This is a series of talks given by the Canadian monk Ajahn Punnadhammo in which he speaks about Early Buddhist History. The talks, which are very well presented, have many maps and other graphics, which warrants their inclusion in this collection.
In the 4th of these videos Ajahn talks about how King Asoka became king, and expanded his empire until it reached its greatest extent, from Afghanistan to Bangladesh, and Nepal to all but the southern most states of modern India. Having become undoubtedly the greatest king of earth he had a conversion experience, repented of his former violence and became a model Buddhist king. He also held the 3rd Buddhist Council and afterwards sent out missionaries to the outlying countries.
Ajahn bases his account on three main sources: The King’s Edicts, which were written in stone, and are preserved till today; the Sri Lankan Mahāvaṁsa account, which is particularly concerned with religious history and the transmission of the orthodox tradition; and the later Aśokāvadāna.
If you are interested in Ajahn and his work, a short biography can be found here. He also has a youtube channel with many talks and presentations. He lives in the Arrow River Forest Hermitage in Northern Ontario.
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to see an album of screenshots click here