Angulimal was a murderer. A mass murderer. It's said that he had killed 999 people and wore a necklace of fingers, one from each of his victims. Still the Buddha went down the road to see him. Angulimal warned him that if he came any closer the Buddha would be his 1000th victim.

The Buddha, willing to offer his life to fulfill Angulimal's desire to complete his necklace, asked only for one last wish. His desire? For Angulimal to cut a branch from a tree. Angulimal did so and offered it to the Buddha. Then the Buddha asked him to re-attach it to the tree. When he saw the murderer was confused the Buddha explained, "If you cannot create, you have no right to destroy. If you cannot give life, you don't have the right to give death to any living thing."

Angulimal was instantly transformed, put down his sword and was accepted into the monastic order. He was forgiven by the Buddha himself for his misdeeds and is said to have died a truly awakened man.

When experiencing failures and disappointments, frustrations or illness, people tend to lose confidence and let fear overtake them. At such times,

however, we need to make a conscious effort to move forward with strength and courage. When you say to yourself, "Next time I'll succeed!" or "I'm

going to get better and make it through this!" you have already won. ~Daisaku Ikeda