01/10/2024
VIBES BRING TRANSFORMATION
Gautam Buddha, the enlightened sage and founder of Buddhism, left a profound legacy of wisdom. His teachings provide timeless guidance on life, suffering, happiness, and the path to enlightenment.
The Angulimala Sutta is a riveting tale from the Buddhist scriptures of a blood-thirsty murderer who lived during the time of Buddha. Terrorising the realm of King Pasenadi, Angulimala was known for the garland of fingers that he severed from his victims and wore around his neck.
As the story goes, the Buddha was staying in the region where Angulimala was on the loose. Local farmers and others warned the Buddha that groups of even thirty and forty men had been ambushed and killed by Angulimala. They urged the Buddha to turn back, but he did not. Resolutely and calmly, the Buddha walked in the direction of the killer’s lair.
Angulimala saw the lone monk pass by and gleefully determined to kill him. Yet as he ran towards the Buddha, the Buddha willed the feat of psychic power such that Angulimala, though running with his might, could not catch up with the Blessed One walking at normal pace.
Buddha uses his impacting words, spiritual power, and vibes to bring Angulimala to the right path. Moved by the Buddha’s vibes and words, Angulimala determined to abandon violence. He hurled his weapons off a cliff and requested ordination from the Buddha on the spot. The Buddha granted it, and Angulimala joined the community of those who have gone forth with saffron robes.
Angulimala can be read as the personification of brutal violence, indiscriminate and unrestrained by any concern for living beings. This story illustrates the potential of the Buddhist teachings to curtail humanity’s most horrific violent impulses and to transform even the most depraved of individuals into agents of non-violence. Ultimately, Angulimala renounced violence and became a monk.
Buddhists consider Angulimala a symbol of spiritual transformation, and his story a lesson that everyone can change their life for the better, even the least likely people.
The following sacred hymn from the Guru Granth Sahib beautifully sums-up the power of vibes for the transformation and purification of human character:
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਬਚਨ ਤੁਮੑਾਰੇ ॥
ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਨਿਸਤਾਰੇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਮਹਾ ਬਿਖਾਦੀ ਦੁਸਟ ਅਪਵਾਦੀ ਤੇ ਪੁਨੀਤ ਸੰਗਾਰੇ ॥੧॥
ਜਨਮ ਭਵੰਤੇ ਨਰਕਿ ਪੜੰਤੇ ਤਿਨੑ ਕੇ ਕੁਲ ਉਧਾਰੇ ॥੨॥
SGGS – ਅੰਗ: 406
O True Guru, by Your Words,
even the worthless have been saved. ||1||Pause||
Even the most discordant, vicious and sinful people have been purified in Your company. ||1||
Those who have wandered in reincarnation, and those who have been consigned to hell - even their families have been redeemed. ||2||
Sharing below an image of a painting in the Buddhist temple in Sravasti, India, depicting Angulimala chasing the Buddha.
