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mid-air 
D.2 Ex. AIgulimAla Thera 
(DA.i.240ff, 
liv.180) 
There was once a student at 
TakkasilA called 
AhiOsaka (the harmless one). He 
became a favourite 
with his teacher because of his 
devotion to the 
study of the philosophies and the 
virtues. His diligence, 
however, stirred up the envy of his 
fellow 
students who conspired against 
him, eventually 
poisoning his teacher's mind 
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against him. Finally, 
looking for a way to rid himself of 
AhiOsaka the 
teacher gave this student a final 
task he must perform 
in order to earn his graduation —
he must 
avail himself of a thousand human 
right-hand fingers
— hoping that AhiOsaka would be 
killed himself 
in the attempt. Thus, out of 
unerring obedience 
to his teacher, AhiOsaka was 
transformed from a 
diligent student of virtue to a 
highway murderer 
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attacking travellers in the JAlinE 
forest. With his 
usual diligence, he killed each 
victim taking a finger 
from each. With the finger-bones 
thus obtained 
he made a garland to hang round 
his neck, hence  
the nickname `AIgulimAla'. 
As a result of his deeds whole 
villages were deserted 
and the king ordered a detachment 
of men 
to seize him. AlgulimAla's mother 
guessing who 
the notorious murderer must be, 
started off to warn 
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him of the king's plan of action. 
By now he lacked 
but one finger to complete his 
thousand and seeing 
his mother coming, determined to 
kill her. The 
Buddha seeing AlgulimAla's 
latent potential for enlightenment, 
and realizing that if he should kill 
his 
mother it would be the end of his 
spiritual career, 
went himself to the wood himself, 
and intercepting 
him before he could harm his 
mother. The Buddha 
appeared to AlgulimAla with his 
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back to him 
328 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
as if he was moving slowly away 
from him. 
AigulimAla seeing his chance 
chased after the Buddha 
with his sword, but miraculously 
no matter 
how fast he ran, he could not 
succeed in catching 
up with the Buddha 
until 
eventually he called 
out, "Stop monk! Stop!". 
"But, I have stopped," said the 
Buddha, "On the 
contrary it is you who have not 
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stopped." 
It was at the sight of the Buddha's 
miraculous 
behaviour that AlgulimAla was 
eventually converted 
by the Buddha's power and 
received ordination 
as a monk, later to become 
fully-enlightened 
as an arahant. 
D.3 Ex. MaEEhakuAIatE 
(DhA.i.20ff) 
MaEEhakuAlalE was the only son 
of the brahmin 
Adinnapubbaka. His father loved 
him dearly but 
was a great miser and would make 
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savings in every 
way he could instead of spending 
money on his 
son — even down to the burnished 
earrings from 
which MaEEhakuAIalE took his 
name. When he was 
sixteen years old MaEEhakuAlalE 
had an attack of 
jaundice. His father refused to call 
the physician 
fearing medical costs and 
prescribed for 
MaEEhakuAlali himself until the 
boy was beyond 
all cure. Seeing he could do 
nothing more to help 
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the boy, he carried him outside and 
laid him on the 
terrace — not in the hope of curing 
him, but to save 
himself embarrassment in the face 
of those who 
came to prepare for the funeral 
who might see his 
unspent wealth. 
The Buddha saw MaEEhakuAIalE 
as he lay dying 
and, out of compassion, came to 
the door of his father's 
home. Too weak to do anything 
else at the 
sight of the Buddha, the boy 
conjoured up devout 
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faith in the Buddha. He died soon 
afterwards and 
was born amongst the gods in a 
golden mansion 
thirty leagues in extent. 
D.4 Ex. Asajji Thera (DhA.i.78f1) 
SAriputta had originally been 
ascetic in the school 
of Safijaya VelaEEhaputta. 
Together with his best 
friend MoggallAna, he had 
achieved eighteen diplomas 
from university and did not know 
what further 
to study, so they became ascetics. 
They wanted 
to meet an arahant. Later, 
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SAriputta did meet the 
arahant called Assajji. He 
recognized from the manner 
of Assajji that he must have a 
special attainment. 
Thus, SAriputta approached 
Assajji and bowed in 
respect before saying, "Sir, you 
have a radiant complexion, 
in whose school are you 
ordained?" 
"I am ordained in the school of 
Gotama Buddha 
who is the son of the SAkya 
kings," replied Assajji. 
"And what does he teach, Sir?" 
