Chapter 12. Devadatta
Among the predictions of enlightenment in this chapter, there is one that is particularly unexpected for the Sravaka disciples. Devadatta was a cousin of the Buddha. After following the Buddha into the monastic life, he repeatedly tried to harm the Buddha out of jealousy for the respect the Buddha received. As is well known, within the Buddha’s precepts, shedding the blood of a Buddha or harming a Buddha constitutes one of the five heinous crimes, which results in the retribution of falling into hell. However, in the “Devadatta” chapter, Shakyamuni Buddha not only calls Devadatta a “good spiritual friend,” stating that without him he could not have achieved Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, but he also bestows a prediction that Devadatta will eventually become a Buddha.
Here, Shakyamuni Buddha recounts a story from countless eons ago. At that time, Shakyamuni Buddha was a king who had made a vow to achieve the fruit of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment. He abdicated his throne to practice. Because he could not find a good teacher or hear the Great Vehicle Dharma, he beat a drum and announced to the four directions: “I am seeking the Dharma. Whoever can preach the Great Vehicle Dharma for me, I will serve them for the rest of my life as their servant.” At that time, a seer came to the king and said: “I have a Great Vehicle Dharma called the Lotus Sutra. If you do not defy my will and instead respectfully attend to and serve me, I will preach this sutra for you.”
The king was overjoyed to hear this. He not only provided for all the seer’s daily needs, cooking for him, carrying water, and gathering firewood, but he even used his own body as a seat for the seer to sit upon. Most importantly, this continued for a thousand years, and his mind and body never grew weary. He served in this way solely so the seer would preach the Lotus Sutra to him.
Shakyamuni Buddha then told his Sravaka disciples: “That seer was Devadatta, and the king was me. It is precisely because I had Devadatta as my good spiritual friend…” …consciousness, which is why I have perfectly fulfilled the Six Paramitas and am fully endowed with the Four Immeasurable Minds of great kindness, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity. I am endowed with the thirty-two extraordinary physical marks and the eighty subtle non-ordinary characteristics; I possess a body of purple-gold radiance, the Ten Powers, and the Four Fearlessnesses. I am fully endowed with the Four Means of Embracing sentient beings— generosity, kind words, beneficial actions, and empathy—as well as the eighteen uncommon qualities unique only to a Buddha. I possess immeasurable supernatural powers and have attained Supreme Perfect Enlightenment.
So, where does this state of Buddhahood come from? Our inherent nature is originally that of a Buddha, so why have we not yet manifested this appearance? It is because we have not yet fully practiced the Bodhisattva path; we have not given our all on the path of seeking the Dharma without ever feeling weary or tired. Without such a will, our practice of the Bodhisattva path remains incomplete, and thus we cannot manifest these powers. Furthermore, when the Buddha served that seer in the past, the seer treated him like a beast of burden. To achieve Supreme Perfect Enlightenment and to obtain this Lotus Sutra, the Buddha served him without the slightest thought of weariness or resentment. That is why he achieved such immense merit. Those appearances—the supernatural powers, the fearlessness, the thirty-two marks, the eighty subtle characteristics, and the purple-gold radiant body—were all perfected through his practice of the Bodhisattva path. Moreover, he transformed the adverse conditions provided by the seer into favorable conditions for his path, using those challenges to achieve his own realization.
When he attained enlightenment, the first person he thanked was Devadatta. He said that everything was due to this good friend, Devadatta—because he heard the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra, because he served him, practiced patience, and perfected the Six Paramitas. Therefore, Shakyamuni Buddha bestowed a prophecy of future Buddhahood upon Devadatta. He declared that Devadatta’s future Buddha-land would be complete in every way and that he would possess the ten titles of a Buddha. The Buddha even mentioned in this chapter that in future ages, if any good man or good woman hears this “Devadatta Chapter” of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra and can maintain a pure mind, respect and believe in it without doubt, such a person will not fall into the three evil paths. Instead, they will be reborn in the presence of the Buddhas of the ten directions, and wherever they are born, they will constantly hear this sutra. If they are reborn among humans or devas, they will enjoy various extraordinary and subtle joys. If they are born before a Buddha, they will be born from a lotus flower.
