Contd….
Angulimaan, the Saint
Once, King Pasenadi of that country set out to kill Angulimaan having heard about the atrocities meted by him on his subjects. En route he stopped at Buddha's ashram to have his ‘darsham’. Whatsapp, FB and such sites and newschannel being absent news did not travel this fast as of today. So, when King expressed his motive and purpose of visit, Buddha simply took him to show Angulimaan in the robe of an ascetic sitting under a tree mediating and said “There is the Angulimaan that you wish to capture”.
Angulimaan, the Saint
Once, King Pasenadi of that country set out to kill Angulimaan having heard about the atrocities meted by him on his subjects. En route he stopped at Buddha's ashram to have his ‘darsham’. Whatsapp, FB and such sites and newschannel being absent news did not travel this fast as of today. So, when King expressed his motive and purpose of visit, Buddha simply took him to show Angulimaan in the robe of an ascetic sitting under a tree mediating and said “There is the Angulimaan that you wish to capture”.
In modern culture, Angulimaan still plays an important role. In
1985, the British-born monk Ajahn Chemadhammo founded Angulimaan, a
Buddhist Prison Chaplaincy organization in the UK. It has been recognized
by the British government as
the official representative of the Buddhist
religion in all matters concerning the British prison system, and provides
chaplains, counseling services, and instruction in Buddhism and meditation to
prisoners throughout England, Wales, and Scotland. The name of the
organization refers to the power of transformation illustrated by Angulimaan’s
story. According to the website of the organization, "The story of
Angulimaan teaches us that the possibility of Enlightenment may be awakened in
the most extreme of circumstances, that people can and do change and that
people are best influenced by persuasion and above all, example".
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