Angulimala sees a lone monastic and is eager to complete his mission. He chases after the Buddha and cannot catch him. He is running while the Buddha is walking and yet he cannot close the gap. That is when he cries out to the Buddha to stop. The Buddha replies that he has stopped—he has stopped his actions of harm. However, Angulimala is still controlled by his desires and has not stopped.
By Anne Heerdt
Now for the most fun story of them all, Angulimala!
A facilitator in our local Denver group really liked talking about Angulimala, which sparked an interest for me. It wasn’t just this story, but it really encouraged me to look deeply into the many stories.
Angulimala was a murderer, and his name means finger bones.
He was known for killing people, collecting their finger bones and making them into a necklace. He set out to kill 1000 people, and was on 999 when he saw the Buddha walking alone in the forest. Then the magic happened because he didn’t actually kill the Buddha.
Before all of the killing, there are some back stories that may explain why he set out to kill so many people. He was originally named Ahimsaka, the harmless one, and grew up as a studious and smart person. He went off to study with a teacher and quickly became a favorite student. Other students were upset by this and caused conflict with the teacher.
The teacher tells Angulimala that in order to complete his studies and pay homage to him he needs to collect 1,000 finger bones from 1,000 people and bring them back. Angulimala follows the instructions carefully and goes to the forest to start killing people and collecting their bones. He does a really good job. He kills families, empties villages and causes intense suffering around him.
Take a moment to imagine this—a murderer with a necklace of finger bones wandering in your area. He is really good at killing people and announces who he is with a gruesome appearance.
He is at 999 fingers and is ready to complete the task when his mother becomes aware he is close to reaching his goal.
She sets off into the forest to stop him, which means she will likely be victim 1,000. The Buddha hears of this and heads into the forest alone to intervene. In the Anguilamala Sutta the Buddha is warned several times to not head into the forest alone, yet he still walks ahead.
Angulimala sees a lone monastic and is eager to complete his mission. He chases after the Buddha and cannot catch him. He is running while the Buddha is walking and yet he cannot close the gap. That is when he cries out to the Buddha to stop. The Buddha replies that he has stopped—he has stopped his actions of harm. However, Angulimala is still controlled by his desires and has not stopped.
Angulimala is impressed with the Buddha, lays down his weapon and asks to join the monastic order. The Buddha sees his changed heart and accepts him.
Angulimala shaves his head and face and agrees to simple robes and the minimal diet of a monastic. However there are still many people who have lost their loved ones and their homes, and they expect that he needs to be stopped.
A local king Pasenadi brings his army to take care of this threat to the people and hears that Angulimala is with the Buddha. He visits the Buddha and is shown that now Angulimala has taken robes and is practicing as a monk. King Pasenadi accepts this, however not everyone can do this.
When Angulimala is on alms rounds, he is attacked. He suffers injuries—his robe is torn and his bowl broken. When he talks to the Buddha he is told to bear this with equanimity. While he has changed his actions the effects of his previous actions still are in play.
When I read these stories in the suttas it seems so calm and easy.
The Buddha just handles it. However, I do not just handle it as easily. The practice that really helped was to read the stories slowly, let my mind, emotions and being really get into the experience as much as I could. I have no interest in meditating around dead bodies, I am very aware that buffalo can gore you and take reasonable precautions in life.
Recently, I have had great moments of fear. I fear not only for those in war zones, but the legacy of trauma that is passed on due to war. The intense weather that has left people injured, homeless and with few resources to maintain life came up when I read about how Mara just kept bugging the Buddha. Then I think of the amazing practitioners who walked through Vietnam, Cambodia, the civil rights actions currently and in the past.
If there is even a little more ease being shared by our practice then it is essential to know that meditation and Buddhism has been handling the really big stuff for a very long time.
Photo: Pixabay
Editor: Dana Gornall
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