THE STORY OF ANGULIMALA The child, later to be called Angulimala (“Finger-Garland”) was born to Brahmin priestly-caste parents and named Ahimsaka (“One Who Does No Harm”). When he was old enough he was sent to ‘school’ in another learned Brahmin’s family to learn, besides reading, writing and arithmatic, all the Brahmin’s traditional knowledge. He grew to be very intelligent and an excellent scholar besides which he was naturally respectful to his teacher and endeared himself to him by his willing helpfulness. His fellow pupils slowly became so jealous of him that they hatched a plot to get rid of Ahimsaka. They began by insinuating that something was wrong with him but did not tell the teacher what it was. Then they intensified this by starting to suggest that he was too close to the teacher’s wife. Finally they came out with the brazen lie that Ahimsaka was sleeping with his wife, a fact that the teacher hearing it from many mouths, finally believed. Enraged, the teacher thought of an extreme way to discredit Ahimsaka. When Ahimsaka had finished his studies he asked his teacher what was the fee for so many years’ teaching. The teacher replied that Ahimsaka was to bring him 1000 little fingers. This put Ahimsaka in a difficult spot: if he refused then he could be accused of disobeying his teacher and therefore dishonored but if he accepted he would have to become a bandit liable to the extreme punishments of the law in those days. Bewildered by this brutal demand, Ahimsaka protested but eventually accepted to provide the teacher with his thousand fingers. After equipping himself with weapons he became a bandit dwelling in the forest and killing people on the road going through it. He took to wearing a garland of dried withered fingers, a fact that inspired even more terror of him. When his murders on the highway provided only a scanty number of fingers, merchants took to warning other caravans, while travellers journeyed in large groups, so he began raiding villages in the night. Terrified people fled to the royal capital to demand that the King take action. The King eventually set out with his bodyguard to scour the forest. Meanwhile, Angulimala’s parents had guessed that their son had become a bandit and while the mother wanted to help Angulimala, the father disowned him. The mother therefore set out upon the forest road by herself, determined to find her son. The Buddha seated in meditation saw in a vision that the old mother would become a victim of her son’s sword. In order to prevent this and to stop Angulimala’s murders he proceeded into the forest – against the advice of farmers and overtook the mother. Angulimala saw the single monk approaching and was glad, for the Buddha would provide, he reckoned, the last of his thousand fingers. Though he was a very fast sprinter, yet he could not overtake the Buddha who was walking normally. Eventually, frustrated at this, he shouted to the Buddha, “Hey you, monk, stop, stop!” The Buddha while continuing to walk, turned his head and replied, “I stopped long ago but you have not stopped.” Angulimala was confused – I have stopped walking but he continues to walk so how can he say that he has stopped while I have not? So the bandit having recognized the Buddha as someone special threw away his weapons and could then approach the Buddha and question him again. The Buddha replied that he himself had stopped harming and killing living beings but Angulimala still did these things. Angulimala had a deep insight into ‘stopping’ his crazy mind and prostrated to the Buddha’s feet while asking to become his disciple. The Buddha accepted him. The King to ensure a good outcome of his perilous search for Angulimala visited the Buddha, who to the King’s astonishment, showed him the former bandit with his hair shaved and clad in rag-robes. The King is overcome with emotion, offerd support to the monk Ahimsaka and exclaimed “One without weapons (The Buddha) has conquered the one with weapons, while the full force of my kingdom could not succeed !” One day when Ahimsaka was collecting alms food, he heard the screams of a woman in difficult childbirth and reflected on how much suffering there was in this world. Then he determined to help her by making a declaration of truth: “Ever since I was born of the Noble Birth, I have never knowingly killed any living being: by virtue of this truth, may you and your child be safe and secure.” (Notice that he said, “since I was born of the Noble Birth” – that is, had become a disciple of the Buddha). By virtue of that declaration that woman’s pain was eased and the baby’s birth followed normally. Ahimsaka explained: Some creatures are subdued by force, Some by hook and some by whips: But I was tamed by such a one Who needed neither stick nor sword. The Buddha said: He who by wholesome karma Covers up the evil done Illumines all this world, As the moon when freed from clouds. "May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering" CB
