Aṅgulimāla

The Buddha's words

On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park.

Now on that occasion there was a bandit in the realm of King Pasenadi of Kosala called Aṅgulimāla, or “Finger-garland” who was murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, and merciless to all living beings. Villages, towns and districts were being laid waste by him. He was constantly murdering people, and he wore their fingers (aṅguli) as a garland (māla).

Then, when it was morning, the Blessed One dressed and taking his bowl and outer robe, he went into Sāvatthi for alms. When he had wandered for alms in Sāvatthi and had returned from his alms-round after his meal, he set his resting place in order, and taking his bowl and outer robe, he set out by the road to where Aṅgulimāla was. Cowherds, shepherds and ploughmen passing by saw him taking the road to where Aṅgulimāla was. When they saw him, they said: “Do not take that road, monk. On that road is the bandit Aṅgulimāla who is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, and merciless to all living beings. Villages and towns and districts are being laid waste by him. He is constantly murdering people, and he wears their fingers as a garland. Men have come along this road in groups of ten, twenty, thirty and even forty from time to time, but still they have fallen into Aṅgulimāla’s hands.”

When this was said the Blessed One went on in silence.

A second time…

A third time the cowherds, shepherds and ploughmen passing by saw him “… fallen into Aṅgulimāla’s hands.”

Still the Blessed One went on in silence.

The bandit Aṅgulimāla saw the Blessed One coming in the distance. When he saw him, he thought: “It is wonderful, it is marvellous! Men have come along this road in groups of ten, twenty, thirty and even forty, from time to time but still they have fallen into my hands. And now this monk comes alone and unaccompanied. One would fancy he had been fated to come. Why should I not take this monk’s life?”

Aṅgulimāla took up his sword and shield and buckled on his bow and quiver, and he followed behind the Blessed One.

Then the Blessed One performed such a feat of supernormal success that the bandit Aṅgulimāla, going as fast as he could, was unable to catch up with the Blessed One, who was walking at his normal pace.

Then he thought: “It is wonderful, it is marvellous! Formerly I caught up with even a galloping elephant and seized it; I caught up with even a galloping horse and seized it; I caught up with even a galloping chariot and seized it; I caught up with even a galloping deer and seized it; but yet, though I am going as fast as I can, I am unable to catch up with this monk who is walking at his normal pace!” He stopped and called: “Stop, monk; stop, monk!”

“I have stopped, Aṅgulimāla. Do you stop, too.”

Then the bandit Aṅgulimāla thought: “These monks, sons of Sakyans, speak truth, assert truth; but though this monk is walking yet he says ‘I have stopped. Aṅgulimāla. Do you stop too.’ Suppose I question this monk?”

Then he addressed the Blessed One in stanzas thus:

“While you are walking, monk, you tell me you have stopped;

But now, when I have stopped, you say I have not stopped.

I ask you now, O monk, what is the meaning of it;

How is it you have stopped and I have not?”

“Aṅgulimāla, I have stopped for ever,

Forswearing violence to every living being;

But you have no restraint towards things that breathe:

So that is why I have stopped and you have not.”

“Oh, at long last a sage revered by me,

This monk, has now appeared in the great forest:

Indeed I will for long renounce all evil,

Hearing your stanza showing the Dhamma.”

So saying the bandit took his sword and weapons

And flung them in a gaping chasm’s pit;

The bandit worshipped the Sublime One’s feet,

And then and there asked for the Going-forth.

The Enlightened One, the Sage of Great Compassion,

The Teacher of the world with all its gods,

Addressed him with these words “Come bhikkhu”,

And that was how he came to be a bhikkhu.

Then the Blessed One set out to wander by stages back to Sāvatthi with Aṅgulimāla as his attendant monk, and eventually he arrived at Sāvatthi. Then the Blessed One stayed in Sāvatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park.

