[Buddha-l] Aged people or senior monks?

[Artur Karp]

Someone (I do not remember rightly who - a privilege of an oldtimer!),
so - someone famously said that history tends to repeat itself.

If my suspicions re VIII Rock Edict text are correct, Aśoka thought it
right to offer gold to the senior representatives of the local
monastic institutions - in exchange for a darśan. But, since his
wealth (if Arthaśastra and Gregory Schopen are right) was amassed
mainly through taxes, different tariffs and tolls, the gold he wanted
to be given away came from his subjects, some of them surely elderly.

So - nihil novi sub sole.

Except that we want to see in this particular ruler a deeply
compassionate humanist, who wouldn't hesitate to part with some of his
gold to just better the life of his elderly subjects.

Elderly - as such. It sounds even better than the hospitals for
animals. Animals - as such. Does it mean - also pigs? Crocodiles?

Regards,

Artur K.