In this chapter, there is also a rather unique example: the Dragon Girl attaining Buddhahood. When we speak of the final prophecy where the Buddha predicts that even those who hear a single phrase or verse of the Lotus Sutra can become Buddhas, we often still feel that Buddhahood is a very distant matter. This is because we always have a “future-oriented mind” and feel that we have not yet manifested the radiant appearance of a Buddha. But look at how quickly the Dragon Girl attained Buddhahood. Perhaps you will realize that you are not slower than her—after all, she was only eight years old! She was so fast; let us see how she achieved “instant success.” We all hope for quick results, as if we were raised on instant noodles, so the case of the Dragon Girl’s attainment is very suitable for us to study.
At that time, a Bodhisattva from below who followed the Many Treasures Buddha, named Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva, said to Many Treasures Buddha: “World-Honored One, it is time for us to return to our own land.” Shakyamuni Buddha then said to Wisdom Accumulated: “Great Bodhisattva, wait a moment. We have another Great Bodhisattva who is about to return, named Manjushri. He is currently at the Dragon Palace preaching the Dharma and will return shortly. You might as well meet him.” This was an invitation for Great Bodhisattvas to exchange insights.
Just then, Manjushri Bodhisattva returned. Let us see what he was sitting upon. He sat upon a thousand-petaled treasure lotus as large as a carriage wheel—what a grand Dharma seat! Other Bodhisattvas who came with him also sat on treasure lotuses. They naturally emerged from the Sagara Dragon Palace in the great ocean and remained suspended in the void. In an instant, they arrived at Vulture Peak—faster than the speed of light! Imagine that realm: many Bodhisattvas rising from the sea on lotuses as large as carriage wheels, and in the blink of an eye, they arrive at the assembly on Vulture Peak. It is like a fleet of UFOs! These Bodhisattvas approached the Buddhas, bowed to the two World-Honored Ones— Many Treasures and Shakyamuni—and then sat to one side.
Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva then asked Manjushri: “Virtuous One, how many
sentient beings did you transform and teach at the Dragon Palace?” Manjushri replied: “The beings I taught there are immeasurable and boundless, beyond calculation. They cannot be described by words nor measured by the mind. Wait but a moment, and you shall witness it for yourself.” As soon as Manjushri finished speaking, countless Bodhisattvas sitting on treasure lotuses emerged from the great ocean and gathered at the assembly. They were all transformed by Manjushri! Manjushri said with pride: “Look, these are all the ones I have saved, the beings I taught in the great ocean.”
Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva then began to praise him, saying: “Of great wisdom, virtue, and courage, you have saved immeasurable multitudes; now this great assembly and I have all seen this. You expound the meaning of True Reality and clarify the One Vehicle Dharma; you widely guide all sentient beings, causing them to quickly achieve Bodhi.” Manjushri said: “What I constantly preached in the great ocean was none other thanthe Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra.” Wisdom Accumulated asked again: “This Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra is extremely profound and subtle; it is the treasure among all sutras and the rarest thing in the entire world. If sentient beings practice diligently according to this classic, can they quickly realize the fruit of Buddhahood?” Manjushri replied: “There is the daughter of the Sagara Dragon King, only eight years old. She is currently practicing the Bodhisattva path, but I feel she is about to attain the Way and is close to achieving Supreme Perfect Enlightenment.
Wisdom Accumulated said: “I do not believe it. Why? I have seen Shakyamuni Buddha practicing difficult austerities for immeasurable kalpas, accumulating merit and seeking the way of Bodhi without a moment’s rest or stop. Look at this triple-thousand great thousandfold world—there is not a single spot even as small as a mustard seed where the Bodhisattva has not sacrificed his life to practice the path. Only after such long-term cultivation did Shakyamuni Buddha succeed in attaining the Way. Therefore, I do not believe this Dragon Girl can attain Buddhahood so quickly, in a mere instant.”
