THE JEALOUSY OF DEVADATTA

  WHEN Devadatta, the son of Suprabuddha and a brother of Yasodhara,

became a disciple, he cherished the hope of attaining the same

distinctions and honors as Gotama Siddhattha. Being disappointed in

his ambitions, he conceived in his heart a jealous hatred, and,

attempting to excel the Perfect One in virtue, he found fault with his

regulations and reproved them as too lenient.

  Devadatta went to Rajagaha and gained the ear of Ajatasattu, the son

of King Bimbisara. And Ajatasattu built a new vihara for Devadatta,

and founded a sect whose disciples were pledged to severe rules and

self-mortification.

  Soon afterwards the Blessed One himself came to Rajagaha and

stayed at the Veluvana vihara. Devadatta called on the Blessed One,

requesting him to sanction his rules of greater stringency, by which a

greater holiness might be procured. "The body," he said, consists of

its thirty-two parts and has no divine attributes. It is conceived

in sin and born in corruption. Its attributes are liability to pain

and dissolution, for it is impermanent. It is the receptacle of

karma which is the curse of our former existences; it is the

dwelling place of sin and diseases and its organs constantly discharge

disgusting secretions. Its end is death and its goal the charnel

house. Such being the condition of the body it behooves us to treat it

as a carcass full of abomination and to clothe it in such rags only as

have been gathered in cemeteries or upon dung-hills."

  The Blessed One said: "Truly, the body is full of impurity and its

end is the charnel house, for it is impermanent and destined to be

dissolved into its elements. But being the receptacle of karma, it

lies in our power to make it a vessel of truth and not of evil. It

is not good to indulge in the pleasures of the body, but neither is it

good to neglect our bodily needs and to heap filth upon impurities.

The lamp that is not cleansed and not filled with oil will be

extinguished, and a body that is unkempt, unwashed, and weakened by

penance will not be a fit receptacle for the light of truth. Attend to

your body and its needs as you would treat a wound which you care

for without loving it. Severe rules will not lead the disciples on the

middle path which I have taught. Certainly, no one can be prevented

from keeping more stringent rules, if he sees fit to do so but they

should not be imposed upon any one, for they are unnecessary."

  Thus the Tathagata refused Devadatta's proposal; and Devadatta

left the Buddha and went into the vihara speaking evil of the Lord's

path of salvation as too lenient and altogether insufficient. When the

Blessed One heard of Devadatta's intrigues, he said: "Among men

there is no one who is not blamed. People blame him who sits silent

and him who speaks, they also blame the man who preaches the middle

path."

  Devadatta instigated Ajatasattu to plot against his father

Bimbisara, the king, so that the prince would no longer be subject

to him. Bimbisara was imprisoned by his son in a tower, where he died,

leaving the kingdom of Magadha to his son Ajatasattu.

  The new king listened to the evil advice of Devadatta, and he gave

orders to take the life of the Tathagata. However, the murderers

sent out to kill the Lord could not perform their wicked deed, and

became converted as soon as they saw him and listened to his

preaching. The rock hurled down from a precipice upon the great Master

split in twain, and the two pieces passed by on either side without

doing any harm. Nalagiri, the wild elephant let loose to destroy the

Lord, became gentle in his presence; and Ajatasattu, suffering greatly

from the pangs of his conscience, went to the Blessed One and sought

peace in his distress.

  The Blessed One received Ajatasattu kindly and taught him the way of

salvation; but Devadatta still tried to become the founder of a

religious school of his own. Devadatta did not succeed in his plans

and having been abandoned by many of his disciples, he fell sick,

and then repented. He entreated those who had remained with him to

carry his litter to the Buddha, saying: "Take me, children, take me to

him; though I have done evil to him, I am his brother-in-law. For

the sake of our relationship the Buddha will save me." And they

obeyed, although reluctantly.

  And Devadatta in his impatience to see the Blessed One rose from his

litter while his carriers were washing their hands. But his feet

burned under him; he sank to the ground; and, having chanted a hymn on

the Buddha, died.