Devadatta
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Devadatta (देवदत्त) was a Buddhist monk, as well as the cousin of Gautama Buddha, who was recorded as having created a schism in the sangha, or monastic community. This schism was later undone because all his followers came back to the Buddha, after which Devadatta also wanted to come back. Devadatta is often described as being jealous of the Buddha's greatness and wisdom and wanted to become a great religious leader himself.[1]
The original motivation of Devadatta to lead the holy life and become a monk was pure, but later he became corrupted after developing some supernatural powers.
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[edit] Anantarika-kamma (Grave Offenses)
Devadatta is noted for attempting to kill the Buddha on several occasions including:
- Rolling a boulder towards him. Devadatta missed, but a splinter from the rock drew blood from the Buddha's foot. According to Buddhist tradition, this is one of the five ànantarika-kammas, the five most heinous deeds a human can perform.
- Inciting an elephant to charge at the Buddha. The Buddha was able to pacify the elephant by directing metta to it.
According to Suttapitaka, after trying to kill Sakyamuni a number of times, Devadatta set up his own Buddhist monastic order by splitting the monastic community (Sangha) in two (another 'anantarika-kamma'). During his efforts to become the leader of his own Sangha, he proposed five extra-strict rules for monks, which he knew Buddha would not allow. Devadatta's reasoning was that after he had proposed those rules and Buddha had not allowed them, Devadatta could claim that he did follow and practice these five rules, making him a better and more pure monk. One of these five extra rules required monks to be vegetarian.
In the Contemplation Sutra, Devadatta is said to have convinced Prince Ajatasattu to murder his father King Bimbisara and ascend the throne. Ajatasattu follows the advice, and this action (another 'anantarika-kamma' for killing your own father) prevents him from attaining enlightenment at a later time, when listening to some teaching of Buddha.
Devadatta is the only individual from the early Buddhist tradition to have committed 3 anantarika-kammas.
[edit] Death
Due to the loss of reputation and popularity after splitting the Sangha in two, Devadatta felt bad about what he did, and wanted to make a sincere apology to the Buddha. However, after entering the monastery where the Buddha was living at the time, it is said that some of the bad karma (intentional action) he made came to fruition; the earth opened to draw him straight into the deepest hell, known as the Hell of Avici.
Other accounts claim that towards the end of his life, he was struck by a severe remorse caused by his past misdeeds and did indeed manage to approach the Buddha and retook refuge in the Triple Gem, dying shortly afterwards. Because of gravity of his sins, he was condemned to suffer for several hundred millennia in Avici. However, it was also said that he would eventually be admitted into the heavens as a Paccheka due to his past merits prior to his corruption.
[edit] Devadatta in Mahayana Teachings
In the Lotus Sutra found in the Mahayana tradition, the Buddha makes a noteworthy statement about how even Devadatta will in time become an Enlightened and compassionate being. This statement was meant to imply that, given enough time, even the worst individuals will eventually become Buddhas regardless of how bad their karma is.
[edit] Additional uses of the word "Devadatta"
The name Devadatta is often spelled as "Deodatta". The literal meaning of the word "Devadatta" (or "Deodatta") is "Gift from God". In the Bhagvad Geeta from the Mahabharata, the conch shell used by Arjuna on the battle-field of Kurukshetra was named Devadatta.
[edit] References
- ^ Thich Nhat Hanh (2003). Opening the Heart of the Cosmos: Insights from the Lotus Sutra. Parallax Press. ISBN 1888375337.
[edit] External links
- Devadatta as in the Buddhist Encyclopedia.
