Devadatta’s Second Attempt to Kill the Buddha

After the failure of his assassins, Devadatta resolved to kill the Buddha himself. The following story recounts his attempt to do so.

At that time the Blessed One was walking up and down in the shade of Vulture Peak. Then Devadatta climbed Vulture Peak, and he hurled down a huge stone, thinking: “I shall take the monk Gautama’s life with this.”

Two spurs of the rock came together and caught the stone: but a splinter from it drew the blood on the Blessed One’s foot. Then he looked up and said to Devadatta: “Misguided man, you have made much demerit; for with evil intent, with intent to do murder, you have drawn the blood of a Perfect One.”

Then the Blessed One addressed the monks thus: “Monks, this is the first deed with immediate effect on rebirth that Devadatta has stored up, in that with evil intent to do murder, he has drawn the blood of a Perfect One.” (Ibid, pp. 261-262)

By injuring the Buddha, Devadatta had committed another one of the five grave offences, further confirming his status as an icchantika. The injury was no mere cut. It was severe enough that it left the Buddha bedridden for a time. On that occasion, Mara, the devil king of the sixth heaven, took the opportunity to visit the Buddha once again:

Now at that time, when the Blessed One’s foot had been hurt by the splinter, he suffered severe bodily feelings that were painful, sharp, racking, harsh, disagreeable and unpleasant. Mindful and fully aware, he bore them without vexation, and spreading out his cloak of patches folded in four, he lay down on his right side in the lion’s sleeping pose with one foot overlapping the other, mindful and fully aware.

Then Mare the Evil One came to him and addressed him in stanzas:

“What, are you stupefied, that you lie down?

Or else entranced by some poetic flight?

Are there not many aims you still must serve?

Why do you dream away intent on sleep

Alone in your secluded dwelling?”

“I am not stupefied that I lie down,

Nor yet entranced by some poetic flight.

My aim is reached, and sorrow left behind.

I sleep out of compassion for all beings

Alone in my secluded dwelling place.”

Then Mara understood: “The Blessed One knows me, the Sublime One knows me.” Sad and disappointed, he vanished at once. (Ibid, p. 262)

This story contains several important points. One is that the Buddha was free of sorrow and suffering, but still had to endure physical pain and infirmity. Old age, sickness, injury, and eventually death were not circumvented or avoided, but because they were now viewed in the light of the Buddha’s awakening they no longer had any power over him. The Buddha was still subject to painful circumstances, including the betrayal of his cousin Devadatta who was repeatedly attempting to kill him; but he no longer suffered because of this. This is a lesson for those who mistakenly believe that attaining enlightenment will save them from painful circumstances. Enlightenment is not leading a life without pain, but rather a life where the emotional reaction of suffering has been transcended and painful situations can be faced with equanimity, mindfulness and even compassion, as the Buddha did.

Another point is that even though the Buddha had transcended suffering and self-concern, he still took care of himself. Mara, here, is the personification of the Buddha’s doubts, or perhaps of our own doubts. Why should the Buddha need time to rest, as though he were a mere human being?  Was the Buddha just sleeping, daydreaming, and whiling away the time while bedridden? The Buddha’s response to Mara repudiates this, insisting that he is motivated, as ever, by compassion and not laziness or self-concern. Mara, most likely, was hoping that the Buddha would feel guilty for staying in bed (so to speak) and would overexert himself so that he would not heal, and so pass away that much more quickly. The Buddha no longer needed to strive to overcome suffering, and he was no longer afraid of death. For the sake of those who relied on his teachings he did need to take care of his health. So once again, the Buddha was able to see through Mara’s attempts to mislead him.