Ashoka's Dhamma: Key Principles

Ashoka's Dhamma represents a unique ethical and moral framework established by Emperor Ashoka. It emphasized righteousness, compassion, non-violence, and respect for all living beings. It served as a guide for social conduct and personal conduct, aiming to create a harmonious society across his vast empire. It is distinct from religious dogma, focusing instead on universal moral values.

Dhamma's Nature: Worship and Sacrifice

• Statement (a): It did not involve worship of a god. This statement is accurate. Ashoka's Dhamma was fundamentally a code of ethical conduct and social responsibility, not centered on the worship of any particular deity. Its focus was on practical morality and self-discipline.
• Statement (b): It did not involve performance of a sacrifice. This statement is also accurate. Dhamma promoted virtuous actions and moral living over ritualistic practices. Ashoka actively discouraged sacrifices, particularly those involving harm to animals, aligning with principles of non-violence.

Dhamma's Inspiration and Propagation

• Statement (c): The ideas of dhamma were inspired by the teachings of Buddha. This statement is true. While Dhamma was Ashoka's broader vision for righteous living, many of its core tenets, such as compassion, non-violence (ahimsa), tolerance, and respect, closely mirror the fundamental teachings found in Buddhism, a religion Ashoka deeply embraced and patronized.
• Statement (d): Ashoka appointed Buddhist monks to teach people about dhamma. This statement requires careful consideration. Ashoka established a special cadre of officials known as 'Dhamma Mahamattas'. Their primary role was to propagate and oversee the implementation of Dhamma throughout the empire. While these officers might have been influenced by Buddhist principles and some could have been monks or had Buddhist affiliations, the statement implies that the appointments were exclusively for Buddhist monks to teach Dhamma, which is not entirely precise. The Dhamma Mahamattas were administrators tasked with spreading Ashoka's ethical code.

Determining the Correct Option

Evaluating the accuracy of the statements:

• Statements (a), (b), and (c) are considered accurate descriptions of Ashoka's Dhamma.
• Statement (d) is less accurate due to the specific wording concerning the appointment of 'Buddhist monks' as the sole or primary teachers of Dhamma, overlooking the broader role of Dhamma Mahamattas.

Therefore, the correct set of true statements is (a), (b), and (c).

Final Choice: Correct Option

The option that correctly identifies statements (a), (b), and (c) as true is the correct one.

Option 4: Only (a), (b) and (c) accurately reflects the nature of Ashoka's Dhamma.