Legend of King Asoka Author:John S. Strong This is the first English translation of the Asvokavadana text, the Sanskrit version of the legend of King Asoka, first written in the second century A.D., Emporer of India during the third century B.C. and one of the most important rulers in the history of Buddhism. The author contrasts the text with the Pali traditions about King Asoka and dis... more »cusses the Buddhist view of kingship, the relationship of the state and the Buddhist community, the king's role in relating his kingdom to the person of the Buddha, and the connections between merit making, cosmology, and Buddhist doctrine. An appendix provides summaries of other stories about Asoka. This is a reprint of the 1989 original.« less