Ashoka

From LabelingThoughts

Emperor Ashoka was a ruler in India in the 2nd century, BCE. He ruled almost all of present day India after a series of conquests and unifications. He converted to Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths in his conquest of the Kalingas.

He is attributed with the mass propagation of Buddhism in India then after this, and is known for his benevolence and moral code. He placed stone pillars around India which can still be seen. They were carved with his thirty-three edicts.

He is included in certain Shambhala chants as an example of enlightened rulership. This refers not to his earlier period of conquest but to his later conversion and how he exemplified enlightened rulership.