Angulimala was the son of the adviser to the King of Kosala. His father’s name was Bhaggawa and mother’s name was Mantani. His real name was Ahinsaka.
When he was born, all the weapons in the country shone very brightly by themselves. The king was very frightened and the next morning he called his adviser to find out the reason why the weapons were shining. The adviser said
“My wife has given birth to a son, your majesty.”
“Then why do the weapons shine in this manner?”
asked the king.
“Your majesty, my son will be a bandit, a wonderful bandit.”
“Will he rob alone or with a gang?”
asked the king.
“He will be single-handed, your majesty,”
said the father.
“However why don’t we kill him now?”
asked the king.
“As he will be alone we shall be able to catch him red-handed,”
said the father.
When Ahinsaka was old enough to go to school his father sent him to a school in Takka Sila. Ahinsaka was the strongest, brightest and yet most obedient child of all the children in the whole school. Other children became envious of him. They began to back-bite to the teacher and made him hate Ahinsaka. And when he had finished his education the teacher told him,
“Now as you have finished your studies here you must pay me my tuition fee before you leave this school.”
“How much should I pay you, Sir?”
asked Ahinsaka.
“You don’t have to pay me in cash. Bring me one thousand right-hand human fingers,”
said the teacher.
Although it was a most difficult thing for him to do Ahinsaka promised to bring them and got ready to go when his teacher called him back and said,
“Remember not to bring two right-hand human fingers from the same person.”
Because he expected that Ahinsaka would only bring only one and then he could punish him.
Ahinsaka had never harmed anybody before. He did not know how to cut people’s fingers. However, he had to obey the teacher, and taking a sword in his hand off he went until he reached the country called Kosala where King Bhaggawa was ruling.
Hiding near a jungle highway, he waited for passers by, and whenever he met a person he rushed at him, killed him, cut a finger from his right hand and hung it on a tree until vultures and crows had eaten its flesh leaving bones. Then he made a garland of such finger bones and he was therefore know as Angulimala. (Anguli=fingers; mala=garland)
Now he become most cruel, bloody-handed, unkind, and killing daily whoever he met. Then people began to go in groups of three, four, eight, ten, twenty, thirty and so on. But as soon as they heard
“I am Angulimala. Don’t run!”
They all began to shiver, tremble and could not run any farther. Then Angulimala killed them and cut one finger from each of them. Then people gave up that highway.
Angulimala went to another district and began to kill again. Then King Kosala arranged a strong army to go and capture the bandit. His mother, Mantani, heard of the King’s preparation and she was very worried. She told her husband:
“Dear our son has become a bandit. The king himself is preparing a big army to kill our son. Can you go and stop him?”
“Darling, he is very fierce now. He may have changed completely and if I go there he may even kill me. I do not want to get killed.”
But the mother was very soft hearted, and kind and loved the son more than she loved herself. She thought
“I must go to the jungle myself to save my son.”
She took some provisions and set out for the jungle.
Now Angulimala had killed 999 people. He had spent months and months in the jungle without any proper food, sleep, bath, or cleaning his body or clothes. His whole body was stinky. He hated that life and wanted to live a decent life. However he had to kill only one person. He thought,
“Today even if my own mother comes, I will kill her and cut off a finger to complete one thousand fingers.”
Now the same day early in the morning the Buddha looked round the world to find out whether or not there was anybody whom He could help. He saw that Angulimala had determined to kill his own mother because he was fed up of killing and wanted to become a decent man once again.
“I must save him, his mother and other people,”
thought the Buddha and taking His begging bowl went towards the jungle where Angulimala’s mother had gone alone before Him. Overtaking her the Buddha went along the path.
The villagers seeing ihm said,
“Monk, don’t go that way. Mon don’t go. There is a murderer in this jungle. His name is Angulimala. He has killed hundreds of people. He is cruel, wicked, unkind and may kill even you. He has no respect for anybody. So many people have already left their homes in this village and even we are leaving our homes today. Please, if you want to live don’t go there. Return home immediately,”
Three times they advised Him in this way and asked Him to return. But the Buddha continued, thanking them for their kind advice.
Now Angulimala’s mother entered the jungle. Angulimala saw her coming and thought
“Ah Poor lady! She comes alone. I pity her but it cannot be helped. I must keep my word. I must kill her.”
So he took the sword and ran towards her. All of a sudden the Buddha appeared between Angulimala and his mother.
Then Angulimala thought,
“It is very good that this ascetic comes before my mother. Why should I kill my mother. I will leave her alone, kill this monk and cut off a finger from him.”
And with a sword, up he ran towards the Buddha. The Buddha walked slowly before him as usual thinking,
“Let this young man see me running.”
So Angulimala ran and ran and ran towards the Buddha but he could not catch up with Him. He was gasping for breath and his body was fully wet with sweat. So tired was he that every joint of his legs began to ache. He become so weak that he could not run any farther. Then he thought,
“Before I used to catch running elephants, horses, chariots, deers or any other animal that ran very fast and never I felt tired like this. But today how wonderful! How marvelous! I cannot catch this monk!”
Then he shouted at the Buddha,
“Stop! Stand still, stand still monk!”
“I stand still, Angulimala! Do you also stand still?”
Said the Buddha.
Angulimala could not understand the meaning of the Buddha’s saying and thought:
“The Buddhist monks do not tell lies. This monk while running faster than me says he stands still. I also feel unusually weak. There must be some meaning in his saying.”
Then he asked the Buddha,
“How can you say, you stand still while running faster than me?”
“I stand still Angulimala, evermore;
For I am merciful to all living beings.
But you are merciless to living beings,
Therefore I stand still and you stand not still.”
Angulimala was very pleased with the Buddha and throwing away his sword knelt before the Buddha. The Buddha blessed him and took him to the Temple. Then He ordained him there. His mother also was very surprised that the Buddha made him a good man within a minute.
The king, before leaving for the jungle to catch Angulimala wanted to get the Buddha’s blessing. So he went to the temple with five hundred horses and five hundred soldiers to see Him. Then the Buddha asked him:
“What is it that troubles you, mighty king? Is King Bimbisara coming to fight with you or Prince of Licchavi or some other royal trouble?”
“No, reverend Sir, there is a most fierce robber named Angulimala in my kingdom, I am going to catch him,”
said the king.
“But might king, suppose you were to see Angulimala with his head shaven, wearing yellow robes, having left that robber’s life, and stopped killing what then should you do to him?”
“I will worship him then.”
said the king.
Then the Buddha called Angulimala. As soon as he came out of the room all the soldiers, except the king, ran away. The Buddha stopped all of them and preached the Dhamma to all of them.
