Mangala

Ratana

Metta

Khandha

Mora

Vatta

Dhajagga

Atanatiya

Angulimala

Bojjhanga

Pubbanha

ANGULIMALA SUTTA

uyyojanna.

parittam yam bhanantassa,

nisinnatthanadhovanam;

udakampi vinaseti,

sabbameva parissayam.

sotthina gabbhavuthanam,

yanca sadheti tankhane;

therassa Angulimalassa,

Lokanathena bhasitam;

kappatthayim mahatejam,

parittam tam bhanama he.

yato' ham bhagini ariyaya jatiya jato,

nabhijanami sancicca panam jivita voropeta;

tena saccena sotthi te hotu sotthi gabbhassa.

Angulimala Suttam Nitthitam.

Majjhima pannasa 306

To Listen in Myanmar Pali

ANGULIMALA SUTTA
The Act of Truth by Venerable Angulimala

    Ahimsaka kumara was born in the family of Brahmin,—the chaplain of King Kosala and was known in his young age as the Son of Mantani . He was educated at the Taxila university and the Rector asked him to collect one thousand fingers as a gratifying test. So the lad killed many men to cut the fingers which he made a garland hanging around his neck. Hence he became notorious as the Robber with a garland of fingers—Angulimala Cora.

    Eventually the robber had collected the required fingers except the last one. So he decided to cut the last finger from anyone he saw that day. King Kosala publicly notified that the royal army was going to annihilate the robber. Hearing this, Mantani, the mother of the robber, hurried to her son to warn him. But the determined robber chased after his mother to cut her finger.

    Now the most Compassionate Buddha saved the life of the helpless mother by standing between the runner and the chaser at the risk of His life.

    When the robber saw the Buddha, he changed his mind from chasing his own mother and attempted to seize the Buddha. But the Buddha performed a miracle so that the chasing robber could not catch up with the slowly walking Buddha. Realizing the impossibility of the glory of the Buddha, Angulimala robber became a convert and was ordained as a monk. Thus he became a disciple by the name of Venerable Angulimala who worked intensively and soon be came an Arahanta (Saint).

   One day Arahanta Angulimala saw a pregnant woman in difficult labour of child birth and reported the condition to the Buddha. So the Buddha advised him to perform an oath of truth by declaring that he had not intentionally killed any life from the time he had become an Ariyan monk, This is a magical means for saving both lives of the mother and the new child. He did so, and the lives of two beings were saved by this paritta.

    Since then the Burmese people used to bless the water by reciting this paritta of three stanzas and sprinkle on the head of the pregnant woman who is having difficulty in child-birth. And usually it works well.

   This is an evidence that the Compassionate Buddha could convert a robber, who was killing thousands of lives, to become a saint who could save innumerable lives of mothers and children.

9. ANGULIMALA-SUTTA

Introduction

   Even the water that rinsed the seat of the Elder who recited this discourse of protection did eradicate all the dangerous difficulties.

   That very paritta discourse has the power to accomplish the labour of child-birth healthily.

   This is the paritta sutta which had been expounded by Lord of the worlds to Venerable Angulimala, the great magical power of which may last long for the entire aeon.

    Oh thou! Let us recite this discourse of protection.

   "I, sister, am in my awareness have not intentionally deprived any living thing of life since I was born of the Ariyan birth. By this truth may there be well-being for you, and well-being for the conceived foetus".

The end of Angulimala-Sutta.

Middle Length Sayings. P. 289

No. 86. Angulimala Sutta iv. Rajavagga. 103. 4

First posted on 31-10-02