 BC. However, the Buddhist scriptures clearly talkspread in India by his time - so the scriptures are
about the emperor Ashoka to be belonging to theclearly talking of the spread of Buddhism within India
Mauryan dynasty, completely negate the arguments ofunder Mauryan emperor Ashoka.
the few handful Indian historians who try to wriggle outThe Ashoka of the edicts belongs to the Gupta
of the conundrum. This has been the biggest puzzledynasty of 300 BC. He was the one who was
that has been haunting Indian historical calculations forinvolved in Kalinga war. He felt remorseful and later
more than a century, almost like a Sherlock Holmesconverted to Buddhism. However, by his time,
and Hercules Poirot mystery.Buddhism was already spread far and wide and there
Does this mean that the mainstream historians arewas no need for him to send missionaries. Moreover,
completely happy and are not at all puzzled by theirby his time, Buddhism was reeling under the onslaught
calculations? The answer is, surprisingly, no; they areof Sankarcharya and the Vedic religion was making a
still quite puzzled over the most important things.comeback. As we shall see a little later in this
The rock edicts of Ashoka mention that Ashokadiscussion, Buddhism was in a confused state about its
converted to Buddhism because of the remorse heideology because of the theological attack launched by
felt on account of Kalinga war. However, both theSankaracharya. Buddhism was in a transition stage
Indian as well as the Sri Lankan Buddhist scripturesand it did not give much scope for missionary activities.
differ with this; these scriptures do not talk anythingSo, Ashoka the Gupta was not hawkish about his
about Kalinga war! They talk about Ashoka beingreligion, but was much more tolerant of all religions. And
converted by the serene teachings of a certain novicethe places mentioned in his edicts are mostly his
Buddhist monk Samudra/Nyagrodha.neighboring kingdoms - the edicts are not talking about
Why are Buddhist scriptures silent about Kalinga war?places within India. The places mentioned in the edicts
While scriptures talk about 84,000 monasteriesare Choda, Pandya, Satiyaputra, Kerala, and Sri Lanka
established by Ashoka, the edicts are silent on this;on the south of his empire in South India, and five
they do not mention any Buddhism related activities byGreek kingdoms to the northwest of his empire. The
Ashoka. The Buddhist scriptures talk about Ashokanplaces mentioned are clearly not talking about spread
missionary activities to Kashmir, Maharashtra, Sriof Buddhism within India.
Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Mysore, Himalayas, WesternThe two Ashokas are completely different. The
India, and Greek country. However, the edicts talkconfusion has arisen because both are Buddhists; so
about medical help to his neighboring kingdoms; theyboth the stupas and the edicts are being attributed to
talk about the names of the kings and dynastiesone and the same person. If we consider that the
around his empire including Choda, Pandya, Satiyaputra,edicts belong to one emperor while the stupas and
Kerala, Sri Lanka, and five Greek kingdoms. Themonasteries belong to another, the riddle is solved. The
scriptures do not talk about officials called Dharmatwo Ashokas have been merged into one by
Mahamatras in his kingdom, as professed by thehistorians.
edicts. There are several other discrepancies as well inSo if we arrive at the date of 1500 BC for the
the basic details of his life.Buddhist Mauryan emperor Ashoka, as per the
The Ashoka of Buddhist scriptures is an exceptionallyBuddhist scriptures, we can easily arrive at the date of
devout individual who used to fall prostrate at the feetthe Buddha. Buddha precedes Ashoka by two
of even the lay Buddhist monks. He was desperate tohundred and eighteen years. So this would put Buddha
be known as the greatest of all donors to the faith ofat anywhere between 1700 BC and 1800 BC. This
the Buddha. Indian scripture mentions that, at the endroughly tallies with the Puranic calculations as well,
of his life, he donated almost everything he had towhich put Buddha's date to around 1800-1900 BC.
Buddhist monasteries. He was someone who wanted