Notes

1.

See also BMCII: Chap. 14: Undesirable.

2.

According to I.B. Horner, this is not the well-known bandit whose verse is in the Theragāthā (Thag 16.8), and after whom MN 86 is named. She notes that the word nāma: ‘named’, along with an endquote, is missing. But the same is true of Sañjaya the wanderer, Sāriputta the wanderer, and Moggallāna the wanderer, when they enter the story of the Buddha for the first time (See Mv.I.23.1). Also, this origin story, unlike the others in this section, doesn’t mention Aṅgulimāla going to the monks and getting them to ordain him. The Commentary passage quoted below implies that the Buddha gave him the Going-forth, as he did the Aṅgulimāla of the aṅgulimālattheragāthā. Also, there is nothing in the Commentary to indicate that this might be a different monk.

3.

Commentary: In that case, “He goes around as if wrapped in a flag” (means,) “wrapped in a flag.” This is said of world-famous (criminals) like Mūladeva, etc.

4.

Commentary: Monks, one shouldn’t ...”: The Blessed One is himself the master of the Dhamma[5]. So, laying down a training rule, he said this for the monks not to do (such an action) in the future.

5.

Here is a case where the Buddha knew when to ordain a famous criminal, but didn’t trust the Saṅgha to do so. As in the case of displaying psychic powers, the Buddha was able to do certain things, to good effect, that he didn’t allow his disciples to do. That means that in interpreting the Vinaya, one cannot take the Buddha’s example as evidence that a given action is or should be allowable.