Even though he was an arahant, 
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Assajji continued 
to treat SAriputta in a humble way 
saying, "I 
am still newly ordained, and I am 
still new to the 
teaching of the Buddha, I am not 
able to elaborate 
much on the Dhamma teachings, 
but can tell you 
that `Whatever thing arises 
because of a cause, the 
TathAgata will show the cause of 
that arising and 
the falling away of that thing." 
To the unpracticed listener, such a 
teaching might 
not sound very impressive (to 
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those who have only 
captured sight of a true monk in 
the past without 
reflecting on their teachings.) 
However, SAriputta 
had over the course of many 
lifetimes been in the 
habit of `seeing' a true monk on all 
three levels, so 
even such a short sermon could 
become a streamenterer 
[sotApana] on the spot. 
D.5 Ex. MahAnAga Thera 
(DA.i.190, 191 etc.) 
There were once two brahmins 
who lived at the gate 
of the city of PAEalEputta (a 
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trading city built by 
the Emperor Asoka which served 
the whole of the 
Indian subcontinent). They often 
overheard traders 
who praised the virtues of an 
arahant called 
MahAnAga Thera who lived in the 
remote province 
of Rohana. The two brahmins were 
inspired to 
faith and had the wish to see the 
arahant for themselves. 
Even though the arahant lived far 
away, the 
two decided they would do 
whatever was necessary 
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to meet with him. The two 
brahmins left 
Pataliputta and set off on the long 
journey. Before 
they had got far, one of the 
brahmins died on the 
way. The remaining brahmin 
continued undeterred 
to the coast where he made the 
necessary sea voyage 
to Rohana. He found 
accommodation at the 
village closeby MahAnAga's 
dwelling and prepared 
various delicacies to offer the next 
morning. Early 
next morning, the brahmin went to 
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MahAnAga and 
stood respectfully behind all the 
other people who 
had also gone to visit. Later, when 
he had the opBlessing 
Twenty-Nine: The Sight of a True 
Monk 329 
portunity, he came closer to the 
arahant and gleefully 
bowed at his feet, clutching the 
arahant at the 
ankles. Bowing one more time, the 
brahmin said, 
"You are so high." In fact the 
arahant was no taller 
or shorter than the next man. 
"What I meant to say is that you 
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are of such high 
virtue that your reputation has 
even spread like the 
mist, across the sea to India, so 
that even sitting at 
the gates of PAEalEputta, I was 
able to hear others' 
praises of you. That is the reason I 
have gone to the 
trouble to come here." 
Having spoken thus, the brahmin 
offered requisites 
to the arahant and having sought 
out the necessary 
robes and bowl for himself 
requested ordination 
under the arahant. Striving hard in 
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meditation 
and obedient to the teaching of the 
monk, 
within two or three days, through 
his understanding 
of the value of the `sight of a true 
monk' the 
brahmin was able to attain 
arahantship like his 
master. 
D.6 Ex. Godha JAtaka (J.325) 
There are certain sorts of monks 
who pretend they 
are genuine but who are actually 
hypocritical. There 
was once a hermit who would 
teach every quarter 
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moon day. He taught both the 
humans and the animals. 
One day, a supporter offered him 
some curry 
and he found it delicious. He 
asked,"What meat is 
this? - it's so delicious!" The 
supporter replied that 
it was water-monitor meat. The 
hermit said, "Water-
monitor meat! It's the greatest." 
There was a water-
monitor that lived in a hole at the 
back of the 
temple and it used to come and 
listen every time 
Dhamma was being taught. Next 
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time round, it 
would be easy for the hermit to get 
a delicious meal. 
He would just sit teaching the 
sermon with a machete 
at his side. Next time there was a 
sermon, the 
water-monitor stuck its head out of 
its hole and noticed 
the machete by the side of the 
hermit. It 
thought to itself, "I wonder what 
subject is being 
taught today, that the hermit has 
brought a machete 
with him?" The water monitor was 
extra careful, 
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but as soon as it was not attentive, 
the hermit hit it 
over the head with the machete. 
The water-monitor 
ran back down its burrow and 
didn't come out 
again, but all the time, it thought to 
itself, "Who is 
the more advanced anyway, me or 
the hermit? If a 
hermit who professes the Precepts 
is going to behave 
like that even in front of the 
congregation, who 
knows what he does behind our 
backs?" 
D.7 Ex. How hot is chili? 
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