I think it was mainly an issue of money to pay for missions. I seriously don't think the Sinhalese took up Buddhism because they were afraid of Ashoka or currying favor with him.
The Bhagavad Gita is not a Buddhist text, don't forget.
I am not a pacifist, but I do think that war is evil. I believe in self-defense, but there are clearly situations in which non-violent civil disobedience can be successful, most obvious Gandhi in India (achieved independence from Britain, though the division of India and conflict between Muslims and Hindus broke his heart) and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the U.S. (civil rights laws and desegregation, and he also played a role in the opposition to the U.S. role in the Vietnam War). They both had to be willing to die for their ideals, so pacifism in the cause of justice is not for the cowardly and takes great discipline. I believe that non-violent resistance could have worked for the Palestinians vis a vis Israel, if it had been part of their culture to really put it into effect (and stone-throwing, though much less violent than dissolution planting, is not non-violence).
Now, going back to the Dalai Lama, he is a leader of a people who simply cannot defeat the Chinese People's Liberation Army. When they revolted back in 1959, things became much worse for them. So non-violence is the only strategy that has a chance, albeit a very slim one, to succeed at all.
Michael
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