My Pilgrimage Tour to India - Angulimala

                      This is the place where Angulimala the murderer used to lived here 

This is one of the holy site that today's Buddhist is visiting here, this is the notorious historical person named Angulimala, the famous criminal and murderer of a 1,000 thumbs garlands for his neck collections, and he was very tired and near exhaustion. At the same time, he was very anxious to kill the last person to make up his full quota of 1,000 thumbs collection and so complete his task.  

Angulimala he saw a woman on the road below and he was having total of 999 thumbs as he wanted to fulfil his vow to complete the 1,000 thumbs collection, but as he approached, he saw it was his mother. but at the same time, the Buddha was approaching, and Angulimala had just enough presence of mind to decide to kill the wandering monk instead of his mother. He set out after the Blessed One with his knife raised. But the Buddha kept moving ahead of him. Angulimala just could not catch up with him. Finally, he cried out, "O Bhikkhu, stop, stop!" And the Enlightened One replied, "I have stopped. It is you who have not stopped." Angulimala did not catch the significance of these words, so he asked, "O bhikkhu! Why do you say that you have stopped while I have not?"

The Buddha replied, "I say that I have stopped because I have given up killing all beings. I have given up ill-treating all beings, and have established myself in universal love, patience, and knowledge through reflection. But you have not given up killing or ill treating others and you are not yet established in universal love and patience. Hence, you are the one who has not stopped." On hearing these words Angulimala was recalled to reality, and thought, these are the words of a wise man. This monk is so very wise and so very brave that he must be the leader of the monks. Indeed, he must be the Enlightened One himself! He must have come here specially to make me see the light. So thinking, he threw away his weapons and asked the Blessed One to admit to the Order of the bhikkhus, which the Buddha did.

When the king and his men came to capture Angulimala, they found him at the monastery of the Buddha. Finding that Angulimala had given up his evil ways and become a bhikkhu, the king and his men agreed to leave him alone. During his stay at the monastery, Angulimala ardently practiced meditation.

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