…and we flourish together.

” Those black dots you crushed this morning

A family of ants will now be mourning

Let them live, let them grow,

And we flourish together. ”

Ost lived a terrible, fierce robber, named Angulimala. ‘Anguli  refers to ‘finger’ and ‘Mala’ refers to ‘garland’, so as the name suggests, he used to cut people’s finger and wear them as a garland round his neck. Resting in his den, he saw Buddha pass by. “How dare he wander in my territory! I will get one of his fingers chopped.” Angulimala thought to himself. “Stop there”, he roared.

Buddha looked at him calmly. “Doesn’t he fear me?” wondered Angulimala, and said,         “Don’t you know me, I am the most powerful monster, who cuts the finger of anyone who dares to pass through this forest.”

“If you are so powerful, pluck a leaf from this tree”, answered Buddha. Angulimala did as asked. “Now put it back on the branch as before,” said Buddha. Perplexed, Angulimala said,”What!? I can’t do that, are you foolish? How can someone fix a leaf back on the branch?”

“When you don’t have the ability to fix something back, what gives you the power to break it in the first place? Its a beautiful world, let all live, and let all flourish,” answered Buddha.

Angulimala had tears in his eyes. That lesson, changed his life, and from that day onwards he took to a life of a saint.

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