The Story of Angulimala (Part 2)

Continued from The Story of Angulimala (Part 1)...

Angulimala began to chase the Buddha. But then something strange happened - even though the Buddha was only walking calmly and unhurriedly, and Angulimala was running with all his might, he still couldn't catch the Buddha. Finally in exasperation Angulimala screamed at the Buddha to stop.

Still walking serenely the Buddha calmly said,

"I have stopped but you haven't."

This confused and enraged Angulimala even more and he screamed again for the Buddha to stop and explain what he meant. At this point the Buddha stopped, turned to Angulimala and said that he had already stopped. He had stopped killing and harming other living beings and it was time now for Angulimala to do likewise. These words struck Angulimala with such force that he dropped his weapons, followed the Buddha back to his monastery and became a monk.

Not knowing that the killer was now a monk, the pious king came with his troops to pay respect to the Buddha before heading into the forest to find Angulimala. The Buddha asked the king what his reaction would be if he learned that the infamous killer was now a monk in this very monastery. The king, unable even to imagine such a vile, murderous beast as a monk and follower of the Buddha, answered that if it was indeed true, he would pardon him of his crimes and pay him the respect due a monk. The buddha then pointed and said there sit Angulimala.

Once the king overcame his shock and fear, he kept his word, paid respect to the new monk and said to the Buddha,

"What we had tried to do by force and with weapons, you have done with neither."

Shortly thereafter, following the Buddha's teaching, the former mass murderer Angulimala became an Arahant, that is to say, he attained enlightenment.

Then for some time, when the enlightened Angulimala would walk near the local people, stray rocks and sticks, thrown by villagers, would strike hime in the head injuring him, can causing him to bleed. It is said that these 'accidental' injuries were from his karma coming back to him, from his past actions as a mass murderer.

Read the conclusion in The Conclusion of Angulimala Story...

Reference book: Karma for today's traveler by Phra Bhasakorn Bhavilai with David Freyer

The Story of Angulimala (Part 1)

During the time of the Buddha there was a brilliant student from a wealthy family called Ahimsaka. The other students were jealous of him and eventually managed to turn his teacher (The teacher was not a follower of the Buddha) against him. As a result, in order to get rid of him, his teacher made the outrageous demand that to receive the high teaching that he desired, Ahimsaka must first kill one thousand people!

Amazingly, Ahimsaka did not at this point give up, but he continued to trust his teacher, trusting that this shocking demand must somehow be for the overall good. So he set out to complete his task. Ahimsaka became a murderer, lurking in a forest and killing people.

But keeping count of so many victims is difficult, especially as his murderous action filled his mind with hatred and delusion. So finally, to stay organized and keep track of his progress, he began to cut off the little fingers of his victims, and strung them in a grue some growing garland which he wore aaround his neck. This earned him the infamous nick-name Augulimala, which means finger garland.

One fateful day, when he had 999 fingers around his neck, there was a convergence of events. The local king, tired of the murderer in the forest, organized his troops to sweep their forest and put an end to Angulimala. At the same time, Angulimala's mother realized that it was her son who was the terrible killer. Yet despite the fact that he was a mass murderer, her motherly love compelled her to go into the forest to warn him about the king.

Angulimala, his mind twisted by his murderous deeds, failed to recognize his own mother and was preparing to kill her to complete his tally when the Buddha intervened.

The Buddha positioned himself between Angulimala and his mother, and Angulimala shifted targets, and began to chase the Buddha.....

Continued in The Story of Angulimala(Part 2)...

Reference book: Karma for today's traveler by Phra Bhasakorn Bhavilai with David Freyer