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Aṅgulimāla; English: lit. 'finger necklace' ('he who wears fingers as a necklace') Sanskrit: Aṅgulimāliya, Aṅgulimālya [1] Pali: Aṅgulimāla: Burmese: အင်္ဂုလိမာလ (MLCTS: ʔɪ̀ɰ̃ɡṵlḭmàla̰) Chinese: 央掘魔羅 (Pinyin: Yāngjuémóluó) Khmer: អង្គុលីមាល៍ (Ankulimea ...
About Aṅgulimāla Aṅgulimāla Sutta (MN 86) I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
Aṅgulimāla: “While walking, contemplative, you say, ’I have stopped.’ But when I have stopped. you say that I haven’t. I ask you the meaning of this: How have you stopped? How haven’t I?”
- Textual Sources
- The Account of Angulimala from The Pali Suttas
- His Life as Elaborated in The Commentaries by Buddhaghosa and Dhammapala
- Historical Context
- Bibliography
- Further Reading
- External Links
Pali sources
Angulima'a first encounter with the Buddha is recorded in the following texts from the Pali canon: 1. Angulimala Sutta (MN 86) in the Majjhima Nikaya 2. Angulimala Thera (Thag 16.8) in Theragatha Both of these texts offer a fairly short description of Angulimala's encounter with the Buddha, and omit much of the background information later incorporated into the story (such as Angulimala being placed under an oath by a jealous teacher). These later additions appear in the following Theravada c...
Tibetan sources
The Tibetan Canonincludes: 1. The Sūtra for the Benefit of Aṅgulimāla(T. sor mo'i phreng ba la phan pa'i mdo) Angulimala is also referred to in commentaries from the Tibetan tradition, such as those by: 1. Nagarjuna 2. Gampopa (Jewel Ornament of Liberation) 3. Patrul Rinpoche (The Words of My Perfect Teacher) 4. and others
Chinese sources
The Chinese Canonincludes editions of the Angulimala Sutra.
The account of Angulimala's life recorded in the sutras of the Pali Canonis short and has few details. According to this account he was a brutal bandit who would kill people and show no mercy; he turned villages into non villages and towns into non towns. Around his neck, he wore a garland made of the fingers of his victims. He was able to run fast...
The Theravadan commentaries by Buddhaghosa and Dhammapala provide a more detailed account of Angulimala's life.
Richard F. Gombrich, in his paper Who was Angulimala?, has postulated that the story of Angulimala may represent an encounter between the Buddha and a follower of an early form of Saivite or Shakti tantra. Gombrich reaches this conclusion on the basis of a number of inconsistencies in the sutta text that indicate possible corruption (particularly t...
Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton UniversityGombrich, Richard F. How Buddhism Began: The Conditioned Genesis of the Early Teachings. New Delhi, Munishiram Manoharlal Publishers (2002). ISBN 81-215-0812-6Bhikkhu Analayo (2008). The Conversion of Angulimāla in the Saṃyukta-āgama, Buddhist Studies Review 25 (2), 135-148Stede, W. (1957). Angulimāla and Liberation, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 20 (1/3), 533-535Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche, translator (1998), The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, "Appendix: The Story of Angulimala", Snow Lion.
G.P. Malalasekera, "Angulimāla (Angulimālaka)", Dictionary of Pãli Proper NamesAṅgulimāla was a notorious killer who wore a garland of fingers. He met the Buddha on the road and was converted by his Dhamma verse and became an Arahat.
Aṅgulimāla Paritta Ven. Angulimala’s Protection. Yato’haṁ bhagini ariyāya jātiyā jāto, Nābhijānāmi sañcicca pāṇaṁ jīvitā voropetā. Tena saccena sotthi te hotu sotthi gabbhassa. Sister, since being born in the Noble Birth, I am not aware that I have intentionally deprived a being of life. By this truth may you be well,
Aṅgulimāla (Pāli language; lit. "Necklace of fingers") is an important figure in Buddhism, particularly within the Theravada tradition. Described as a ruthless brigand who is completely transformed after a conversion to Buddhism, he is seen as the quintessential example of the redemptive power of the Buddha's teaching