Now on that occasion great crowds of people were gathering at the gates of King Pasenadi’s inner palace, very clamorous and noisy, crying: “Sire, there is a bandit called Aṅgulimāla in your realm; he is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, and merciless to all living beings! Villages, towns and districts are being laid waste by him! He is constantly murdering people, and he wears their fingers as a garland! The king must put him down!”

Then in broad day King Pasenadi of Kosala drove out with a bodyguard of five hundred horse, for the Park. He went as far as the road was passable for carriages, and then he dismounted from his carriage and went to the Blessed One on foot. After paying homage to him, he sat down at one side. When he had done so, the Blessed One said to him: “What is it, great king? Is Seniya Bimbisāra king of Magadha attacking you, or the Licchavis of Vesāli, or other hostile kings?”

“Venerable sir, Seniya Bimbisāra king of Magadha is not attacking me, nor are the Licchavis of Vesāli, nor are other hostile kings. But there is a bandit in my realm called Aṅgulimāla, who is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, and merciless to all living beings. Villages, town and districts are being laid waste by him. He is constantly murdering people, and he wears their fingers as a garland. I shall never be able to put him down, venerable sir.”

“Great king, if you saw that Aṅgulimāla had shaved off his hair and beard, put on the yellow cloth, and gone forth from the home life into homelessness, and that he was abstaining from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, and from false speech, and, eating in only one half of the day, he was living the life divine in virtue and good Dhamma, if you saw him thus, how would you treat him?”

“Venerable sir, we should pay homage, or we should rise up for him, or we should invite him to be seated, or we should invite him to accept robes, alms-food, resting-place, and the requisite of medicine as cure for the sick, or we should arrange for his guarding in accordance with the Dhamma, and his defence and protection. But, venerable sir, he is an evil-doer, one of evil qualities; how could he have such virtue and restraint?”

Now on that occasion the venerable Aṅgulimāla was sitting not far from the Blessed One, who extended his right arm, saying to King Pasenadi of Kosala: “Great King, this is Aṅgulimāla.”

Then King Pasenadi was alarmed and fearful, and his hair stood on end. Knowing this, the Blessed One told him: “Do not be afraid, great king, do not be afraid. There is nothing for you to fear.”

Then the king’s alarm and fear and horror was allayed. He went over to the venerable Aṅgulimāla and said: “Venerable sir, Aṅgulimāla was a noble lord, was he not?”

“Yes, great king.”

“Venerable sir, of what family was the noble lord’s father? Of what family was his mother?”

“My father was a Gagga, great king; my mother was a Mantāni.”

“Let the noble lord Gagga Mantāniputta rest content. I shall take care of robes, alms-food, resting-place, and the requisite of medicine as cure for the sick, for the noble lord Gagga Mantāniputta.”

Now on that occasion the venerable Aṅgulimāla was a forest-dweller, an alms-food eater and a refuse-rag wearer restricting himself to three robes. He replied: “Enough, great king, my triple robe is complete.”

King Pasenadi then returned to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, he sat down at one side. When he had done so, he said: “It is wonderful, venerable sir, it is marvellous how the Blessed One subdues the unsubdued, quiets the unquieted, brings about extinguishment in the unextinguished. One whom we, venerable sir, could not subdue with punishments and weapons the Blessed One has subdued without punishment or weapon. And now, venerable sir, we depart; we are busy and have much to do.”

“It is time now, great king, to do as you think fit.”

Then King Pasenadi of Kosala rose from his seat, and after paying homage to the Blessed One, keeping him on his right, he departed.

Then when it was morning, the venerable Aṅgulimāla dressed, and taking his bowl and outer robe, he went into Sāvatthi for alms. As he was wandering for alms from house to house in Sāvatthi, he saw a certain woman in travail with a deformed child. When he saw this, he thought: “What defilement beings suffer; indeed what defilement beings suffer!”

