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Is forgiveness a fruit of evil wicked kamma?

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I read the following on the internet: > Yet there were still a few who could not forget that Angulimala the > bandit, with his superior prowess, had shown them in their weakness > and thus had humiliated them. Out of that resentment, as an act of > revenge, they were mean enough to injure the venerable Angulimala by > throwing stones and sticks which struck him when he had gone for alms. > They must have done so from a safe distance. > > Then with blood running from his injured head, with his bowl broken, > and with his patchwork robe torn, the venerable Angulimala went to the > Blessed One. The Blessed One saw him coming, and he told him: "Bear > it, brahmana, bear it, brahmana! You have experienced here and now the > ripening of kamma whose ripening you might have experienced in hell > over many a year, many a century, many a millennium." > > Being a saint, his mind and heart were firm and invulnerable. **But the > body, the product of former craving, the symbol and fruit of previous > kamma, was still there in present existence and was still exposed to > the effects of former evil deeds.** Even to the Buddha himself it > happened that, as a result of former deeds, Devadatta was able to > cause him a slight injury. Also his two chief disciples had to > experience bodily violence. The venerable Sariputta had been hit on > the head by a mischievous demon, and the venerable Maha-Moggallana was > even cruelly murdered. If this occurred in the case of these three > Great Ones, how could Angulimala have fully avoided bodily harm — he > who in his present life had committed so much evil! Yet, it was only > his body that received these blows, but not his mind. That remained in > invulnerable equipoise. In the sutta about Angulimala, King Pasenadi forgave Angulimala of his evil deeds. The sutta says: > "Great king, suppose you were to see Angulimala with his hair & beard > shaved off, wearing the ochre robe, having gone forth from the home > life into homelessness, refraining from killing living beings, > refraining from taking what is not given, refraining from telling > lies, living the holy life on one meal a day, virtuous & of fine > character: what would you do to him?" > > "We would bow down to him, lord, or rise up to greet him, or offer him > a seat, or offer him robes, almsfood, lodgings, or medicinal > requisites for curing illness; or we would arrange a lawful guard, > protection, & defense. But how could there be such virtue & restraint > in an unvirtuous, evil character?" > > Now at that time Ven. Angulimala was sitting not far from the Blessed > One. So the Blessed One, pointing with his right arm, said to King > Pasenadi Kosala, "That, great king, is Angulimala." Then King Pasenadi > Kosala was frightened, terrified, his hair standing on end. So the > Blessed One, sensing the king's fear & hair-raising awe, said to him, > "Don't be afraid, great king. Don't be afraid. He poses no danger to > you." > > So King Pasenadi Kosala went to the Blessed One and on arrival, having > bowed down, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the > Blessed One, "It's amazing, lord. It's astounding, how the Blessed One > has tamed the untamed, pacified the unpeaceful, and brought to > Unbinding those who were not unbound. For what we could not tame even > with blunt or bladed weapons, the Blessed One has tamed without blunt > or bladed weapons. Now, lord, we must go. Many are our duties, many > our responsibilities." Was the forgiveness of King Pasenadi Kosala towards Angulimala a fruit or product of the old evil kamma of Angulimala? Since the suttas say "kamma is intention", did Angulimala "will" the forgiveness from King Pasenadi Kosala; similar to how a sexy lady may intentionally seduce a man?
Asked by Paraloka Dhamma Dhatu (48030 rep)
Aug 5, 2019, 07:25 AM
Last activity: Sep 4, 2019, 06:54 PM