The Courage to make a U-turn

Emperor Ashoka ruled over an Indian empire from 268 to 232 BCE that would have stretched from present-day Afghanistan to Bangladesh, with only a small piece of southern India missing. His reign began very cruelly until the Battle of Kalinga in 261 BCE, in which approximately 100,000 people died and approximately 150,000 people were deported. No ruler before him and, unfortunately, no ruler after him managed to bring about a U-turn for himself and thus for his people. After this battle, he decided to follow the Buddhist path of tolerance and non-violence and brought the empire to prosperity. He had his instructions to his people carved into rocks and pillars. This book, which was actually intended to be a lecture, recounts Ashoka’s life and his extraordinary projects and how he managed to turn himself from a cruel ruler into a statesmanlike and wise one. His appreciation for all people and animals, his tolerance and non-violence can be a great inspiration to us, especially in today’s world, to see ourselves more as a global community and to face up to our responsibility for future generations