Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T04:14:16.348Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Aśoka and the Buddhist Samgha: a study of Aśoka's Schism Edict and Minor Rock Edict I

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2009

Herman Tieken
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

In the legendary accounts of the Buddhist canon concerning the growth and development of Theravaāa Buddhism (Norman, 1987) Aśoka plays an important role. In support of these legends modern scholars have quoted Aśoka's own so-called Schism Edict from Allahabad (Kauśāmbī), Sanchi and Sarnath, in which the emperor would claim to have acted against schisms in the Buddhist Church (e.g. Alsdorf, 1959). However, Bechert has convincingly shown that in this edict Aśoka is not concerned with schisms in the Buddhist Church but with divisions within local, individual saṃghas (Bechert, 1961; 1982). It should immediately be added that this does not imply a denigration of Aśoka's importance for Buddhism but merely brings his role into line with contemporary realities. At the time the level of organization in Buddhism did not go beyond that of the individual saṃgha. It is all the more important to identify exactly the details of Aśoka's interference in the saṃgha. However, it is precisely here that problems start, as several passages in the text of the Schism Edict, an important source on this topic, are still unclear. By way of example I refer to posathāye in the Sarnath version, which has been variously interpreted as a dative of direction and a dative of time. The difference would be whether Aśoka's official should go to the uposatha ceremony or should go to the saṃgha on the uposatha day.

Type
Articles
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 63 , Issue 1 , January 2000 , pp. 1 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allchin, F. R. and Norman, K. R. 1985. ‘Guide to the Aśokan inscriptions’, South Asian Studies 1: 43–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alsdorf, L. 1959. ‘Aśokas Schismen-Edikt und das dritte Konzil’, Indo-Iranian Journal 3: 161–174CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(Kleine Schriften, ed. Wezler, A.. Glasenapp-Stiftung, Band 10. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1974: (414–427).Google Scholar
Alsdorf, L. 1962. Aśokas Separatedikte von Dhauli und Jaugada. Mainz: Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur.Google Scholar
Abhandlungen der geistes- und sozialwissenschaftliche Jahrgang, Klasse 1962, Nr. 1. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1–38Kleine Schriften 464–98).Google Scholar
Alsdorf, L. 1966. The Āryā stanzas of the Uttarajjhāyā. Contributions to the text, history and interpretation of a canonical Jaina text. Mainz: Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur.Google Scholar
Abhandlungen der geistes- und sozialwissenschaftlichen Jahrgang, Klasse 1966, Nr. 2. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag.Google Scholar
Andersen, P. K. 1990. Studies in the minor rock edicts of Aśoka I. Critical edition. Freiburg: Hedwig Falk.Google Scholar
Arthaśāstra: Kangle, R. P.. 1969. The Kautilīya Arthaśāstra. Part I. A critical edition with a glossary. Second edition. (University of Bombay Studies Sanskrit, Prakrit and Pali, No. 1.) Bombay: University of Bombay.Google Scholar
Āyāra: Jambüvijaya, Muni. 1977. Áyáraṁgasuttaṁ. Jaina-Āgama-Series No. 2, 1. Bombay: Shrī Mahāvīra Jaina Vidyālaya.Google Scholar
Bechert, H. 1961. ‘Aśokas “Schismenedikt” und der Begriff Sanghabheda’, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens v: 19–52.Google Scholar
Bechert, H. 1982 ‘The importance of Aśoka's so-called schism edict’, in Hercus, L. A., F. B. J. Kuiper, T. Rajapatirana and E. R. Skrzypczak, Indological and Buddhist studies. Volume in honour of Professor J. W. de Jong on his sixtieth birthday. Canberra: Faculty of Asian Studies: 61–68.Google Scholar
Bloch, J. 1950. Les inscriptions d'Asoka. (Collection Émile Senart 8.) Paris: Société d'édition ‘les belles lettres’.Google Scholar
Bollée, W. B. 1988. Studien zum Sūyagada. Textteile, Nijjutti, Übersetzung und Anmerkungen. Teil II. (Schriftenreihe des Südasien-Instituts der Universität Heidelberg 31.) Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag.Google Scholar
Brough, J. 1980. ‘Sakāya niruttiya: cauld kalc het’, in: Bechert, H., Die Sprache der ältesten buddhistischen Überlieferung/The language of the earliest Buddhist tradition (Symposium zur Buddhismusforschung, II). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: 35–40.Google Scholar
