[Buddha-l] Bangladesh Muslim lovefest

[Dan Lusthaus]

> Look please at the 12th Aśoka's Edict, where the ruler, the exemplary
> dhamma-vijaya propagator, quite openly threatens the tribals
> ("forest-dwellers") with the use of [military] power he has at his
> disposal.
>
> Artur


I don't think you mean the 12th, which reads (in total):

12th Major Rock Edict

The Beloved of the Gods, the king Piyadassi, honours all sects and both 
ascetics and laymen, with gifts and various forms of recognition. But the 
Beloved of the Gods do not consider gifts or honour to be as important as 
the advancement of the essential doctrine of all sects. This progress of the 
essential doctrine takes many forms, but its basis is the control of one's 
speech, so as not to extoll one's own sect or disparage another's on 
unsuitable occasions, or at least to do so only mildly on certain occasions. 
On each occasion one should honour another man's sect, for by doing so one 
increases the influence of one's own sect and benefits that of the other 
man; whileby doing otherwise one diminishes the influence of one's own sect 
and harms the other man's. Again, whosoever honours his own sect or 
disparages that of another man, wholly out of devotion to his own, with a 
view to showing it in a favourable light, harms his own sect even more 
seriously. Therefore, concord is to be commanded, so that men may hear one 
anothers principles and obey them. This is the desire of the Beloved of the 
Gods, that all sects should be well-informed, and should teach that which is 
good, and that everywhere their adherents should be told, 'The Beloved of 
the Gods does not consider gifts or honour to be as important as the 
progress of the essential doctrine of all sects.' Many are concerned with 
this matter - the officers of Dhamma, the women's officers, the managers of 
the state farms, and other classes of officers. The result of this is the 
increased influence of one's own sect and glory to Dhamma.
--

Not the iconoclastic spirit you are looking for or alluding to, is it?

Perhaps you mean the 13th, which contains this "threat":

...There is no country, except among the Greeks, where these two groups, 
Brahmans and ascetics, are not found, and there is no country where people 
are not devoted to one or another religion. Therefore the killing, death or 
deportation of a hundredth, or even a thousandth part of those who died 
during the conquest of Kalinga now pains Beloved-of-the-Gods. Now 
Beloved-of-the-Gods thinks that even those who do wrong should be forgiven 
where forgiveness is possible.

Even the forest people, who live in Beloved-of-the-Gods' domain, are 
entreated and reasoned with to act properly. They are told that despite his 
remorse Beloved-of-the-Gods has the power to punish them if necessary, so 
that they should be ashamed of their wrong and not be killed. Truly, 
Beloved-of-the-Gods desires non-injury, restraint and impartiality to all 
beings, even where wrong has been done....
--

You perhaps encountered a somewhat different translation of that last 
paragraph which renders it:

"The Beloved of the Gods believes that one who does wrong should be forgiven 
as far as it is possible to forgive him. And the Beloved of the Gods 
conciliates the forest tribes of his empire, but he warns them that he has 
power even in his remorse and he asks them to repent, lest they be killed. 
For the Beloved of the Gods wishes that all beings should he unharmed, 
self-controlled, calm in mind, and gentle."

Don't have the original inscription to check the translations, but the 
former seems to capture the flavor of the the full edict better (he is 
notifying them that he is fully capable of whacking them if they go too far, 
but strongly prefers not to). Not unreasonable for a ruler.

Dan