On the day of the full moon, noble men and women, Brahmin priests, sages from the forests, saddhus in saffron, merchants, and landlords all gathered in the great court of the King. The Buddha himself, accompanied by Ahimsaka and other monks, joined the gathering. Mahavira, the Jina,* with his ascetic followers, also graced the occasion. Even the family of Ahimsaka, his father and mother, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nephews, and nieces together with hundreds of outcaste manual laborers (sudras), poor but dignified, were present, segregated from the rest but within the sight of the King, outside the main Court.
Rosewater was sprinkled on the guests, which created a sweet fragrance and calm atmosphere.
“My beloved citizens of Savatthi, this is a difficult day, a day when hurts and wounds inflicted upon many of you are to be recognized and ways found for their healing. Those of you who have been affected and who wish to express their hurt, loss, and suffering are invited to speak openly and without fear.”
The King became silent, and a hush fell on the assembly. After some moments, a man stood up from the crowd and spoke:
“One afternoon, my only son, aged thirty, went to visit his friends in a nearby town and never returned. The whole family waited and waited until late at night. Next morning I went to the town and learned from his friends that he had left them early in the evening to return home. ‘What happened to him, where is he?’ I wondered anxiously. After a long search we found his body thrown in a ditch, all his fingers cut off. The body was lying in a pool of blood. This was the act of Angulimala: he deprived me of my son and heir, without whom my family’s future is bleak.”
The man was in tears; he could speak no more. The angry audience looked at Angulimala in horror.
A young man quickly got up and said, “I speak for myself and for my grandmother. My grandfather was a blind man and frail, incapable of defending himself. One day he went out for an early morning stroll just to exercise himself, but he was caught by this brutal, cruel Angulimala and struck down in the street and left bleeding to death.”
Then a boy stood up and said, “My father went to the forest to collect wood, but he never returned. After many days we found his body with vultures tearing at his flesh. Now I get nightmares about it.”
Similar voices of anguish, one after another, continued to shock the gathering, until a thick air of grief depressed the entire court.
The Buddha looked at Ahimsaka and put his hand on his shoulder. All eyes were on him. Breathing in, breathing out deeply, Ahimsaka gathered his courage and composure, he stood up and spoke thus:
“I am guilty of everything that has been said, and much more. You may not think that I deserve forgiveness, and you may be absolutely right. I will accept any verdict declared by the King, who represents the concerns of the entire assembly. If I may be permitted to tell my story, I would be grateful.”
Ahimsaka looked at the King.
“Go ahead, go ahead.”
“I was born a dom, whose duty it is to pick up the bodies of dead animals and deal with them, particularly after the priests have made sacrifice at the altars of the gods. In addition my family and the people of my caste clear the night soil, which is the lowest of the low jobs in our society. My family and other members of my caste are despised, downtrodden, and segregated. The doms are considered too dirty to till the land, too dirty to draw water from the public wells, too dirty to touch other people, too dirty to be allowed into the temple, too dirty to hear the holy scriptures, too dirty for others to speak to them. It is as if my family and their caste do not exist.
“As a young man I resented this treatment. I was furious. My father, you out there, tried to calm me down, but that made me even more angry. I rebelled against you. I even hit you, and for that I am sorry.”
Ahimsaka took a moment’s breath. Everyone was listening in total silence.
“Frustrated and depressed, I left home and came to the conclusion that I must take control of society, be the ruler myself, and bring an end to the oppression and segregation which were destroying me and my people. I sought power through the sword, which brought much anguish and unhappiness to myself and fueled the antagonism between me and society. But now I have seen the light. Thanks to Gautama, the Buddha, I realize that the end cannot justify the means; action should be good and right in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end. Only through a change of heart, a change of consciousness, can we bring an end to oppression. To bring freedom to others, we have to be free within ourselves. So here I am. I await your judgment.”
Even though the words of Angulimala were sincere, most people did not see any connection between the caste system and his atrocious actions. They could not see why Angulimala should blame the caste system, or make it an excuse for his crimes. After all, most doms and untouchables are law-abiding.
