The Edicts of King Asoka（「阿育王法令」中文譯作）

10

Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, does not consider glory and fame to be of great account unless they are achieved through having my subjects respect Dhamma and practice Dhamma, both now and in the future.[19] For this alone does Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, desire glory and fame. And whatever efforts Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, is making, all of that is only for the welfare of the people in the next world, and that they will have little evil. And being without merit is evil. This is difficult for either a humble person or a great person to do except with great effort, and by giving up other interests. In fact, it may be even more difficult for a great person to do.

10、
上天眷戀的阿育王認為真正的榮譽和聲望來自於對正法的尊敬和實踐。[19]上天眷戀的阿育王渴望這樣的榮譽和聲望。上天眷戀的阿育王為人們來生的幸福而奮鬥，在那裡幾乎沒有罪惡。And being without merit is evil.如果沒有極大的付出，同時放棄其他的利益，無論是卑微的人或者偉人都很難做得到。事實上，偉人更加難以做到。

11

Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, speaks thus:[20] There is no gift like the gift of the Dhamma,[21] (no acquaintance like) acquaintance with Dhamma, (no distribution like) distribution of Dhamma, and (no kinship like) kinship through Dhamma. And it consists of this: proper behavior towards servants and employees, respect for mother and father, generosity to friends, companions, relations, Brahmans and ascetics, and not killing living beings. Therefore a father, a son, a brother, a master, a friend, a companion or a neighbor should say: "This is good, this should be done." One benefits in this world and gains great merit in the next by giving the gift of the Dhamma.

11、
上天眷戀的阿育王這樣說：[20]人生除正法外，別無禮物。認識正法、傳播正法，通過正法結成緊密關係，並包括以下這些品行：以禮對待僕人和工人，尊敬父母，慷慨地對待朋友、同伴、親屬、婆羅門以及苦行者，禁止殺生。這樣，父親也好，兒子也好，兄弟也好，師父也好，朋友也好，同伴也好，鄰居也好，都會這樣說："不錯，應該這樣做"。那麼今生來世，都可以通過正法而獲益。

12

Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, honors both ascetics and the householders of all religions, and he honors them with gifts and honors of various kinds.[22] But Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, does not value gifts and honors as much as he values this -- that there should be growth in the essentials of all religions.[23] Growth in essentials can be done in different ways, but all of them have as their root restraint in speech, that is, not praising one's own religion, or condemning the religion of others without good cause. And if there is cause for criticism, it should be done in a mild way. But it is better to honor other religions for this reason. By so doing, one's own religion benefits, and so do other religions, while doing otherwise harms one's own religion and the religions of others. Whoever praises his own religion, due to excessive devotion, and condemns others with the thought "Let me glorify my own religion," only harms his own religion. Therefore contact (between religions) is good.[24] 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.

Those who are content with their own religion should be told this: Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, does not value gifts and honors as much as he values that there should be growth in the essentials of all religions. And to this end many are working -- Dhamma Mahamatras, Mahamatras in charge of the women's quarters, officers in charge of outlying areas, and other such officers. And the fruit of this is that one's own religion grows and the Dhamma is illuminated also.

12、
上天眷戀的阿育王通過禮物和其他各種形式修行者和各宗教領袖。[22]但上天眷戀的阿育王最為重視如下觀念－－所有宗教的精要部分都應該得到發展。[23]精要部分的發展可以通過不同方式實現，但所有這些都有一個底線限制，那就是在演講中，不能夠只讚揚自己的宗教卻在沒有足夠好的原因下抨擊別人的宗教。即使有足以讓人抨擊的地方，也應該是採取柔和的方式。但更好的是尊敬其他宗教。因為這樣做，其他的宗教受益的同時自己的宗教也會受益，否則傷害別人宗教的同時，自己的宗教也會受到傷害。無論誰讚揚自己的宗教，過於熱情的話，並且以"讓我讚揚我的宗教"的想法去抨擊其他宗教，如此做法僅僅只會傷害他自己的宗教信仰。因此宗教間的互相交流是好事。[24]一個人應該傾聽和尊重其他宗教公開的教義。上天眷戀的阿育王期望所有人都應該精通其他宗教的好的教義。
那些只滿足於自己宗教的人應該被告知：上天眷戀的阿育王更加重視所有宗教的精要部分都應該得到發展。為了達到這個目標，很多人都在努力－－Dhamma Mahamatras, Mahamatras負責婦女事務，官員們負責外部事務，其他官員也是如此。如此的成果即是自己宗教得到發展的同時，正法也就彰顯了。

發重了

13

Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, conquered the Kalingas eight years after his coronation.[25] One hundred and fifty thousand were deported, one hundred thousand were killed and many more died (from other causes). After the Kalingas had been conquered, Beloved-of-the-Gods came to feel a strong inclination towards the Dhamma, a love for the Dhamma and for instruction in Dhamma. Now Beloved-of-the-Gods feels deep remorse for having conquered the Kalingas.

Indeed, Beloved-of-the-Gods is deeply pained by the killing, dying and deportation that take place when an unconquered country is conquered. But Beloved-of-the-Gods is pained even more by this -- that Brahmans, ascetics, and householders of different religions who live in those countries, and who are respectful to superiors, to mother and father, to elders, and who behave properly and have strong loyalty towards friends, acquaintances, companions, relatives, servants and employees -- that they are injured, killed or separated from their loved ones. Even those who are not affected (by all this) suffer when they see friends, acquaintances, companions and relatives affected. These misfortunes befall all (as a result of war), and this pains Beloved-of-the-Gods.

