Ashoka the Great - The Buddhist Expansion - World History - Part 3 - Extra History

The Great King Ashoka's relentless quest for the revered relic - "The Ashes of the Buddha" - marked the genesis of his transformation and ignited the global spread of Buddhism. As he tirelessly wove religion, monasteries, and compassionate policies into the fabric of society, Ashoka also spurred infrastructural growth across his realm. Giving people access to a practical moral system to guide their lives under Buddhism.

*Miss an episode in our Buddhist Expansion Series?*

Artist: Nick DeWitt I Writer: Robert Rath I Showrunner & Narrator: Matthew Krol I Editor: Aidan Strite & Mac Owens

#ExtraHistory #Buddhism #History

[Achillez]

Rob: "YES! My Degree in Religion can finally be put to use!"
Also Rob: "My brain...it's melting...help..."

[truth_finder]

Sri Lanka is one of the oldest buddhist civilizations survived up to this day, and we embraced buddhism during the Mayuryan empire ! (May be even before)

[treejan]

What a legendary opening scene. EH animation really has come a long way

[diegol.garcia]

❤ As a Theravada buddhist i think your explanations on the fundamentals of buddhism on the begining are almost correct. Big heart for it.❤

[leonhardeuler]

I find it interesting that with time we become desensitized to historical violence. All the recent developments in modern history are still highly contested as they shaped and still shape our world, but as Ashoka was millenia ago, no one really feels any strong animosity towards him due to Kalinga. If he were a more modern figure perhaps even his good deeds wouldn't be enough to clear his legacy and he would be a figure similar to people like Atatürk, Washington, Jefferson or Napoleon.

[The-Plaguefellow]

My paternal grandmother, a practicing Mahayana Buddhist, likened Buddhism to something of a crossroads between a religion, a philosophical exploration, and a personal lifestyle. I feel like that that's a very basic, but solid summary of Buddhism.

[MeneerSoepgroente]

When I was in Lumbini, I saw one of the pillars of Ashoka there. It marked the place where the Buddha was born. Quite impressive to witness. In general it’s an amazing place to visit, I can recommend it.

Also, on the pillar it is written that because Lumbini is such a special place, Ashoka gives all inhabitants there a tax cut.

[antiskill]

The history of Japanese Buddhism is really fascinating, so I hope it isn't too far down the rabbit hole for the scope of this series. That said, you could easily get an entire series out of Kukai's life alone.

[HeisenbergFam]

Ashoka is so great they made Ahsoka in Star Wars as tribute

[jeremy]

You gotta love any story that involves searching for ancient artefacts guarded by sword-wielding robots 😊

[Liam_Mellon]

That opening scene is one of the most visually stunning you guys have ever produced. Hats off to the artists!

[adweetiyamohapatra]

I live in the same city where supposedly Kalinga War took place. There are many local legends and stories about Ashoka. Before the war he was called ' Chandashoka' which means notorious, infamous, nuisance creator etc.

[tardygrade]

Appreciate the Tibetan Peoples shout out. You guys rock!

[ฉันคือสปายที่มาแอบดูพวกคุณ]

as a population of one country in Southeast Asia where Buddhism is the state religion, These videos made me interested in Buddhism and remember it better than I did in my classroom for years.

[ThatFanBoyGuy]

This is the first in the series that actually feels like Extra History over Extra Mythology

[jackbelinski]

Here’s something very Interesting
I learned when gathering materiel
for a world building project:

Apparently the purpose of Buddhist prayers (or at least in some sects) unlike those in other religions are not to petition (or request) the aid of a being, but to summon or awaken the spiritual power within one’s self, or others around them.

[BWS]

This series is making me want to explore Buddhism, even if it does melt my brain researching

[mitwhitgaming]

For a split second, only the title had loaded in and I thought Extra History was doing a Star Wars episode. 😅

[germanomagnone]

I would define the two robot guardians of the Buddha's tomb as "Buddha-bots" 🤖

[danielfiene]

0:40
Ashoka: "Hello there!"
Automatons: "General Ashoka! The 'Negotiator'"