Then Mahavira, the Jina, spoke, “Your Majesty, enlightened Gautama, and citizens. We must realize that violence is not confined to physical violence. Fear is violence, caste discrimination is violence, exploitation of others, however subtle, is violence, segregation is violence, thinking ill of others and condemning others are violence. In order to reduce individual acts of physical violence we must reduce psychological and social violence. We must reform institutions which support violence, we must work to eliminate violence at all levels, mental, verbal, personal, and social, including violence to animals, plants, and all other forms of life. Angulimala’s violence was only a fraction of the world of violence, even though it was extreme and obvious, but that violence was connected to the not-so-visible violence which infects our society. Therefore we should thank Angulimala for challenging us to look deeply and examine ourselves.”
Suddenly there was uproar. The radical thoughts of Mahavira proved to be too uncomfortable and unpalatable. The crowd could not bear it.
“The caste system and social hierarchy are part of the natural order. This law has been given to us by the ancient sages. It maintains cohesion. We are not gathered here to upset our traditions and dismantle society. We are here to judge the crimes of Angulimala,” protested a Brahmin priest.
There were more and more noises—a general hubbub arose.
“Order! Order!” the King’s marshals shouted.
When people fell silent, Mahavira, the Jina, continued. “I know I have raised some fundamental questions, but we must ask the right questions, however uncomfortable they may be, in order to get the right answers. We need to look at the root causes of violence. Otherwise, although we may execute one Angulimala today, there will be many more Angulimalas tomorrow. All humans are born as humans, neither low nor high. Humans must be judged by their acts and not by their birth; by their character and not by their caste. Also we should not forget that animals wish to live, in the same way as humans do. Therefore it is the duty of all good people to respect animals, and not kill them for meat or for ritual.”
The people began murmuring uneasily again.
Then Gautama, the Buddha spoke:
“Your Majesty, enlightened Mahavira, and my beloved citizens, it is most kind of our gracious King to invite us here today. We are faced with some vital questions and we are not afraid to seek right answers. We are all changing all the time. The only thing we cannot do is to stop the process of change. Only through change do we grow and evolve, so let us not be afraid of change. Enlightened Mahavira has given us profound words of wisdom. Even if everybody is not able to reach such a high state of nonviolence, we can begin to cultivate small acts of compassion right now. There is a middle way, and the middle way is to use skillful means to refine and reform personal and social relationships. This can be achieved by focusing on the universal truth of interdependence. We are all connected: rich and poor, high caste and low caste, humans and animals. The universe is an interlinked process of unfolding; only through clarity of view and generosity of spirit can we resolve this and all other conflicts.”
After the powerful voices of Mahavira and the Buddha, the assembled citizens fell numb and silent. Then the Law Officer of the State rose from his seat and addressed the King.
“Your Majesty, these two great saints of our time have renounced the world, so it is easy for them to speak of nonviolence, compassion, and forgiveness. But we live in the real world. We have heard the anguish of the victims and how their lives have been ruined. If we set Angulimala free, we will be guilty of damaging the social order. Only by giving appropriate punishment to Angulimala can we hope to deter others from becoming criminals. The affairs of state cannot be run purely according to religious rules. The state must impose the rule of law, and therefore, your Majesty, Angulimala must be hanged. Nothing less will do, Sir. The enforcement of the law is paramount.”
The Law Officer gained some applause, and then once again a hush descended. King Pasenadi’s face appeared anxious, disturbed, and uncertain. He looked around to see if there was anyone else wishing to speak. Then from the back of the crowd Sujata, a woman in her thirties with a baby in her arms, stepped forward. She could hardly hold back her emotion. It took her a few moments to gather her composure. Everybody’s eyes were upon her. Sujata wore a black sari indicating death and mourning. Her body was bereft of all ornaments. Her sad, almond-shaped eyes were filled with tears. Everyone knew who she was: a widow whose husband had been a poet, and whose magical songs had mesmerized the entire nation. But Angulimala brutally killed him, just in order to adorn his finger necklace.
