The earliest reference to Buddhist views on religious pluralism in a political sense is found in the Edicts of Emperor Ashoka, which are a collection of 33 inscriptions of the Pillar of Ashoka, made by Emperor Ashoka during his reign from 269 BCE to 231 BCE.
- "All religions should reside everywhere, for all of them desire self-control and purity of heart."
- "Contact (between religions) is good. One should listen to and respect the doctrines professed by others. Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, desires that all should be well-learned in the good doctrines of other religions." Rock Edict Nb12 (S. Dhammika)
My thoughts on how Buddhism demonstrates religious pluralism is that Buddha is recorded to stating that the teachings of other sects of his day were based on one or more of 62 erroneous theories, and that falling into those errors would prevent attaining suffering forever.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a better explanation=)
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