The Thousand-Fingered Murderer and Angulimala's Moment of Stopping

Many people, upon hearing the name Angulimala – the notorious bandit – feel terror. This was a man who killed nearly a thousand people to cut off their fingers and wear them as a garland, leaving an entire land in ruins. And yet, the story of Angulimala does not end in evil retribution. Instead, it opens one of the most wondrous chapters in Buddhist history: the most brutal of men became a saint.

## At the Peak of Violence

Angulimala was the son of a wealthy family, intelligent, and his parents invested in his education at the university of Takshashila. He studied martial arts and military strategy, and became unbeatable. However, his teacher, consumed by jealousy, together with the teacher's wife, devised a wicked plot: kill one thousand people, take their fingers to increase the power of dark spirits, and thereby rule the world. Angulimala believed them and became a killing machine.

"You must gather one thousand souls behind you. Whatever you do, those one thousand will do it with you."

## The Deception of Greed

Beneath his noble appearance, Angulimala actually had a good nature, but his teacher and the teacher's wife used cunning to push him down a path of wrongdoing. His hunger for victory and thirst for power clouded his reason. He killed people as easily as cutting grass, never realizing he was being exploited. Yet there was one consolation: the wronged spirits could not harm him, because his blessings from merit were still too great. This shows that within Angulimala, goodness still remained.

## The Moment of Stopping

After killing nearly one thousand people, Angulimala fell into loneliness. When he saw the figure of a wandering ascetic in the distance, he chased after him to kill. But strangely, though he ran with the speed of a mountain goat, he could never catch up with the man walking calmly ahead. When he shouted, "Stop!", the ascetic finally answered with words that pierced his heart:

"The Tathagata stopped long ago. It is you who have not yet learned to stop."

## The Transformation Begins

Hearing those words, Angulimala suddenly awoke. He looked at the sword in his hand, looked at the garland of fingers he wore, and then he knelt down, letting go of everything, and followed the Buddha back to the monastery. From the most cruel of men, he became a gentle monk, practicing diligently and attaining the fruit of an Arhat. When King Pasenadi arrived and recognized him as the murderer he had long been hunting, the Buddha pointed out that Angulimala had become a monk. The king was first horrified, but then vowed to make offerings to him for life – a testament to this most wondrous transformation.

## A Lesson for Each of Us

The story of Angulimala teaches us that no one is beyond hope. Every person can make mistakes, even grave wrongs, but if we know how to stop at the right moment, to repent and turn around, there is still a chance to change. The Buddha stopped long ago, but we have not yet. The lesson of stopping is the greatest message for ourselves and for the world.

This life is full of anxiety and suffering. But as Master Thích Chân Quang once reminded us: "To live in this world is simply to love and help one another." With a heart of compassion, let us learn to stop our anger, our hatred and delusion, our cruel words. Only when we stop can we hear the voice of compassion and wisdom. And in that way, we can transform ourselves and our lives, from darkness into light.