The Law Officer stared at Angulimala full of hatred, thinking that the testimony of Sujata would be bound to bring a harsh sentence on the murderer. Surely the King would see that Sujata had been deprived of her beloved husband, the little baby had been made fatherless, and the nation had lost its treasured poet. This was the most heinous crime committed: this was a murder most despicable. There could be no pardon for such an evil deed.
Sujata’s short silence seemed like an eternity. Then a soft voice was heard. She said, “I have been sitting here agonizing about my predicament. The loss of my husband has left me and my baby desolate. The scars of this crime will be with us until the end of our lives. My husband’s spirit haunts me. I am unable to sleep, unable to eat, and it is so hard to live each day without him. But at the same time I am astonished to see such a turnaround in Angulimala; an avowed criminal is sitting among us with shaven head, transformed into a saint. It is difficult to come to terms with this situation. I have never encountered anything like this ever before.”
Sujata stopped to breathe deeply. The Law Officer looked confused, wondering what was coming next. But the King looked relaxed, he wanted Sujata to say more and share her profound dilemma with the assembly.
“Your Majesty, on the one hand I wish to see Angulimala severely punished and made an example for others. On the other hand I think that Angulimala’s death will not bring my husband back to life. I ask myself, what will be the benefit of one more death, and what will I and my child gain from it?”
Again Sujata paused. The audience was amazed to hear these words. The King waited in anticipation. The Law Officer looked away. These were not the words he wanted to hear from Sujata.
“Please continue,” requested the King.
“Your Majesty, it may be true that Angulimala has genuinely changed, and I trust the sages when they say so. I see no sign of violence in his eyes. To ask for his death in this situation would be merely an act of revenge. I do not wish to be a part of it. I can imagine my husband saying that Angulimala’s example gives hope to those who have committed crimes and who are either languishing in jail or who have been driven underground. Angulimala’s example shows that no one is beyond redemption.”
Sujata burst into a flood of tears. Nandini, sitting beside her, got up to console her.
Those who were unconvinced by the idealism of Mahavira and the Buddha warmed to the words of Sujata. If Sujata is prepared to forgive, they thought, then the rest of us must follow her. Sujata’s sorrow, filled with longing and dignity, was spellbinding.
The Law Officer sensed that he was isolated. The King caught the mood of the gathering. He saw an openness and receptivity in the gathered crowd, and said:
“Gautama, the Buddha, and Mahavira, the Jina, are the most enlightened beings of our time, and we thank them both for extending our horizons. After due consideration and having heard all the arguments presented today, and particularly the sincere speech of Sujata, I avail myself of the Royal Prerogative and declare an amnesty for Angulimala. I pardon him. I am convinced that his renunciation of violence is genuine and his example will help others to renounce violence. What one person, the Buddha, has achieved, my entire army could not, so I offer my gratitude to the Buddha. Mahavira, your example of inclusion and integrity is also a great inspiration to us all. I also thank the learned sages and sadhus who have shown their generosity of spirit in being part of this occasion. Thank you all. Citizens of Savatthi, let us make this day a day of healing and reconciliation, a day of new beginnings and new hope. Last but not least, here is a bowl for donations to support and help those who have lost their loved ones. Please give generously. Thank you for coming.”
The King himself made an offering of one thousand gold coins. Soon the pot was full.
Even though not everyone agreed with the King and his amnesty, they accepted it, and appreciated the wisdom and open-heartedness of the King.
After that remarkable assembly, Gautama the Buddha, together with Ahimsaka, began the great work of eradicating caste discrimination, especially the stigma of untouchability. They taught that all human beings, whatever their birth, have red blood and salty tears, and all of them have a desire to live and be happy; there is no ground for discrimination on the basis of birth. Many so-called low caste and untouchables took refuge in the Buddha and became monks; many others were given land and new sources of livelihood by the King. The Buddha and Ahimsaka inspired thousands upon thousands of people to seek inner peace and live in harmony with themselves and with all their fellow living beings, both humans and other than humans, by cultivating reverence, compassion, and loving-kindness.