Vandemataram.com - Vande Story

Story>>Mythology

The story ofAngulimala.

2-4-2001
Rate it

It happened in Buddha's life. Buddha was passing through a forest and people prevented him. They said, "There lives a man who is the greatest murderer. He has killed nine hundred and ninety nine persons already and he is wearing a garland of their fingers. Nobody knows his real name; Yet they call him "Angulimala" because he wears the garland of fingers.He

is waiting for one more person , but now everybody has become so frightened and afraid that the road is closed; nobody ever passes from this side. People who need to go have to take a long route.

Even the king has not courage enough to pass from this road with all his army." "The man is ferocious, the man is like a lion. He is not a man, he is a man-eater! He is so dangerous that last time he told his mother... " "Don't come again to me because now I am waiting for the last person. If nobody else comes I will kill you but I have to fulfill my vow. One thousand persons I have to kill.So now the mother also stopped going there. Please don't go from this route. This path is deserted.Buddha said , "If you had not told me, then I may have gone by the other road, but now that I know that he is waiting for one person only and nobody is willing to go, not even his mother, then If I don't go what is going to happen to his vow ? And I am going to die anyway sooner or later, so let him fulfill his vow. And who knows whether he will be able to kill me or I will be able to kill him ?People said, "You seem to be crazy! How can you kill him? You don't believe in killing and you don't have any weapon with u."Buddha said, "I am the weapon. Let him have a try and let me also have a try." And he went.

The great followers who always used to surround him started lagging behind. By the time he reached close to Angulimala's place they were miles behind. Nobody was there, only Buddha was there. They were watching from far away what happens.Angulimala saw Gautam the Buddha coming. He was not aware of who this man was, but something was beautiful about this man, the way he was coming , the peace, the silence. And Angulimala was a simple man. This type of people are always simple people - ignorant, but innocent too.As Buddha came close by, first he thought, ''Let me kill this man and finish the whole thing so I can forget about the matter, because now nobody comes. ''But as Buddha came nearby, he started feeling a strange love for the man, a great compassion for the man He had never felt like this for anybody. It was so strange, so new, he could not believe it.And when Buddha came in front of him he said to Buddha, ''Please, you go, I am a dangerous man. It seems you don't know about me. You look so innocent. I am Angulimala! You see the garland ? Nine Hundred and ninety Nine People I have killed ; I am waiting for the last one. And I am a dangerous man.

Now I can see that you are a sanyasi, your yellow robe, your shaved head. I feel a strange compassion for you which I never felt, so I will give you one chance. You can go back and I will wait for somebody else, but if you insist, if you even take a single step ahead, I am going to kill you.''Buddha said, "Do you know me? If that is your vow, then this is my vow : I never go back. You kill me ! I never look back''The man took out his sword, but his hand was trembling. Buddha said, "What is the matter? Is this the way ? Are you a swordsman ? Your hand is trembling ! Stop your hand from trembling ! This is not right-- this shows weakness. One should be strong enough. And I am surprised and I am wondering how you could kill so many people ''Angulimala said, "This is for the first time. My heart is beating faster, my breathing is now no more rhythmic, my hand is trembling. You must be doing something ! You seem to be a magician" Buddha said, "That is true --I am also trying my way, I am trying to kill you! But I don't kill physically, I kill psychologically. But you finish your job, don't bother about my work. I will go on doing my work, you do your job. But before you hit my body, one thing you have to do for me-this is the wish of a dying man. Can you cut few leaves of the tree?"Those leaves were hanging from the tree , Angulimala chopped down a few branches. Buddha sat on top of them said , "Good, half is done. Now do the other half -- join this branch back again and then kill me."Angulimala said , "You must be mad ! How can I join it back?" Buddha said , "Cutting a branch even a child can do. The real thing is joining it.Destruction is very easy, creation is the real thing."Angulimala bowed down his head ashamed. Buddha said, " If you can understand that much, then there is no problem, I would love to be murdered by you... you kill me.

Angulimala threw down his sword, fell at Buddha's feet and he said, "You have killed me before I could kill you. You are right --- destruction can be done by anybody. Now teach me how to be creative."It has always been a great question mark in Buddhist scriptures how such a murderous man was so easily transformed by Buddha.And it has happened many times that great scholars came, argued with him, and were not convinced, left unconvinced. Great kings came to him just to pay respect, and hoping that his blessing will be enough, but not ready to meditate or to become sanyasi or to renounce -- just to receive the blessing. And businessmen came to him and they did much as far as money was concerned but they remained uninvolved. They donated big lands and gardens to Buddha and for his monasteries, but they never gave an inch of their consciousness to him.

Now atleast let us learn to meditate and grow in consciousness. Let us learn to kill our ego. Let us learn to offer our Being to our Guru who can mould it creatively.

Contributed by : vandemataram