Chapter 11 - Conclusion

Buddhism is a major religion in Asia today. This religion had its origin in India some 2500 years ago and spread gradually to other regions of Asia. Following the death of the Buddha, Buddhist remained a religion with a relatively small following in India. Frankly speaking, Hinduism was very strongly entrenched in the culture of the Indian subcontinent and the new faith could not bring many people in its fold. In course of time, merchant community embraced Buddhism as it suited well to their needs. Their trade activities in neighbouring countries helped to spread Buddhism in those areas. Buddhism began to spread south wards from its place of origin in northern India to Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Burma, Ceylon and other Asian countries.

Indian emperors like Ashoka, Milinda, Kanishka and Harshvardhana contributed greatly towards the spread of Buddhism in India and abroad. Ashoka the great played a pioneering role in this regard. He ruled over a truly massive kingdom that stretched from the Hindukush to the Bay of Bengal. As a Buddhist emperor Ashoka believed that Buddhism was beneficial for all human beings as well as animals and plants. This belief led him to build a number of stupas, Sangha names, Viharas, Chaityas and residences for Buddhist monks all over South Asia and Central Asia. He ordered the construction of 84,000 stupas to house the Buddha’s relics. Ashoka took offerings to each of these stupas travelling in a chariot adorned with precious metals. He gave donations to Viharas and monasteries. At the end of the third Buddhist council, Ashoka sent Buddhist missionaries to different parts of Asia to propagate Buddhism. He inspired the Buddhist monks to compose the sacred religious texts. He helped to construct Sanchi and Mahabodhi temples. He inspired people to live by the teachings of Lord Buddha and engaged members of the royal family including his son and daughter to carry out the duties of Buddhist missionaries. He also sent dignitaries all over his empire and abroad to propagate his ideals of Dhamma based on Buddhist philosophy.

King Milinda or Menander a mighty ruler of the Indo-Greek kingdom, embraced Buddhist faith and carried forward the task of propagating Buddhism in India and abroad. His conversion to Buddhism and his territorial expansion contributed much towards expanding Buddhism in Central Asia. He popularized Buddhism in his own kingdom by virtue of his learning, wisdom and eloquence, He won the hearts of his people by observing faithfully various acts of devotion and ceremony. We come to know about this Buddhist emperor from “Milindapanha., a classical Pali Buddhist text on the discussions between Milinda and the Buddhist Sage Nagasena” He became the follower of this great Sage and dedicated himself to the spread of Buddhism in his own kingdom as well as the neighbouring countries of India. According to Mahavamsa, an ancient Shrilankan source of history, Greek monks were active preachers of Buddhism during the reign of king Milinda. Thus king Milinda carried forward the mission of Dhammashoka in his own distinguished style.

Kanishka the great was the emperor of the Kushan dynasty in the second century. His conquests and patronage of Buddhism played an important role in the development of the silk route and the transmission of Mahayana Buddhism from Gandhara across the Karakoram range to China. Kanishka’s role in the spread of Buddhism in India and abroad is looked up with high esteem. He not only believed in Buddhism but also encouraged the teachings of the Buddha in every possible way. He administered the 4th Buddhist Council as the head of the Council. Vasumitra and Ashvaghosha had active participation in the discussions and debates of the council. Images of the Buddha based on thirty two (286) physical signs were made during his reign. He had great devotion to the Buddhist teachings and prayer styles as narrated in various books related to Kushan empire. The Buddhist world still remembers the Kushan emperor Kanishka for his unique role in practising, preaching and popularizing Buddhism.

Harshavardhana, a member of the Pushyabhuti dynasty, was an Indian emperor who had great contribution towards spreading Buddhism in India and abroad. Harsha became a devout Buddhist at some point in his life. As a king he banned animal slaughter for food and built monasteries at the places visited by Gautama Buddha. He erected several thousand 100 foot high stupas on the banks of the Ganga. He arranged the construction of well-maintained hospices for travellers and poor people on highways across India. He organized an annual assembly of global scholars and bestowed charity on them. He held a great assembly called “Moksha” every five years. He also organized a 21 day religious festival in Kanauj. During this festival, Harsha and his subordinate kings performed daily rituals before a life-sized golden statue of the Buddha. We gather from the studies of different sources of history that Harsha was a worshipper of Shiva in the beginning but became a Mahayana Buddhist in later life. With a view to popularize and propagate Buddhism, he arranged at Kanauj a great assembly, presided over by Huen Tsang. This great Chine scholar took a lot of manuscripts to China and translated more than 600 of them from Sanskrit. Harsha himself was profoundly influenced by Buddhist teachings and practices. He was a distinguished and creative patron of art, culture and education. He lavished gifts on Buddhist institutions like Nalanda University. Harsha was a tolerant ruler and did not neglect other religious faiths. But he had a distinct inclination for Buddhism.

