Challenges confronted by the Buddha

by Dr. Handupelpola Mahinda Nayaka Thera
Birmingham, London

When the Buddha was preaching to a large gathering including kings and princes, Devadatta too was listening and after a while he rose up. He adjusted the robe on one shoulder and with folded hands addressed the Buddha, ‘Venerable Sir, you are advanced in years, quite old and rather weak. You should not exert yourself now, and must relax and enjoy the fruits of your labours in this life and entrust the community of monks to me. I will look after them.’

Continued from 18.09.2009 Budusarana

Some wanted to encourage eating and sleeping and sexual practices as a way to enlightenment. For example, Sudinna, Udai, Sundari Nanda, epilepsy-monk and Cabbaggiya monks (group of six) wanted to tighten up the discipline, to enforce vegetarianism.

Quite early in his ministry, the Buddha was dwelling at Anupiya, a suburban village of the Mallas. By now most of the distinguished Sakya princes had renounced the world and entered the order under the Buddha. Still, there were others who had not joined the order. Thus Bhaddiya, who was a ruling prince of the Sakyans, Anuruddha, Ananda, Bhagu, Kimbila, Devdatta and Upali, their attendant went together to see the Buddha and asked for ordination. At the request of the Sakya princes, Upali was ordained first so that the others could honour him as a senior.

Ananda was the son of King Amitodana, a younger brother of King Suddhodana. Devadatta was the son of the Sakya ruler Suppabuddha and the brother of Yasodhara.

The venerable Bhaddiya, in the rainy season itself, mastered the threefold learning. The venerable Anuruddha realised the divine eye. The Venerable Ananda realised the fruit of Sotapatti. Devadatta acquired worldly psychic powers.

After some time, the Buddha left the suburban village of Anupiya and proceeded to Kosambi. There he began to dwell at the monastery of the millionaire Ghoshita. (Ghoshitarama).

Prosperity

When Devadatta was in solitude, it occurred to him that when a person has won the admiration of some person of influence, he stands to gain material prosperity. So, he wondered as to whose admiration should he win and thought of Prince Ajatasattu, the son of King Bimbisara. He forthwith proceeded to Rajagaha and assuming the guise of a small boy dressed in a girdle of serpents, appeared on the lap of Prince Ajatasattu. He rose up in terrific fear and bewilderment.

‘Do you fear me, Prince?’ asked Devadatta.

‘Yes, indeed, who are you?’

‘I am Devadatta’.

‘If you are Venerable Devadatta, please appear in your proper form,’ requested the Prince.

The Devadatta appeared in his proper form dressed in the robes and holding the bowl. Prince Ajatasattu was highly taken up by this show of psychic power of Devadatta, and he began to go and see Devadatta every morning and evening, in a fleet of hundred chariots. He also offered him five hundred dishes of food every day.

At this time, the Buddha had left Kosambi and was staying at the Squirrels’ Feeding Ground in the Bamboo Grove in Rajagaha. The monks went to Him in large numbers and told Him how Prince Ajatasattu goes to see Devadatta twice a day and offers him five hundred dishes of food every day. The Buddha said the monks should not expect honour and offerings from the laity, and that in the case of Devadatta such honour and offerings would tend to lower his standard of religious life.

The Buddha also told the monks that the material gains of Devadatta are like the fruition of bamboo tree and plantain trees, and also the pregnancy of a mare, and will end in his own destruction.

Loss of powers

As Devadatta was enjoying the material gains from Ajatasattu, it occurred to him that he should also gain control over the monks. But as this thought occurred to him, he lost all the worldly psychic powers he had. But he was by nature, a self-seeking, conceited and overambitious person.

When the Buddha was preaching to a large gathering including kings and princes, Devadatta too was listening and after a while he rose up. He adjusted the robe on one shoulder and with folded hands addressed the Buddha, ‘Venerable Sir, you are advanced in years, quite old and rather weak.

You should not exert yourself now, and must relax and enjoy the fruits of your labours in this life and entrust the community of monks to me. I will look after them.’

‘No, Devadatta, it is not necessary to do so. Do not think of taking charge of the community of monks’, observed the Buddha.

Devedatta repeated his address and requested for the third time. The Buddha said, ‘Devadatta, I will not entrust the community of monks even to Sariputta and Moggallana. How can I entrust them to a person like you, whose conduct is so ignoble?’ It was on this occasion that Devadatta began to nurse and enmity towards the Buddha in this life.

After Devadatta left the gathering, the Buddha told the monks that Devadatta was now a different person from what he was earlier, and that he should now be proclaimed and excommunicated by the monks. The Buddha asked the Venerable Sariputta, in particular, to do so.

