央掘魔羅經 卷第一 - Yangjuemoluo Jing, Vol. 1
The Aṅgulimālīya Sūtra records a story of a man named World Appearance (世間現). After his teacher’s wife failed to seduce him, she accuses him of seducing her to her husband. Fearing World Appearance’s power, the teacher hopes to have him killed under the law and tells the young student that in order to become a true brā́hmaṇa (婆羅門) he must kill one thousand people, take one finger from each, and make them into a garland to wear around his neck. Thus World Appearance receives the name Aṅgulimāla (央掘魔羅), which means “Finger-Garland”, and kills nine hundred ninety-nine travelers, taking their fingers. When he sees his mother, worried about her son and coming to bring him food, he resolves to kill her. The Buddha, passing nearby, decides to intervene, and appears before Aṅgulimāla. No matter how fast Aṅgulimāla runs, he is unable to cut him down. Finally, Aṅgulimāla is worn out, and the Buddha causes him to repent for his actions, convert, and become a monk. Thereafter, the former killer eventually attained arahantship (Buddhist sainthood), but despite this was often subjected to hatred and physical beatings for his past misdeeds. The Buddha explained that this was the fruit of his evil karma, and though he would pass beyond the cycle of rebirth upon death, would still have to endure the physical pain until then.
Below is an excerpt from the gāthās (偈), or poetic verses, the Buddha preaches to Aṅgulimāla during their first encounter. Through these lines, the Buddha denounces the act of taking a life:
一切畏杖痛 莫不愛壽命
取己可爲譬 勿殺勿教殺
如他己不異 如己他亦然
取己可爲譬 勿殺勿教殺
All fear the pain of the flogging-stick; none do not love life.
Take yourself as an example; do not kill, and do not cause others to kill.
As other and self are not different, so too are self and other the same.
Take yourself as an example; do not kill, and do not cause others to kill.