Terrorists Are Not Angulimalas

Terrorists Are Not Angulimalas

SANJEEV KUMAR NATH

British Indian peace activist, environmentalist, author Satish Kumar (1936-) published a book called The Buddha and the Terrorist: The Story of Angulimala in 2007.

In it, Kumar tells the famous story of Angulimala’s encounter with the Buddha and his subsequent conversion in a really brilliant way. Reading the book—a story that one already knows—is a truly joyful experience primarily because of Kumar’s extraordinary storytelling skills.

By clearly equating Angulimala with a terrorist right in the title of the book, and through compelling arguments in the course of the story, Satish Kumar questions the conventional method of dealing with terrorists in a heavy-handed manner, and strongly proposes the idea of mercy for the terrorist.

It is indeed an engaging book, and Satish Kumar is certainly on a noble mission of spreading the message of peace globally.

Implicit in the Angulimala story is the belief that Angulimala was notalways a criminal; that he had a “good” past, and implicit in that belief is the primary belief that all human beings are ultimately good. Things like societal pressures (people’s maltreatment of Angulimala because of his low caste) are presented as the causes or the triggers that push Angulimala, the essentially good soul, to become a feared robber and killer.

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The direction of Angulimala’s life changes twice—once for the bad, when he becomes a killer, and the second time for the good, when he surrenders to the Enlightened One, and begins his own journey towards Buddhahood.

The people of Angulimala’s society are also shown to be essentially good although their maltreatment of Angulimala was the cause of his becoming a dreaded criminal, and although, later, they were against showing any mercy to Angulimala.

When Angulimala had become a Buddhist monk and lived by begging, there comes a time when he is so cleansed by the dharma that he is willing to face the very people whom he had wronged in the past.

Thus, facing those whose relatives he had murdered, facing their wrath and hatred with equanimity and tranquility is shown in the story as the toughest test that Angulimala passes to qualify as a true follower of the Enlightened One. One or two people are shown to be exceptionally good, and they are quite willing to forgive the penitent Angulimala, but on the whole most people are shown to demand punishment for Angulimala.

In the end, however, the words of the Buddha, and Mahavira, the founder of Jainism have the effect of convincing everyone of the superiority of forgiveness over revenge, of peace over violence, of compassion over wrath.

When finally everyone is shown in agreement with the Buddha and Mahavira, it is clear that the story is also hinting at the belief that ultimately, all human beings can be won over by reasonable persuasion, and that all humans must essentially be good (because all finally support the good and the noble).

Angulimala himself is shown to be so changed as a monk that in one instance, when he sees a woman suffering while trying to give birth to her child, his compassion towards her makes him bless her, saying something like, “If, after becoming a Buddhist monk, I have not knowingly committed a single act of violence (through deed, speech or thought) against any living thing, then by the power of that truth, may your suffering end, and may you give birth to your child easily.” The story says that the woman indeed gave birth to a healthy child without any complications.

Indeed, it is a wonderful story and the imaginative presentation of the meeting of the two most noble souls of the time—the Buddha and Mahavira—adds a special flavour to the story. It is a story that asserts Satish Kumar’s life-long teaching of the paramount importance of peace.No reasonable person can deny that peaceful resolutions to problems are the best resolutions most of the time, but can we really say that peaceful resolutions to problems are the best resolutions all of the time?

Hypothetically speaking, what would the world think of India if India were to declare a general amnesty to the terrorists who had taken innocent lives in Pahalgam a few days ago? If India were to cite the paramount importance of peace and compassion and called upon those killers and their creators to give up their evil ways and embrace peaceful, compassionate ways of life, would the terroristsand their bosses feel ashamed of their past and become meek monks seeking to cleanse their souls of all cruelty and stupidity?

In Tibetan Buddhism, there is the concept of Yamantaka, a fearsome deity whose name itself signifies his power: he is the “antaka” or end of “Yama”, the god of death himself. Yamantaka’s ending the dominance of death can be interpreted as the dharmic way of life ending suffering (by ending the cycle of birth and death).

However, why is he so fearsome, so full of fury? I think it is possible to suggest that the very existence of such a violent deity in a religion based on non-violence is a way of accommodating the need of violence, at least in certain specific circumstances. Thus, when the dharma itself is in danger, violence can be permitted.

By the time His Holiness the Dalai Lama entered India with a band of followers, the Tibetans had understood that non-violent means were inadequate to deal with the Chinese. Some Tibetans had then taken up arms against the Chinese aggressors, but being accustomed to a non-violent way of life for long, they were ill equipped to fight the ruthless Chinese.

Think of the massacres of Jews by Hitler’s forces. Hypothetically thinking, if the Jews then had powerful armed forces to match Germany’s forces, may be millions of Jews would not have been gassed to death or killed by other means in concentration camps.

Non-violence works in most circumstances; in fact non-violent measures should be the priority for resolving most problems humans face; but clearly, there are acts of aggression that cannot be tackled with non-violence, but with exemplary punishment.

By calling Angulimala a “terrorist” in the title of his book, Satish Kumar the pacifist is clearly pointing towards what he sees as the best solution to the problem of terrorism in the world. With sincere respect for the teachings of the Buddha and Mahavira, however, one feels that Satish Kumar’s understanding of the reality of terrorism is too naïve.

Hardened terrorists produced in the factories of Pakistan and other lawless places are brain-washed fools who expect heavenly rewards for the terrible crimes they commit. They are not so many Angulimalas only waiting for the arrival of the Buddha to fall contrite at his feet. They understand the language of the gun alone, and that is the language in which they need to be answered. Pacifism is not the answer to terrorism today.

So far, India’s response to the heinous attack by the terrorists and their backers suggests that India is resolved to fight back decisively and win.

(Sanjeev Kumar Nath, , sanjeevnath21)

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