Ungali Maal and Buddha

     Khalsa respects all paths, and there are many paths that can lead to God when sincerely followed. We also protect the honor of all things sacred. In this spirit of Khalsa universality we are featuring an ancient story that doesn’t particularly belong to Sikh history but belongs to all of humanity. It is a story of universal vitues like courage, fearlessness, meditation, wisdom and innocence.
    Once a very, very long time ago there lived an awful man. He was a murderer and a thief. He would kill people and steal their belongings, then this mentally twisted man would give them as offerings to a goddess. He would collect fingers and put them around his neck, so he became known as ‘Ungali Maal’, which mean “finger necklace”. He had decided to make a thousand human offerings to his goddess.
    At this same time there was a fearless master who had great wisdom to spread in the world. He became known as ‘Buddha’. As Buddha was traveling around his followers stopped him. They said, “You can’t travel forward in to this jungle. Everyone knows that Ungali Maal lives there. He will surely kill you if you go there.” Buddha wasn’t afraid and calmly continued by himself in to the jungle where Ungali Maal lived. When Ungali Maal saw him coming close he screamed in a terrible and scary voice, “HEY YOU, STOP THERE!” Buddha ji didn’t seem to hear him. Ungali Maal got closer and yelled at him to stop again. But Buddha ji just continued walking. Ungali Maal got right in front of him and yelled again, “STOP!!!” This time Lord Buddha stopped and calmly looked him in the eyes and said, “I have stopped, when will you stop?” Ungali Maal didn’t know what to think, so he asked, “Who are you?” Buddha said, “I know who I am, Do you know who you are?” Ungali Maal was confused and surprised. Buddha told him to go pick a leaf from a near by tree and bring it back. Ungali Maal fetched a leaf. Buddha said, “Now, put the leaf back on the tree right where you got this from.” Ungali Maal said, “That’s not possible! Once I’ve taken the leaf off, I can’t put it back on!”  Then Buddha said, “If you can not put it back on, then you shouldn’t take it off in the first place.” Ungali Maal understood that he was talking about taking lives. What wisdom!
    If a person can not raise some one from the dead, why should they take a persons life in the first place?! He understood that there must be something greater than himself, so he shouldn’t act like he can do anything. Ungali Maal bowed down and became a student of this master known as Lord Buddha. From then on he dedicating his mind to meditation instead of criminal things. He began giving to charity and became a spiritual student. Such was the effect of Buddhas innocence and fearlessness, that he inspired a murderer to become a saint. Throughout all times and places, beloved are God’s saints.