Asian History Commons^™

Asoka As Philanthropist, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Philanthropy is one of the oldest concepts associated with western civilization. Although it is generally traced to ancient Greece, there is no clear indication where the Greeks got the idea. My earlier paper on Buddhist philanthropy was one of the first published studies in the third sector literature of evidence of Buddhist practices in this area. This unpublished paper explores more fully the history and legends associated with one of the major figures in the Buddhist philanthropic division. Asoka was the third ruler of the Maurian empire in northern India. A great warrior, Asoka is reputed to have given up …