The Act of Truth

Still, to what extent had Angulimala really changed? It is easy enough to outwardly embrace religion as a way to seek forgiveness for unforgivable acts, or even to in some way avoid responsibility for one’s actions without really letting go of the “self” that committed such acts. Had Angulimala really changed for the better? The Buddha, with his deep insight and awareness of the thoughts and feelings of others, knew that he had. Understandably others were not so certain, and perhaps even Angulimala was unsure of himself. The next two stories explore respectively the extent of his transformation and the karmic responsibility for past actions that even someone who attains enlightenment cannot avoid.

Then, when it was morning, the venerable Angulimala dressed, and taking his bowl and outer robe, went into Shravasti for alms. As he was wandering for alms from house to house in Shravasti, he saw a certain woman giving birth to a deformed child. When he saw this, he thought: “How beings are afflicted! Indeed, how beings are afflicted!” (Ibid, p. 714)

Here we see that Angulimala had in fact awakened the heart of compassion within himself. Where before he had remorselessly slaughtered anyone who crossed his path, seeing them as nothing more than a kind of fruit to harvest for the finger-necklace that he believed was his ticket to heaven, now he could relate to people as people. Now he could empathize with their suffering. The Buddha’s care and regard for him had touched his heart of stone and turned it into a heart of flesh, soft, warm, vulnerable, and able to care for others. Angulimala returned from his alms round, ate his meal, and then reported what he saw and felt to the Buddha. The Buddha then gave him this extraordinary and paradoxical instruction:

“In that case, Angulimala, go into Shravasti and say to the woman: ‘Sister, since I was born, I do not recall that I have ever intentionally deprived a living being of life. By this truth, may you be well and may your infant be well!”

“Venerable sir, wouldn’t I be telling a deliberate lie, for I have intentionally deprived many living beings of life?”

“Then, Angulimala, go into Shravasti and say to that woman: ‘Sister, since I was born with the noble birth, I do not recall that I have ever intentionally deprived a living being of life. By this truth, may you be well and may your infant be well!’”

“Yes, venerable sir,” the venerable Angulimala replied, and having gone into Shravasti, he told that woman: “Sister, since I was born with the noble birth, I do not recall that I have ever deprived a living being of life. By this truth, may you be well and may your infant be well!” Then the woman and the infant became well. (Ibid, p. 714)

Here we have a prime example of what is called an “Act of Truth.” The Indologist Heinrich Zimmer explained this in connection with the concept of “dharma” as duty or correct way of life: “There exists in India an ancient belief that the one who has enacted his own dharma without a single fault throughout the whole of his life can work magic by the simple act of calling that fact to witness. This is known as making an “Act of Truth.” (Philosophies of India, pp. 160-161) This Act of Truth was later extended to include any deep truth spoken aloud, “…Truth must be rooted in the heart. The Act of Truth has to build out from there. And consequently, though dharma, the fulfillment of one’s inherited role in life, is the traditional basis of this Hindu feat of virtue, nevertheless, a heartfelt truth of any order has its force. Even a shameful truth is better than a decent falsehood…” (Ibid, p. 167) In modern times, Mahatma Gandhi based his political action on this principle and called it Satyagraha or “Holding to the Truth” in order to free India of British rule. In Gandhi’s case the “Truth” that he held to was “Ahimsa” or non-violence, the very name Angulimala was originally given. Zimmer explains, “Ahimsa, ‘non-violence. non-killing,’ is the first principle in the dharma of the saint and sage – the first step to the self-mastery by which the great yogis lift themselves out of the range of normal human action. They attain through it to such a state of power that when and if the saint steps again into the world, he is literally a superman.” (Ibid, p. 171) Here in the story of Angulimala we have the earliest Buddhist assimilation of these ancient Indian principles concerning the power of truth and non-violence.

In addition, we find here an idea usually associated with the teaching of Jesus, that of being “born again.” The Buddha assures Angulimala that he should consider himself to have had a noble birth from the time that he renounced his evil ways and became the Buddha’s disciple. His old life was gone, and a new one had begun. Angulimala had been given a fresh start, a noble birth. He had been “born again” through the Dharma. With that assurance he was able to move ahead and bring healing and truth into the world. More importantly, Angulimala was able to breakthrough the last remaining fetters of attachment, aversion, and ignorance and was able to attain enlightenment and become an arhat. 

Before long, dwelling alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent, and resolute, the venerable Angulimala, by realizing for himself with direct knowledge, here and now entered upon and abided in that supreme goal of the holy life for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the home life into homelessness. He directly knew: “Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.” And the venerable Angulimala became one of the arhats. (Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, pp. 714-715)