2025, Vol. 11, Issue 2, Part B

author(s)
Huynh Thi Bich Lanh

abstract
Buddhism in the reign of King Asoka is considered as the Buddhist golden time in India. It is inherent in the two main important events in the history of Buddhism that is the holding the Third Buddhist Council, and another is sending Nine Buddhist Missionaries into another countries to spread Buddhism within and beyond the frontier of India. After a century of the Buddha’s Mahāparinibbāna, there were many challenges happening in the history of Buddhism in India. At the time of King Asoka, Buddhism was in the top of development. The other traditions lost their position. The Third Buddhist Council was held at Patāliputtā to purify Saṅgha and collect the Buddha’s teaching under the patronage of the king Asoka, and the leader Thera Moggaliputta Tissa. After the Third Buddhist Council, he sent nine Buddhist Missionaries to different countries (Gandhāra, Mahisa, Aparantaka, Mahāraṭṭha, Yona, Himavata, Suvaṇṇabhūmi, and Laṅkā) for the propagation of Buddha’s religion. That event marked the strong development of Buddhism. It plays important role in the propagation of Buddhism within and beyond the frontier of India. This account, the Third Buddhist Council as well as sending Nine Dhamma-missionaries to other countries, can be made clear through the core contents of Pāḷi Vaṃsa Literature, namely, Dīpavaṃsa, Mahāvaṃsa, and Sasānavaṃsa. In this paper, the writer will discuss about the Role of Dharma-Missionaries, sent by King Asoka in the propagation of Buddhism within and beyond the frontier of India based on Pali Vaṃsa literature.