Historical Fiction Assignment

Ryan Otto

King Ashoka's State of the Union address

     Preface: The following is a work of historical fiction about King Ashoka and his conversion to Buddhism after the war of Kalinga. It is a fictional State of the Union address given by Ashoka to other Indian nobility to try and convince them that introducing Buddhism to the people would prove beneficial.

     Introduction: It is important to remember that Buddhism may have died off if it were not for Ashoka. After he came into power, King Ashoka (who was the third ruler of the Mauryan dynasty in India) wanted to expand his kingdom. He sent messengers to Kalinga demanding that they give up their land but the refused. What ensued was a long and horribly bloody war with an estimated 100,000 deaths. Upon seeing the carnage which he was responsible for, Ashoka converted to Buddhism and made it the state religion of India. 

     Members of my Government, I must speak to you today concerning the conversion of the Indian people to Buddhist ways. I have seen the battlefields of the Kalingan war which I myself spent much effort and resources on. 100,000 lay dead in the wake of this war, and now that it is over it is a time for peace. I have journeyed to far places to spread the word of Buddhism and I have sent monks abroad to do likewise, but this is still not enough. For India to thrive, we must embrace the teachings of Buddha. If the people accept the four noble truths and follow the eight fold path, then suffering will finally come to an end. If we spread the philosophy of Buddhism to others, we will be greatly benefitting the people of India. I have, to this end, created fourteen edicts which I believe everyone should live by. I shall not spend time explaining all of these edicts in full, but I shall mention those which I believe to be the most important. Firstly, their shall be no slaughter nor sacrificing of animals in my domain. Next, India shall provide medicine for those in need, whether they be inside our boarders or out. I have already taken it upon myself to oversee the planting of medicinal herbs where none grow naturally so that anyone may pick them. These edicts will work to improve the lives of the people living under us. However, we must be careful not to force Buddhism onto the people. We must be tolerant and accepting of other's philosophy and religion. If we are successful in promoting the philosophy of Buddhism, I believe that we will be able to prevent 

"KING ASHOKA: His Edicts and His Times." KING ASHOKA: His Edicts and His Times. N.p.,

     n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html>.