Angulimal daku biography of alberta college
I had made forest monastic seclusion my choice and as I had sat with myself in those remote places I had had at my disposal an armoury of meditation techniques as well as the guidance, the example, the wisdom and the support of those who taught me. I had also been purposefully seeking to understand my life. There were differences but there were similarities.
I too had been uncomfortable and it was my sense of unease that had led me to look beyond the then narrow confines that restricted me for answers. Yes, I realised, I did understand something about imprisonment. It was my belief then, as it is now, that Buddhist techniques equip us with the means to escape that imprisonment and enjoy a secure and lasting peace.
Thinking along these lines, I decided that I did have something to offer those in prison. This I believe should be the Buddhist attitude.
To those who accuse me of embracing Buddhist social action, I reply that what I do in the prisons is more or less what I do in the monastery. The difference is that while for most people they can come to the temple, for prisoners we have to take the temple to them. But the reality is that prisons do exist, society does demand something from those who offend against its interests and many thousands of human beings now and in the future will spend portions of their lives in prison.
To me it is shameful that that time should be wasted. So, as anywhere else, in order to alleviate suffering and offer people the hope of a better and happier future, but especially for prisoners to salvage something positive from their predicament, we try to make the Teachings and Practice of Buddhism available in the prisons.
Now at that time, a bandit named Angulimala was living in the forest. He had a reputation for being extremely brutal and had blood on his hands from the numerous victims he had killed.
Angulimal daku biography of alberta williams: Because of this he came to be known as Angulimala (finger garland) and became the terror of the countryside. The king himself heard about the exploits of Angulimala, and he decided to capture him. When Mantani, Ahimsaka ’s mother, heard about the king’s intention, she went to the forest in a desperate bid to save her son.
He showed no mercy to anyone. He has blood on his hands from the many victims he has killed, and shows no mercy to anyone. He wears a gruesome necklace of fingers, and even groups of thirty or forty men have fallen victim to him. A second time and a third time they called out to warn him, but again the Buddha heard them, acknowledged their warnings, and just kept walking on in silence.
As the Buddha entered the forest, Angulimala was sitting at his lookout post on the top of a high cliff overlooking the road, and when he saw a lone figure on the road below he sprang into action. Rushing down from the cliff, he was determined that today would see the fulfilment of the long and arduous task that he had been set many moons ago.
However, the traditional story is that he was a young man from a well-connected family who lived in Shravasti. In those days Taxila was one of the foremost places of learning in the whole of India, and the young Ahimsaka, who was very clever and well-behaved, excelled at his studies. Unfortunately, he excelled so much that some of the other students became jealous of him.
They felt that he put them all in the shade, and to put a stop to this they were determined to prevent him from graduating. The challenge was that Ahimsaka must present the teacher with a gift of a thousand little fingers, each from the right hand of a different person. The teacher, however, was immovable in his demands, and perhaps the injustice of the whole situation enraged Ahimsaka so much that his mind became disturbed and he began to contemplate fulfilling the challenge, mistakenly thinking that this would then allow him to graduate.
Even to consider something like this is to turn towards the possibility of doing harm, and to start to sow confusion in our minds. This growing confusion then leads us to make poor decisions, as we are no longer seeing things clearly. But Ahimsaka quickly finds that putting this decision into practice is not at all easy for someone who has been a law-abiding and diligent student up until this point.
Perhaps he has to try several times before eventually tackling someone. That first encounter must have set his heart racing. He must have felt a sense of going against something important, deep inside, because he was stepping way beyond what he knew to be right. Having tried once though, the next time would not have felt quite so strange, as already the idea of causing harm had become normalised in his mind.
By force of will he managed to overcome his better judgement, and crossed the Rubicon of actually causing harm to another person. It is likely that he would have had great feelings of remorse after doing this, but by this time his mind had turned significantly towards doing harm; the confusion and disturbance that this caused him led him to ignore and suppress his doubts and hesitation in order to chase the cherished prize of graduating.
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Although to begin with the novice bandit still wants to do as little harm as possible, he quickly finds that no one is willing to give up their little finger without a struggle. With his first few victims he tries to cause as little injury as he can, but this is difficult and time-consuming, and he realises that he risks getting wounded himself if his victims fight back.
Now that he has become accustomed to using violence to get his way, it may have felt like only a small step to just kill each victim outright and take their finger. Dwelling alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent, and self-controlled, the venerable Angulimala, by realization himself here and now entered upon and abided in that supreme goal of the holy life for the sake of which noble sons rightly go forth from the home life into homelessness.
He was now reckoned among the eighty eminent arahants and most of the people had now full confidence in his inner transformation and that his earlier name, Ahimsaka, the Harmless, fully befitted him. Since the episode with the ailing woman, there was also no lack of support when he went on alms-round in Savatthi. Yet there were still a few who could not forget that Angulimala the bandit, with his superior prowess, had shown them in their weakness and thus had humiliated them.