There is no country, except among the Greeks, where these two groups, Brahmans and ascetics, are not found, and there is no country where people are not devoted to one or another religion.[26] Therefore the killing, death or deportation of a hundredth, or even a thousandth part of those who died during the conquest of Kalinga now pains Beloved-of-the-Gods. Now Beloved-of-the-Gods thinks that even those who do wrong should be forgiven where forgiveness is possible.

Even the forest people, who live in Beloved-of-the-Gods' domain, are entreated and reasoned with to act properly. They are told that despite his remorse Beloved-of-the-Gods has the power to punish them if necessary, so that they should be ashamed of their wrong and not be killed. Truly, Beloved-of-the-Gods desires non-injury, restraint and impartiality to all beings, even where wrong has been done.

Now it is conquest by Dhamma that Beloved-of-the-Gods considers to be the best conquest.[27] And it (conquest by Dhamma) has been won here, on the borders, even six hundred yojanas away, where the Greek king Antiochos rules, beyond there where the four kings named Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas and Alexander rule, likewise in the south among the Cholas, the Pandyas, and as far as Tamraparni.[28] Here in the king's domain among the Greeks, the Kambojas, the Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the Andhras and the Palidas, everywhere people are following Beloved-of-the-Gods' instructions in Dhamma. Even where Beloved-of-the-Gods' envoys have not been, these people too, having heard of the practice of Dhamma and the ordinances and instructions in Dhamma given by Beloved-of-the-Gods, are following it and will continue to do so. This conquest has been won everywhere, and it gives great joy -- the joy which only conquest by Dhamma can give. But even this joy is of little consequence. Beloved-of-the-Gods considers the great fruit to be experienced in the next world to be more important.

I have had this Dhamma edict written so that my sons and great-grandsons may not consider making new conquests, or that if military conquests are made, that they be done with forbearance and light punishment, or better still, that they consider making conquest by Dhamma only, for that bears fruit in this world and the next. May all their intense devotion be given to this which has a result in this world and the next.


13
上天的寵兒阿育王,登基8年之後征服了Kalingas。[25]在征服的過程中,十五萬人被驅逐,十萬人被殺,更多的人則死於其他疾病。在征服Kalingas之後，上天的寵兒開始熱烈地接近正法，傾心正法以及從正法中得到教誨。現在上天的寵兒非常後悔這次征服活動。
事實上，上天的寵兒為那些征服過程中的已戰死，臨死和被放逐的景象深感悲痛。但上天的寵兒對另外一些景象更為悲痛－－那些生活在戰亂國家中的婆羅門、修行人、不同宗教信仰的領袖，那些尊敬上級、尊敬父母、尊敬老者的人，那些品行端正、對朋友、熟人、同伴、親戚、僕人和僱主極度忠誠的人－－他們被傷害、被殺害以及流離失所。甚至那些自己沒有受到戰亂影響而他們的朋友、熟人、同伴、親戚受到了影響的人。這些因戰亂而發生的現象，讓上天的寵兒深感悲痛。

除了希臘，沒有哪個國家沒有婆羅門和修行人，也沒有哪個國家的人們不是獻身於這個或那個的宗教中。因此那些死於征服Kalingas的即使百分之一或甚至千分之一的人們，也足夠讓上天的寵兒深感悲痛。現在上天的寵兒為認為即使是那些做錯的人，都應該得到寬恕。

即使那些野居山林的人，只要是生活在上天寵兒的國度里，都懇求他們能夠品行端正。告訴他們雖然慈悲的上天的寵兒有能力在必要時候懲罰他們但實際上並不會這麼做，他們應該為自己做錯的而痛悔，但不會被殺掉了。真的，上天的寵兒希望從此沒有傷害、自製和公平對待所有行為，即使有些行為已經造成了錯誤。

現在上天寵兒認為被正法所征服才是最好的征服。[27]正法已經在這裡傳播，在邊境上傳播，甚至是600個yojanas（一種印度長度計量單位）之外，那裡是希臘國王Antiochos統治的地方，越過那裡還有四個國王（Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas and Alexander）所統治的地方，以及Cholas和Pandyas王國之間的南部地區，遠至Tamraparni王國。在希臘、Kambojas、Nabhakas、Nabhapamkits、Bhojas、Pitinikas、Andhras、Palidas這些王國中，人們都在追隨上天寵兒依正法傳出的教誨。即使是上天寵兒使節都沒去過的地方，那些人都已經聽聞並追隨了正法的實踐和上天寵兒依正法而頒發的指令，並將持續下去。這樣的征服已經獲得了勝利，並且它能帶來極大的歡樂，只有正法的征服才有這樣的歡樂。但即使這樣的歡樂其實也不過很微不足道，上天的寵兒認為最大的收穫是對將來的體驗，這更為重要。

我命人寫下這些正法的法令，這樣我的繼承者不會去發送新的征服活動，或者發動軍事上的征服行動，他們可以通過節制和輕量的懲罰來實現，或者更好的是，他們認為只通過正法進行征服，讓它今生來世開花結果。希望所有這些熱烈的奉獻都能在今生來世有個結果。