"I stopped long ago. When will you stop?"

I'm reminded of these words of Buddha today, on the occasion of Buddha Purnima that commemorates Shakyamuni's birth over two millennia ago.

Let me recount the deeply moving story behind these words. Hundreds of millions in India and elsewhere would already know this either through moral tales taught in school or some other books tracing the life of the Enlightened One. Nevertheless, the message of peace and non-violence in this story remains relevant as ever—indeed more so now than at any other point in human history. 

Once the Buddha was passing through a jungle that was dreaded by the locals, who avoided it for fear of limb and life. It was said that the forest was the hideout and preying ground of a dangerous murderer called Angulimala. What he used to do was murder anyone passing through the wood and, horror of horrors, cut off one of the fingers from the person’s hand. He had a garland of such fingers that he used to wear around his neck—which is what had earned him the moniker Angulimala (in the Pali language, the word “anguli” means finger and “mala” means necklace).

Even though the Buddha was aware of this murderer and had possibly been warned against visiting those parts frequented by Angulimala, he chose to ignore the warning and anyway pass through the forest that particular evening. 

It was getting dark and the silence of the jungle seemed ominous.

With his senses keen as ever, the Buddha soon perceived someone following behind him. The footsteps gradually grew louder. The Buddha heard a threatening voice: “Stop, monk, stop!”

But the Buddha remained unperturbed and kept walking slowly, quietly.

In no time, Angulimala appeared before the Buddha, brandishing his sword and speaking menacingly: “I told you to stop. Why didn’t you stop?”

The Buddha looked at Angulimala with his peaceful, penetrating gaze and said, “I stopped long ago, Angulimala. When will you stop?”

The calm demeanor with which Buddha addressed him and the serene look of the sage completely disarmed Angulimala. His outer image of a treacherous murderer was shattered. He was suddenly gripped with repentance and was overwhelmed by the Buddha’s loving presence.

Angulimala fell at the Buddha’s feet and cried.

The Buddha smiled kindly at the murderer. He picked up Angulimala and embraced him as he would embrace any of his disciples in his sangha (brotherhood of monks).

Gently and with tender care, the Buddha spoke to Angulimala about how he had long ago stopped committing acts that caused suffering to other living beings and why everyone should nurture compassion in their heart.

In the book Old Path White Clouds, the late vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh has beautifully captured how the Buddha saw through the suffering of Angulimala before he became a murderer and the gentleness with which he spoke to the repentant man. In Nhat Hanh’s words, the Buddha told Angulimala:

“Angulimala, I know you have suffered deeply at the hands of other humans. Sometimes humans can be most cruel. Such cruelty is the result of ignorance, hatred, desire, and jealousy. But humans can also be understanding and compassionate. Have you ever met a bhikkhu before? Bhikkhus vow to protect the lives of all other beings. They vow to overcome desire, hatred, and ignorance. There are many people, not just bhikkhus, whose lives are based on understanding and love. Angulimala, there may be cruel people in this world, but there are also many kind people. Do not be blinded. My path can transform cruelty into kindness. Hatred is the path you are on now. You should stop. Choose the path of forgiveness, understanding, and love instead.” (Bhikkhu means begging monk.)

How simple, profound, and true are Buddha’s words! And, I must add, how relevant in these times when ignorance, hatred, and desire rule the minds and motivations of the power hungry—the Putins of today’s world.

Moved by Buddha’s message of kindness and peace, Angulimala gave up his nefarious ways and went on to become one of his most ardent disciples.

The bhikkhus who saw Angulimala’s transformation from a mass murderer to a monk of rare caliber were so impressed that they named him Ahimsaka (the Nonviolent One, how ironic but apt).

There is an Angulimala in each one of us. Let’s try and bring him round to listen to the voice of love and peace.

Let’s stop now before it’s too late.

Happy Buddha Purnima!

Remembering the Buddha via three simple numbers—3, 4, 8

 

Around five centuries before the birth of Christ, a Hindu prince of the Sakya clan began questioning everything and set out to explore a path to end human suffering. Yes, it was the Buddha, the Enlightened One, indisputably among the greatest teachers who ever walked on Earth.

The Buddha’s message was incredibly simple yet powerful. However, as his words got passed down the generations and as the followers of different streams of Buddhism (Mahayana, Hinayana, Theravada come to mind) multiplied in numbers and their own interpretations of his teachings, things became, well, a wee bit complicated.

So, in the tradition of going back to the source, first-principle thinking, or sticking to the fundamentals, here’s remembering Buddha through three simple numbers.

Three. Becoming a Buddhist is literally as simple as one-two-three—or taking the three ‘refuges’ (devotional pledges). “Buddham sharanam gachhami. Dharmam sharnam gachhami. Sangham sharanam gachhami.”  (I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in Dharma. I take refuge in Sangha.)

Four. That’s right, the Four Noble Truths that the Buddha espoused. There is suffering in the world. The cause of suffering is craving. The suffering can be ended. The way to end it is the Eightfold Path.

Which brings us to the number Eight. The Eightfold Path suggested by the Buddha as a way to end suffering is, again, simple and intuitive: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi. 

Of course, the crux of being a Buddhist lies in truly practicing the above path. It’s heartening to note that hundreds of millions across the world have been inspired by Buddha’s words of wisdom and compassion, and a great many have been trying to follow in his footsteps. Countless souls have benefited from adopting and adapting at least some of the precepts into their everyday lives.

So let’s try and keep the Buddha in our hearts and memories as much as we can. The world needs him today more than ever.