KJCKorea
Journal Central

This paper argues that the narrative structure of Jeong Chan-ju's novel <King Ashoka> is composed of the main character's step-by-step growth process leading to becoming a wheel-turning king. King Asoka was the third king of the Mauryan Dynasty in ancient India and was at the center of the unification of the Indian subcontinent. His ruling ideology is recorded in the famous Asoka stone pillar. King Asoka recorded in detail the universal laws of human life and his ruling guidelines and methods that were passionate about public works on the stone pillar. Meanwhile, King Asoka became a protector of Buddhism through the construction of Buddhist pagodas and almsgiving. He entered the path of Buddhism himself through pilgrimage to Buddhist holy sites and laid the foundation for early Buddhism to advance beyond India and into the world. Buddhist scriptures were produced to praise Asoka's spirit of protecting Buddhism. Asoka's ideas were transmitted to the Korean Peninsula via China. Jeong Chan-ju's novel is an attempt to trace the life of King Asoka and reinterpret it in a modern way. This novel divides the scene of Asoka, who has both the appearance of an imperial ruler and a Buddhist, becoming a Buddhist into three stages and leads the narrative. It sets up Buddhist education and a character who replaces evil deeds as the conditions for becoming a saintly king. It shows the characteristic of emphasizing the relationship with Buddhist practitioners who were involved in King Asoka's Buddhist activities under the premise of a Buddhist worldview.

Wheel-turning king, King Asoka, reincarnation, karma, Buddhism