Some foreign emperors, too, played a significant role in spreading Buddhism in different countries outside India. King Sron Tsan Gampo is one such king who is traditionally credited with the introduction of Buddhism in Tibet. He is said to have built many Buddhist temples in Tibet. During his reign, the translation of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Tibetan began. Sron Tsan Gampo is considered to be first king who patronised Buddhism in Tibet. It was believed that Gampo was an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist Bodhisattva. There is no doubt that Buddhism thrived immensely under his able leadership.

Emperor Yu Tee was the founder of Liang dynasty in China. This mighty emperor is credited with introducing Buddhism in China. The emperor was believed to have supported Buddhist monasteries and helped Buddhist monks in various ways. Emperor Yu Tee himself became a monk at one point of his life, though only for a short period of time. The emperor is probably best known for being one of the coauthors of a major scripture in Chinese Buddhism. This devout Buddhist emperor is often compared with the emperor Dhmmashoka of India. He was called.The Bodhisattva Emperor in recognition of his great contribution to Buddhism in China..

Korean emperor Wang Kiyen was instrumental in establishing Buddhism as Korea’s national religion. This emperor unified Korean kingdoms and brought the people of Korean Peninsula under a single state. He gave a distinct shape of Buddhism which was known as Korean Buddhism. Some Korean Buddhist monks travelled to China or India in order to study Buddhism during this period. Buddhism was introduced in Korea as far back as 372 A. C., but the religion flourished in Korea during the rule of Wang Kiyen. Buddhism won the hearts of the Korean people and spread rapidly among the masses during the period of Wang dynasty, founded by Wang Kiyen.

Prince Shotoku is a prominent figure in the history of Buddhism in Japan. He is called the Japanese Dhammashoka in recognition of his vital role in preaching Buddhism. Tradition holds that once his father suffered from a serious illness. Young Shotoku, impressed by the new Buddhist faith, prayed day and night by his father’s bedside. The emperor gradually recovered and prince Shotoku embraced Buddhism. In the follow years Shotoku renounced any claim to the throne and pledged to devote his life to public duty. He simply served as prince regent and became the foremost proponent of the new Buddhist teachings. He was looked upon as a Buddhist saint in his life-time and many statues and paintings of the prince were created after his death.

Dhammaceti was a very enlightened monarch of Burma. He had brilliant contribution to Buddhism in the history of Burma. In fact, the Burmese history took a new turn during the rule of king Dhammaceti. He devoted his entire life to the reformation of the society and the dissemination of Buddhism. His missionary work in Burma was a unique contribution to Buddhism. Dhammaceti became a Buddhist monk in his early life. Later he left the monastic order and became a ruler by a strange turn of events. It is to be admitted that he had spent the best years of his life in the monastery. Quite naturally, he put his best efforts in popularizing Buddhism all over his kingdom.

Sinhala (Shrilanka) became a popular centre of Buddhism during the reign of king Dutthagamani. Though many myths surround the life and character of Dutthagamani, he was a historical cult figure. He was a potent symbol of Sinhalese national pride. He was described as a Bodhisattva and even as a future Maitreya Buddha in recognition of his virtuous life and sacrifice. In Mahavamsa, we come across his various feats as a monarch as well as his wonderful contribution to the dissemination of Buddhism in his kingdom. He remains a devout Buddhist even in his royal activities of his long life.

Parakkamabahu the great takes us back to the memory of past glory and prosperity of Sinhala nation. This mighty king united the island under one rule, reformed Buddhist practices and sent successful expeditionary forces to India and Burma. He reformed the Buddhist establishment by expelling lax monks and by building new temples. Buddhism continued to be the main religion during his reign. He effect some reforms in the religion by uniting various divisions or Nikayas in Buddhism. As a patron of Buddhism, he established a study centre for the study of the monks. The first building of the centre was a replica of court palace. He arranged to construct many chaityas and Viharas during his reign. The Shrilankan people still remembers his great contribution towards the spread of Buddhism in their country.

Kublai Khan, a grandson of Changiz Khan, established the Yuan dynasty and ruled the vast Mongolian empire. The Chinese indigenous religion Taoism was popular during the reign of Kublai Khan. But this religion faced continuous challenge from the Buddhists. The Mongols under the leadership of Kublai ingratiated themselves with a debased form of Buddhism from Tibet called Lamaism. Kublai himself was a convert of Lamaist Buddhism. Buddhist establishments rose considerably under the patronage of Kublai Khan. The spread and expansion of Buddha Sasana continued even after the death of this great Mongol emperor. Buddhism became a symbol of national integrity.

It may, therefore, be concluded that these Indian and foreign emperors had a pivotal role in establishing Buddhism in India and her neighbouring, countries. Buddhism originated in India but it could not become the major religion of India. In course of time this religion was marginalized under the pressure of traditional Hinduism. But Indian monks and nuns helped to spread the teachings of the Buddha in the neighbouring countries of India. The Buddhist emperors of those countries patronized and popularized Buddhism in their respective countries.