Angulimala - A Buddhist Story

By Siddarth Ramesh

Ahimsaka, Angulimala

They made you a killer

You need Nirvana, you need a Buddha

You’re not a killer

Cursed by your teacher, abandoned by your father

You were once innocent, now you’re a highway robber

You don’t steal clothes, you don’t steal gold, and you don’t steal jewels

You got one goal – fingers…

Men, women, children – victims…

String them around a thread, wear it on your neck

You smell like copper, you stink like zinc

If that isn’t blood on your hands, I don’t know what is

Lord forgive you, Lord forgive me

Will bloodshed satisfy your needs?

A thousand fingers, countless deaths

The devil had you in his grips, a thousand years

Only the Lord can save a man who hates himself

Time runs its course,

Angulimala runs after a monk in the forest

The monk says “you give steady chase, but you’re running in place”

“Mechanical how your movements don’t contain any peace”

“Kill me if you please!

I’ve got nowhere to be. I am the Buddha, I am free!”

The monk keeps walking, Angulimala drops to his knees

and says,

“Please forgive me, I’m a murderer”

“Oh, I’ve heard of you,” he says, “You’re dangerous, you’re beautiful”

“Imagine what you could do, if you cared about yourself”

Upon hearing those words, Angulimala put his head to the floor, and wept.

I shaved my head, I serve the Lord

I get glares from all the

Women I widowed, children without parents

In the past, like I would’ve cared

Now it’s painful and I can’t bear it

I can’t bear it, I can’t bear it

Ahimsaka walks back with rice

Gives half to his master

“I got this from a little boy, his story made me cry”

I knocked on his door, he came with a smile

I ask for alms, he takes my bowl and fills it up

I ask him, “Where are your dad and mum?”

“Angulimala killed them,” is what he said

The Buddha smiles

“Angulimala? Who is Angulimala?

That was a dream, you are Ahimsaka

Now go meditate, I will always love you”

Now how’d you think all this would end?

Like any good tragedy, it ends with death

Some wild kids – ran into him

They threw stones – they slapped sticks

Screamed out loud “This is what you get!”

“You think things have changed?

Because you shaved your head?

The people you killed, my brother, his father – they’re still dead!”

They didn’t stop until his lungs popped

And they made sure the demon was stopped

Once they left, Ahimsaka got up – he started to walk

With blood on his face, the sun in his eyes

The Buddha sat – calm and divine

Angulimala saw him and cried

“Lord, I’m going to die, all of this is fine”

“Are you at peace my child?”

“I am.”

“It’s time to die then.”

Dive in.

By Siddarth Ramesh