The Life of Ashoka, From Bloodshed to Buddhism
In The Life of Ashoka, From Bloodshed to Buddhism, host Andrew Marr describes how Ashoka started his reign of the Mauryan Empire in India with a brutal conquest that killed 100,000 people. But after that bloodshed, Ashoka embraced Buddhism and worked to spread the peaceful philosophy across the ancient world. This included writing and sharing his Edicts, which have been called the first declaration of human rights. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
Lesson Express
Q: What is the message of the legend of Ashoka?
A: The legend of Ashoka tells how a leader who led a bloody battle to seize the throne in India then renounced violence and became someone who spread peace around the world.
Q: What did you learn about Buddhism?
A: Students may mention that in Buddhism, all life is connected, compassion is the cornerstone of existence, and that it preaches nonviolence.
Q: How was Ashoka’s rule different from that of the emperors who ruled before him?
A: He abolished the trade of enslaved people, established schools and hospitals for the school, and set laws that were compassionate towards people and animals.
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