Out of that resentment, as an act of revenge, they were mean enough to injure the venerable Angulimala by throwing stones and sticks which struck him when he had gone for alms. They must have done so from a safe distance. Then with blood running from his injured head, with his bowl broken, and with his patchwork robe torn, the venerable Angulimala went to the Blessed One.
You have experienced here and now the ripening of kamma whose ripening you might have experienced in hell over many a year, many a century, many a millennium. Being a saint, his mind and heart were firm and invulnerable. But the body, the product of former craving, the symbol and fruit of previous kamma, was still there in present existence and was still exposed to the effects of former evil deeds.
Even to the Buddha himself it happened that, as a result of former deeds, Devadatta was able to cause him a slight injury. Also his two chief disciples had to experience bodily violence. The venerable Sariputta had been hit on the head by a mischievous demon, and the venerable Maha-Moggallana was even cruelly murdered. If this occurred in the case of these three Great Ones, how could Angulimala have fully avoided bodily harm — he who in his present life had committed so much evil!
Yet, it was only his body that received these blows, but not his mind. That remained in invulnerable equipoise. He, as an arahant, was also in no need of consolation or encouragement. These tell us that he lived in such solitary places as forests, caves, and mountains and that, having finally made the right choice in his life, he spent his days in happiness.
Who once did live in recklessness And then is reckless nevermore, He shall illuminate the world Like the full moon unveiled by cloud. Who checks with profitable deeds The evil kammas he has done, He shall illuminate the world Like the full moon unveiled by cloud. O let my enemies give ear from time to time And hear the Doctrine as told by men who preach forbearance, By men who speak as well in praise of peacefulness, And suit the while their actions to their words.
For sure, such foes would then not wish to harm me, Nor would they think of harming other beings, So those who would protect all beings, frail or strong, Let them attain the highest all-surpassing peace.
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Conduit-makers guide the water, Fletchers straighten out the arrow, Joiners straighten out the timber, Wise men seek to tame themselves. There are some that tame with force, Some with goads and some with lashes; By one with neither rod nor weapon — I am tamed by such as he. While doing many deeds that should have led To birth in unhappy destinations, Yet their result has reached me now; And so I eat no more in kammic debt.
Oh, they are fools and have no wits Who give themselves to recklessness; But men of sense guard diligence And treat it as their greatest good. Oh, give not way to recklessness Nor harbor love of sense desires; But diligently meditate So as to reach the perfect bliss. It was well-gotten and it did not fail me, Not ill-advised I have made that choice ; Of all the multifarious doctrines, It is the best that I obtained.
I stayed in forests, at the root of a tree, In mountain caves — But with an agitated heart.
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But now I rest and rise in happiness And happily I spend my life. A brahman was I by descent, On both sides high and purely born. Free of craving, without grasping, With guarded senses, well restrained, Spewn forth have I the root of misery, The end of all taints have I attained. The heavy load was finally laid down; What leads to new becoming is cut off.
Notes 1. The commentary says that Angulimala spoke the verses after he had been injured during his alms-round. Your email address will not be published. Skip to content.
Introduction Angulimala, the robber and murderer, is one of the best known figures of the Buddhist scriptures, because of his dramatic life story. The Sutta says: Now Angulimala took up his sword and shield and buckled on his bow and quiver and he followed behind the Blessed One. Do you stop, too. It is said in the Sutta: Dwelling alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent, and self-controlled, the venerable Angulimala, by realization himself here and now entered upon and abided in that supreme goal of the holy life for the sake of which noble sons rightly go forth from the home life into homelessness.
She also said that since you have married me, it is your responsibility to look after me, how can I be bhageedaar in your sins. Children also replied the same way. None of them wanted to bear the poisonous results of his crimes Then Naradji told him that since none of your family members want to share bhageedaar the consequences of your crimes, then you decide, you have to bear the fruits of your ill deeds.
Immediately he dropped the weapons from his hand and this one incidence made him from Valiya Bheel to Maharishi Valmiki who wrote Ramayan. He changed completely Another incidence that happened during Gautam Budha's time.
Angulimal daku biography of alberta
Angulimaal was a famous dacoit and merciless killer, everybody would get scared him. Nobody dared to approach him. Gautam Budha attempted to tread that road to change Angulimaal. None of his bhikshu's dared to go with Buddha. He marched alone. Everybody tried to stop him but he did not pay attention. As Gautam Budha approached near Angulimaal, he saw him from far.
Angulimaal saw that one sanyasi is comming near him. He thought that this sanyasi does not know my power, may be he is an innocent man. He warned him from far "Do not move forward, I will kill you". Gautam Budha replied"I am not moving, I have stopped, you are only moving". The more and more Budha went near him, the vibrations of peace, love and karuna of Gautam Budha was passing in his heart.
He felt nervous and started shivering. He was thinking that what is happening to him.