The Venerable Sariputta said earlier he had spoken highly of Devadatta as a monk of grace and psychic powers in Rajagaha, and it was difficult to proclaim him now.

The Buddha explained that when he spoke highly of Devadatta earlier, he was right as his conduct and was then commendable, and his conduct now was ignoble, and that it was proper to proclaim him.

Accordingly, the Venerable Sariputta proclaimed Devadatta in the city of Rajagaha. The faithless ignorant people remarked that the Sakya monks were jealous of the gains of Devadatta for them to proclaim to him, whereas the faithful and intelligent people remarked that the offence of Devadatta must be a very serious one for him to be so proclaimed under the orders of the Buddha.

Devadatta went to see Prince Ajatasath and told him that the people of the earlier generations lived long, whereas the people of the present generation may not live so long, and that unless he kills his father, he will have to die a prince without getting a chance to rule. He also said he would kill the Buddha and take His position, and that it is time for the prince to kill his father and be the king of Magadha.

So, induced by Devadatta, Prince Ajatasatta tried to kill his own father.

One day he stole into the inner chambers of the king, with a double edged knife and tied to his thigh. The guards of the Royal chamber suspected his conduct and discovered him with the Kris-Knife tied to his thigh. Some officers suggested that Ajasath and Devadatta and all the monks should be killed. Some suggested that only Ajatasatta should be killed. Still others suggested that no one should be killed, but the Prince should be produced before the king.

As the Prince was produced before the King, he confessed. Hearing the confession the kingdom was handed over to Ajatasattu as he desired.

Devadatta went to him and asked him to order his men to kill the monk Gotama. So he ordered his men to do so. But the man who went forth was frightened and bewildered in front of the Buddha. Instead, he asked the Buddha to forgive him.

Huge rock

Later Devadatta himself hurled a huge rock on the Buddha while He was walking near the Vulture’s rock. The rolling rock struck another rock and a splinter flew and wounded the Buddha’s foot, and it caused some bleeding.

Knowing perfectly well that the Buddha would not give consent, but in order to make it a pretext to disparage the Buddha and thereby win the support of the ignorant folk, he requested the Buddha to enforce the following rules:

i. Monks should live all their lives in the forest.

ii. They should live only on begged food.

iii. They should wear robes made out of rags picked up from cemeteries.

iv. They should live at the foot of trees.

v. They should refrain from eating fish and meat.

But this was rejected by the Buddha. Instead, He declared that these rules can be followed by anyone, but they were not compulsory. The Buddha thought about the easy life of the disciples and solved problems then and there democratically.

Maha-Kassapa had an unequalled reputation for holiness, spent the most of his time in solitude. Venerable Anna Kondanna also lived in a remote area. Some of the monks accused the Buddha not giving the post of Senior Disciple to Venerable Kondanna.

On one occasion Maha-Kassapa turned down the request of the Buddha saying that the monks of the (etarahi) are not compliant (dubbaca), inclined to be recalcitrant (dovacassakaranehi dhammehi samannagata), intolerant (akkhama) and not keen to take advice (appadakkhinaggahino anusasanim). It is said that even the Buddha admitted saying ‘tatha hi pana Kassapa’ (It is so, Kassapa).

Once Maha-Kassapa accused the Buddha’s attendant Venerable Ananda for associating young monks (komaraka). Young monks pose a danger to the spiritual life or chastity (brahmacarupaddavena).

One of two pupils of Maha-Kassapa destroyed the elder’s utensils and set fire to the temple near Rajagaha. The reason was that Maha Kassapa thera advised the ill-behaved pupil to mend his ways. The pupil harboured a grudge against his own tutor monk. Later Venerable Maha-Kassapa went to a cave called Pipphali guha and lived in solitude.

The Buddha has ascetics coming to challenge and criticise him, accusing him of distorted views and incorrect teachings. Due to the rapid growth of the Buddhist community, some ascetics became jealous. They plotted against the Buddha.

In the 20th year when Buddha was in Savatthi, they hired a young woman named Sundari, to discredit Him. She had a bad character. The jealous ascetics hired her to attack His character and reputation. She went to the Jeta Grove daily in the evenings. Later, Sundari was killed and buried under the heap of dried flower. The ascetics complained that Sundari was missing. The king gave orders to investigate. According to the information given they searched the premises of Jeta Grove. The dead body of Sundari was found, but they could not accuse the Buddha or any of His disciples.

Forty-five years of ministry the Buddha faced with ‘Eightfold Worldly Conditions’, namely, gain and loss, honour and dishonour, happiness and misery, praise and blame. Even we should face the ‘worldly conditions’. Hence we have to be patient and mindful.

Buddhists should learn how to confront the challenges in their lives.

They should have mindfulness, determination and dedication.