Tag Archives: Rock Edict

Seed Thought on Different Religions

One should not honour only one’s own religion and condemn the religions of others, but one should honour others’ religions for this or that reason. So doing, one helps one’s own religion to grow and renders service to the religions of others too. In acting otherwise one digs the grave of one’s own religion and also does harm to other religions. Whosoever honours his own religion and condemns other religions, does so indeed through devotion to his own religion, thinking “I will glorify my own religion.” But on the contrary, in so doing he injures his own religion more gravely. So concord is good: Let all listen, and be willing to listen to the doctrines professed by others.
— Emperor Asoka of India, 3rd century B.C., Rock Edict, XII.

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet.

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