Bühler, G. 1886. The laws of Manu. (Sacred Books of the East Series Volume XXV.) Oxford (reprint: Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1970).Google Scholar
Cdial: Turner, R. L.. 1973. A comparative dictionary of the Indo-Aryan languages. London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Dietz, S. 1992. ‘Die Datierung des historischen Buddha in der abendländischen Forschungsgeschichte bis 1980’, in Bechert, H., The dating of the historical Buddha/Die Datierung des historischen Buddha. Part 2 (Symposien zur Buddhismusforschung, IV, 2). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: 11–83.Google Scholar
Falk, H. 1990: ‘Die 256 Nächte Aśokas’, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft 140: 96–122.Google Scholar
Filliozat, J. 1949. ‘L'énigme des 256 nuits d'Asoka’, Journal Asiatique CCXXXVII: 142–153.Google Scholar
Fussman, G. 1974. ‘Quelques probl`mes aśokéens’, Journal Asiatique CCLXII: 369–389.Google Scholar
Fussman, G. 1990. ‘Central and provincial administration in ancient India: the problem of the Mauryan empire’, The Indian Historical Review XIV/1–2 (1987–1988): 43–72.Google Scholar
Härtel, H. 1956. Karmavācanā. Formulare für den Gebrauch im buddhistischen Gemeindeleben aus ostturkistanischen Sanskrit-Handschriften. (Sanskrittext aus den Turfanfunden 3.) Berlin: Akademie-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heesterman, J. C. 1985. ‘Kauṭilya and the ancient Indian state’, in Heesterman, J. C, The inner conflict of tradition. Essays in Indian ritual, kingship, and society. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press: 128–140.Google Scholar
Hinüber, O. von. 1970. ‘Eine Karmavācanā-Sammlung aus Gilgit’, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft 119: 102–132.Google Scholar
Hinüber, O. von. 1987. ‘Das buddhistische Recht und die Phonetik des Pāli’, Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik 13–14: 101–127.Google Scholar
Hopkins, E. W. 1903. ‘Limitation of time by means of cases in epic Sanskrit’, American Journal of Philology XXIV: 1–24.Google Scholar
Hu-von HinÜber, H. 1994. Das Posadhavastu. Vorschriften für die buddhistische Beichtfeier im Vinaya der Mūlasarvāstivādins. Reinbek: Inge Wezler.Google Scholar
Hu-von Hinüber, H. 1996. ‘Aśoka und die Buddhistische Uposatha-Zeremonie (I) Aśokas 256 Nächte’, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens XL: 87–99.Google Scholar
Hultzsch, E. 1925. Inscriptions of Asoka. (Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum I.) Oxford (reprint: Varanasi: Indological Book House, 1969).Google Scholar
Krick, H. 1982. Das Ritual der Feuergründung (Agnyādheya) (Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Sprachen und Kulturen Südasiens Heft 16.) Vienna: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.Google Scholar
Kuṟuntokai: Cōmacuntaraṉār, Po. Vē., 1972. Kuṟuntokai uraiyutaṉ. Kaḻlaka veḷiyiṭu 783. Tirunelveli: The South India Saiva Siddhanta Works Publishing Society.Google Scholar
Lévi, S. 1911. ‘Vyuthena 256’. Journal Asiatique XVII: 119–126.Google Scholar
Mānavadharmaśastra: Jolly, J. 1887. Mānava Dharma-Ṡāstra. The Code of Manu. London: Trübner & Co., 1887.Google Scholar
Māṉūr [inscription]: Sastri, K. A. N., 1938. ‘Manur inscription of Maranjadaiyan’, Epigraphia Indica XXII (1933–34). Delhi: Manager of Publication: 5–11.Google Scholar
Meille, P. 1949. ‘Misā devehi chez Asoka’, Journal Asiatique CCXXXVII: 193–223.Google Scholar
Nāṇamoli, 1966. The Pātimokkha. 227 fundamental rules of a bhikkhu. Bangkok: The Social Science Association Press of Thailand.Google Scholar
Narten, J. 1959. ‘Formüberschneidungen bei ved. vṛṡc, vṛj (bṛh)’, Münchener Studien zur Sprachwissenschaft 14: 39–52.Google Scholar
Neumann, K. E. 1913. ‘Vyajanam bei Piyadassi’, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft 66: 345–346.Google Scholar
Norman, K. R. 1969. The elder's verses I Theragāthā. (Pali Text Society Translation Series No. 38.) London: Luzac and Company.Google Scholar
Norman, K. R. 1970. ‘exical variation in the Aśokan inscriptions’, Transactions of the Philological Society 1970: 121–136 (Collected papers I. Oxford: The Pali Text Society 1990: 130–9).Google Scholar
Norman, K. R. 1971. ‘Middle Indo-Aryan studies VIII;’. Journal of the Oriental Institute of Baroda XX: 329–336 (Collected papers I. Oxford: The Pali Text Society 1990: 122–9.)Google Scholar
Norman, K. R. 1973. ‘Middle Indo-Aryan studies x. Notes on some vocables in Aśoka's Minor Rock Edicts’. Journal of the Oriental Institute of Baroda XXIII: 64–71. (Collected papers I. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1990: 161–9.)Google Scholar
