Teaching Story - How to conquer fear

by Life Positive

Angulimala was a ferocious and angry bandit who had vowed to kill a thousand people. Every time he killed someone, he would cut off their thumb and add it to the garland he wore around his neck. That is how he got his name, Angulimala (garland of thumbs). People were terrified of him and ran for their lives when they saw him coming. Whole towns would empty out if there was a rumour that Angulimala was on the prowl.

When the Buddha saw Angulimala, he walked calmly towards him. Angulimala was so used to seeing people run that he could not believe that someone was actually walking towards him. “Mummy, how come the Buddha did not get scared of this bad man?” asked Nikita.

“The Buddha had conquered fear, sweetheart,” said Mummy. Nikita lapsed into a long silence. She was thinking of how scared she had been earlier that day when she was playing hide and seek and bolted herself into the room. She could not open the bolt, no matter how she tried. Her whole body had trembled but mummy spoke to her lovingly and told her exactly what to do and she had finally done it.

“Mummy,” she asked. “Would the Buddha have been scared if he had locked himself into a room?” Mummy reached out and hugged her. “Yes,” she said. “The Buddha would have been scared, but then he would have remembered his breath. He would have breathed deeply three or four times. This would have given strength to his hand and he would have opened the door. Once he was out, he would have thought of how he had felt.”

(With due apologies to Samadarshiniji) Children, the full story of Angulimala is available in the book, Teaching Stories, by Life Positive, available at www.lifepositive.com/shopping/Product.asp or http://www.heal-empower.com/teaching_stories.htm.