The Buddha and the Terrorist by Satish Kumar

It's never ceased to amaze and inspire me that stories that are thousands of years old can yield a message that we can relate to now and that makes perfect sense in the 21st Century. For this reason, I love to read parables from ancient spiritual texts and this is one of my favourites.The main character in this tale is Angulimala who is a serial killer. He terrorises his fellow villagers by ambushing and killing his victims, chopping off their fingers and stringing them around his neck in a gruesome and bloody necklace. His unusual encounter with the Buddha leads not to the death of the Buddha but incredibly to Angulimala's reformation and enlightenment due to the kindness and compassion of the Buddha. Whilst the Buddha accepts Angulimala into spiritual service, the villagers seek revenge and want him punished for his awful deeds. However, when Angulimala is finally put on trial, they come to understand that putting Angulimala to death will not bring back their loved ones.There are useful messages for us living in the 21st century, especially in our current political climate:¡ There is an alternative to punishment and revenge.¡ We need to address the social and environmental issues underlying terrorism.¡ Human beings have a tremendous capacity for forgiveness, even in the most challenging of circumstances.¡ We need to understand the true meaning of forgiveness and repentance.Satish Kumar is Editor of Resurgence (www.resurgence.org) magazine and Director of Programmes at Schumacher College (www.schumachercollege.org.uk) . He is the author of two other books: "No Destination: An Autobiography" and "You Are, Therefore I am: A Declaration of Dependence." dr seuss cat in hat quotes