Religious policy and administration of ashoka based on his edicts?

Question: Religious policy and administration of ashoka based on his edicts!?
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Asoka's edicts are to be found scattered in more than thirty places throughout India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan!. Most of them are written in Brahmi script from which all Indian scripts and many of those used in Southeast Asia later developed!. There is little doubt that Asoka's edicts were written in his own words rather than in the stylistic language in which royal edicts or proclamations in the ancient world were usually written in!. Their distinctly personal tone gives us a unique glimpse into the personality of this complex and remarkable man!. Mixed with this sincerity, there is a definite puritanical streak in Asoka's character suggested by his disapproval of festivals and of religious rituals many of which while being of little value were nonetheless harmless!.

Scholars have suggested that because the edicts say nothing about the philosophical aspects of Buddhism, Asoka had a simplistic and naive understanding of the Dhamma!. This view does not take into account the fact that the purpose of the edicts was not to expound the truths of Buddhism, but to inform the people of Asoka's reforms and to encourage them to be more generous, kind and moral!. This being the case, there was no reason for Asoka to discuss Buddhist philosophy!. Asoka emerges from his edicts as an able administrator, an intelligent human being and as a devoted Buddhist, and we could expect him to take as keen an interest in Buddhist philosophy as he did in Buddhist practice!.

The contents of Asoka's edicts make it clear that all the legends about his wise and humane rule are more than justified and qualify him to be ranked as one of the greatest rulers!. In his edicts, he spoke of what might be called state morality, and private or individual morality!.

We have no way of knowing how effective Asoka's reforms were or how long they lasted but we do know that monarchs throughout the ancient Buddhist world were encouraged to look to his style of government as an ideal to be followed!. King Asoka has to be credited with the first attempt to develop a Buddhist polity!. Today, with widespread disillusionment in prevailing ideologies and the search for a political philosophy that goes beyond greed (capitalism), hatred (communism) and delusion (dictatorships led by "infallible" leaders), Asoka's edicts may make a meaningful contribution to the development of a more spiritually based political system!.

There is a list of the various edicts at www!.cs!.colostate!.edu/~malaiya/ashoka

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