After Angulimalya became the Buddha's disciple, he endured continuous hardships. He was stoned and cursed. The sight of him brought a pregnant woman immense pain...

The Buddha consented, and Angulimalya set out alone into the wilderness. He endured intolerable pains to spur his spiritual cultivation. His meals were tree roots or cassavas. His robe was pieced together with rags. When it was too tattered to be patched, he went half naked. Neither blazing heat nor bitter cold could prevent him from meditating under a tree. No hardship could waver his determination to cultivate his spirituality.

He lived this ascetic life for a very long time. One day the Buddha said to him, "Angulimalya, since you are a monk, you should serve other people." Angulimalya did as the Buddha told him and walked to the city to beg for food in order to meet people.

People in the city abhorred the mere sight of him. Grown-ups humiliated him. Children ran away from him. When Angulimalya begged a pregnant woman for food, she suddenly had an excruciating stomachache that drove her to cry and scream.

Angulimalya went to the Buddha. "I don't mind that people dislike me and swear at me. I know that's all nothing but retributions for my past sinful deeds. But I'm sad that just one look at me tormented that woman and the unborn baby in her womb. How can I rid her of such suffering?"

The Buddha instructed Angulimalya to find the woman and say to the unborn baby: "The old Angulimalya is dead. I have been reborn into the family of the Buddha. Now I abide by the precepts, so I will not kill anymore." When Angulimalya did this, the baby inside that woman became calm.

Ever since then, whenever Angulimalya went begging for food, he was battered and stoned. However, he held no grudges and did not run away.

One day, the Buddha saw Angulimalya covered with blood and bruises. "Angulimalya," he said to him compassionately, "you incurred much evil karma in the past, and so you must be punished life after life. You must take good care of your mind, create no more bad karma, and accept the results of your actions patiently."

"I committed countless murders and other crimes, so I should be punished," Angulimalya calmly replied. "As long as I hold firm to my determination to carry out spiritual cultivation, I am willing to accept such physical and mental torments life after life." The Buddha was delighted to hear his answer. He praised his determination and encouraged him to keep on cultivating himself.

Ordinary people often do whatever they want, and so they must bear the unfavorable results of their actions. Bodhisattvas, on the other hand, are aware of every thought that rises in their minds, for they dare not plant bad karmic seeds that will lead them to taste bitter fruits later. The development of their wisdom life is the most important thing to them.

I hope everyone can understand the law of cause and effect. We reap what we sow, so refrain from planting bad seeds that will result in bad fruits. We should accept whatever adversities we might face happily and patiently, for they are the fruits of the bad seeds we planted before. No matter how many hardships we might meet on the road of spiritual cultivation, we must hold firm to our commitment.