When he had wandered for alms in Sāvatthi and had returned from his alms-round after the meal, he went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, he sat down at one side. When he had done so, he said: “Venerable sir, when it was morning I dressed and taking bowl and outer robe, I went into Sāvatthi for alms. As I was wandering for alms from house to house in Sāvatthi, I saw a certain woman in travail with a deformed child. When I saw that, I thought: ‘What defilement beings suffer; indeed what defilement beings suffer!’”

“In that case, Aṅgulimāla, go into Sāvatthi and say to that woman: ‘Sister, since I was born I have never purposely deprived a living being of life. By that truth may you and the infant have peace.’”

“Venerable sir, should I not be speaking falsehood in full awareness? For many living beings have been purposely deprived of life by me.”

“Then, Aṅgulimāla, go into Sāvatthi and say to that woman: ‘Sister, since I was born with the Noble Birth I have never purposely deprived a living being of life. By that truth may you and the infant have peace.’”

“Yes, venerable sir,” he replied, and went into Sāvatthi and told the woman: “Sister, since I was born with the Noble Birth I have never purposely deprived a living being of life. By this truth may you and the infant have peace.”

And the woman and the infant had peace.

Then dwelling alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent and self-controlled, the venerable Aṅgulimāla, by realization himself here and now entered upon and abode in that supreme goal of the life divine for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the home life into homelessness. He knew directly: “Birth is exhausted, the life divine has been lived out, what was to be done is done, there is no more of this to come.”

And the venerable Aṅgulimāla became one of the Arahants.

Then when it was morning, the venerable Aṅgulimāla dressed, and taking his bowl and outer robe, he went into Sāvatthi for alms. Now on that occasion a clod thrown by someone fell on the venerable Aṅgulimāla’s body, and a stick thrown by someone fell on his body, and a potsherd thrown by someone fell on his body.

Then with blood running from his broken head, with his bowl broken, and with his outer cloak of patches torn, the venerable Aṅgulimāla went to the Blessed One. The Blessed One saw him coming, and he told him: “Bear it, divine one, bear it, divine one, bear it. 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.”

Then while the venerable Aṅgulimāla was alone in retreat experiencing the pleasure of deliverance, he uttered this exclamation:

“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.

Who as a youthful bhikkhu shows

Devotion to the Buddha’s Law

He shall illuminate the world

Like the full moon unveiled by cloud.

O let my enemies hear discourse on the Law,

O let my enemies follow the Buddha’s Teaching

O let my enemies wait on such kind of men

As serve the Law because they are at peace.

O let my enemies give ear from time to time

And hear the Law as told by men who preach forbearance,

By men who speak as well in praise of loving-kindness,

And suit the while their actions to their words,

For surely then they would not wish to harm me,

They would not think of harming other beings,

So those who would protect all beings, frail or bold,

Let them attain the all-surpassing peace.

Conduit-makers guide the water,

Fletchers straighten out the arrow,

Joiners straighten out the timber,

Wise men seek, tame themselves.

There are some that tame with beatings,

Some with goads and some with lashes;

One has neither rod nor weapon—

I am tamed by such as he.

Innocent is the name I bear

Who was obnoxious in the past

The name I bear today is true:

I hurt not any one at all.

And though I once lived as a bandit

With the name of “Finger-garland”

And whom the great flood swept along,

I went for refuge to the Buddha.

And though I once was bloody-handed

With the name of “Finger-garland”,

See the refuge I have found:

What leads to rebirth is no more.

Whilst I did many deeds that promised

Birth in unhappy destinations,

Yet their result has reached me now;

And so I eat no more in 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 harbour love of sense desires;

But diligently meditate

So as to reach the perfect bliss.

So welcome to that choice of mine

And let it stand, ’twas not ill-made;

The best I know is this alone

Of all the Laws made known to men.

So welcome to that choice of mine

And let it stand, ’twas not ill-made;

With the three True knowledges gained

All that the Buddha ordained is done.”

Aṅgulimālasutta MN 86

https://suttacentral.net/mn86