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Moral and Social Outlook of Sramaņism
writing. What is important here is to note that Asoka's dhamma can be easily recognized as an almost classical formulation of the Śramaņic ethos for lay life. Asoka, in fact, goes beyond its description and lays bare its inmost essence. In R. E. VII he says that all sects desire "self-restraint (samyama) and purification of heart (bhāvasuddhi)”. "...even the lavish liberality and firm faith are quite worthless, if he has no self-restraint, purity of heart or knowledge of what is right ". Here the roots of social ethics are traced to inner character which is implicitly defined in terms of the disposition of the will as influenced by feelings. Pure feelings or higher emotions such as compassion and liberality and the restraint of the senses are the essence of a moral character.
It is worth noticing that while compassion is typically Śramanic, liberality continues a typical Vedic virtue. Aśoka's dhamma is so broadly conceived that even with a śramaņic background and the rejection of animal sacrifice and ritualism, it could well be the meeting point of the pure ethical traditions of śramaņism and Brāhmaṇism.
It would in fact be noticed that in this form Śramaņism cannot be distinguished from Brāhmaṇism except negatively since it avoids ritual sacrifices or reference to the worship of the gods or to the inequalities of the caste-system. In this form it constitutes a system of universal, rational and ethical religion which is wholly non-sectarian, as applicable and relevant today as it was 2500 years ago.
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