Norman, K. R. 1980. ‘The dialects in which the Buddha preached’, in Bechert, H., Die Sprache der ältesten buddhistischen Überlieferungen. The language of the earliest Buddhist location (Symposium zur Buddhismforschung II). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: 61–77. (Collected papers II. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1991: 128–47).Google Scholar
Norman, K. R. 1982. ‘Aśokan silā-thaṃbha-s and dhaṃma-thambha-s’, in: Acārya-vandanā D. R. Bhandarkar birth centenary volume. Calcutta: 311–318 (Collected papers n. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1991: 224–32).Google Scholar
Norman, K. R. 1987. ‘Aśoka's ‘schism’ edict’. Bukkyōgaku seminā (Buddhist Seminar [Otani]) 46, 1–34 (Collected papers III. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1992: 191–218).Google Scholar
Norman, K. R. 1993. ‘Aśoka and Saṅghabheda’, Studies in Original Buddhism and Mahayāna Buddhism (in Commemoration of the late Professor Dr. Fumimmoro Watanabe), Vol. I. Kyoto: 9–29 (Collected papers v. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1994: 207–29).Google Scholar
Paṇhāvāgaranāiṃ: Tulasī, Acārya and Nathamala, Muni, Aṃgasuttāṇi 3. Nāyādhammakahāo. Uvāsagadasāo. Aṁtagaḋadasāo. Anuttarovavāiyadasāo. Paṇhāvāgaraṇaiṁ. Vivāgasuyaṃ. Lādanūṃ: Jaina Viśva Bhāratī: 1974 or 1975.Google Scholar
Ramesh, K. V. 1990. ‘The Aśokan inscriptions at Sannathi’, The Indian Historical Review XIV/1–2 (1987–1988): 36–42.Google Scholar
Renou, L. 1968. Grammaire sanscrite. Paris: Librairie d'Amérique et d'Orient Adrien-Maisonneuve.Google Scholar
Scharfe, H. 1993. Investigations in Kauṭalya's manual of political science. Second, revised edition of ‘Untersuchungen zur Staatsrechtslehre des Kauṭalya’. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag.Google Scholar
Schlingloff, D. 1985. ‘König Asoka und das Wesen des ältesten Buddhismus’. Saeculum 36: 326–333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmithausen, L. 1992. ‘An attempt to estimate the distance in time between Aśoka and the Buddha in terms of doctrinal history’, in: Bechert, H. The dating of the historical Buddha/Die Datierung’ des historischen Buddha. Part 2 (Symposien zur Buddhismusforschung, IV, 2). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: 110–147.Google Scholar
Schneider, U. 1978. Die grossen Felsen-Edikte Aśokas. Kritische Ausgabe, Übersetzung und Analyse der Texte. (Freiburger Beiträge zur Indologie, Band 11.) Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.Google Scholar
Schubring, W. 1927. Worte Mahāvīras. Kritische Übersetzungen aus dem Kanon der Jaina. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.Google Scholar
Sūyagada: Jambūvijaya, Muni. 1978. Sūyagaḍaṇgasuttaṇ. (Jaina-Āgama-Series 2.2.) Bombay: Shrī Mahāvīra Jaina Vidyālaya.Google Scholar
Theragāthā: Oldenberg, H. and Pischel, R.. 1966. Thera- and therī-gāthā (Stanzas ascribed to elders of the Buddhist order of recluses). Second edition K. R. Norman and L. Alsdorf. London: The Pali Text Society.Google Scholar
Thomas, M. F. W. 1910. ‘Les vivādḥsah d'Aśoka’, Journal Asiatique XV: 507–522.Google Scholar
Tieken, H. 1986. ‘Textual problems in an early canonical Jaina text’, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens XXX: 5–25.Google Scholar
Tieken, H. 1987. ‘Review of Das āltere Mittelindisch im Überblick. O. von Hinüber’, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens XXXI 198–201.Google Scholar
Tieken, H. 1998. ‘The weaver bird in Old Tamil Caṅkam poetry. A critical essay on the method of translating classical Tamil poetry’, Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik 21: 293–319.Google Scholar
Turner, R. L. 1931. ‘The future stem in Aśoka’. Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies VI 529–537 (Collected Papers 1912–1973. London: Oxford University Press 1975: 323–30).Google Scholar
Uttarajjhāyā: Puṅyavijayaji, and Bhojak, Amritlāl Mohaṉlāl. 1977. Dasaveyāliyasuttaṁ Uttarajjhayaṇāiṁ Avassayasuttaṁ ca. (Jaina-Āgama-Series 15.) Bombay: Shrī Mahavira Jaina Vidyālaya.Google Scholar
Uttararāmacarita: Stchoupak, N.. 1935. Uttardmacarita (La Dernière aventure de Rāma). Drame de Bhavabhūti. Paris: Société d'éditions ‘les belles lettres’: 1935.Google Scholar
Grant, Vēlvikkuṭi: Sastri, H. K.. ‘Velvikudi Grant of Nedunjadaiyan: The Third Year of Reign’, Epigraphia Indica XVII (1923–1924). Calcutta: Manager, Government of India Central Publication Branch: no date: 291–309.Google Scholar
Weller, F. 1961. ‘Bemerkungen zu Aśokas Säulenedikt von Sāmchl. Mitteilungen des Instituts für Orientforschung der deutschen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 8 3–31 (Kleine Schriften I. Ed. Rau, W.. Glasenapp-Stiftung, Band 26. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag 1987: 119–120).Google Scholar