Before the debate between Manjushri and Wisdom Accumulated could conclude, the Dragon King’s daughter suddenly appeared in the assembly. She respectfully bowed to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and then sat to one side. Upon appearing, she recited a verse: “Deeply understanding the marks of sin and merit, illuminating the ten directions; subtle and pure is the Dharma Body, possessing the thirty-two marks; with eighty minor characteristics to adorn the Dharma Body, admired by devas and humans, and revered by dragons and spirits; all classes of sentient beings without exception honor me. Having heard of the attainment of Bodhi, which only a Buddha can witness, I expound the Great Vehicle teaching to deliver suffering sentient beings.” This describes her current insight; at only eight years old, she possessed such realization. “Deeply understanding the marks of sin and merit”—what does this mean? Let us first speak of Sariputra and then return to her verse.
The Venerable Sariputra said to the Dragon Girl: “You say you will soon attain the supreme Buddha Way, but this is truly hard to believe. Why? First, because a woman’s body is filthy and impure. In the view of the Small Vehicle disciples, a woman’s body is dirty and is not a vessel for the Dharma of Buddhahood. How could you attain Supreme Enlightenment? The path to Buddhahood is extremely long and distant; only after passing through immeasurable and countless kalpas of diligent and bitter practice, perfecting the Six Paramitas, can one achieve the Buddha Way. Furthermore, a woman’s body has five obstructions. In the Dharma realm: first, she cannot become a Great Brahma Heaven King; second, she cannot become Shakra, King of Devas; third, she cannot become a Mara King; fourth, she cannot become a Wheel-Turning Sage King; and fifth, she cannot become a Buddha. All female bodies are like this, and you are in a female body —it goes without saying.”
Sariputra did not even mention that she also had a dragon body. What is a dragon body? Dragons are very wise and clever, but their physical desires are very heavy, making it difficult for them to break through the “view of the body.” Although they are among the eight classes of supernatural beings and can understand many Great Vehicle sutras, they cannot let go of their bodies because of their heavy desires; their bodies still belong to the animal realm. So he was saying: you are both female and a dragon, how could you possibly become a Buddha?
But looking back at the Dragon Girl’s earlier verse, we can see: “Deeply understanding the marks of sin and merit.” She already knew that the male mark and the female mark are both empty marks. You say my female body is sinful? My female body is filthy? Those are just “marks of sin.” Is the male body not a “mark of merit”? I have already deeply understood the marks of sin and merit; I have profoundly realized that all marks in the world are empty marks, with no distinction between male and female marks. Her very appearance was already “markless.” “Illuminating the ten directions; subtle and pure is the Dharma Body”—my Dharma Body is without boundaries, and its light shines throughout the ten directions. “Possessing the thirty-two marks; with eighty minor characteristics to adorn the Dharma Body”—this means I have a Dharma Body that is omnipresent and adorned with the thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics; it is immeasurable and boundless, and I already possess such a body. I have such a Buddha- body, which represents her level of insight. She already had a perfect Buddha-body right there. “Admired by devas and humans, and revered by dragons and spirits”—as for this Dharma Body, I know I am a Buddha, I know it is so, and I no longer care about male or female marks. “All classes of sentient beings without exception honor me”—I am a Tathagata! “Having heard of the attainment of Bodhi, which only a Buddha can witness”—this refers to her hearing the teachings ofthe Lotus Sutra and gaining this insight. Because only the Lotus Sutra tells her of this highest Supreme Perfect Enlightenment, which only a Buddha has witnessed. From this, she vowed to achieve Supreme Perfect Enlightenment and use the Great Vehicle teachings to deliver sentient beings from the suffering of samsara. She gave rise to the heart that seeks Supreme Perfect Enlightenment.
This means that her insight upon appearing was already the insight of a Tathagata! Where did it come from? She heard the Lotus Sutra. Although she was an eight-year-old dragon girl, her insight was already that of a Buddha, the insight of a Tathagata. Moreover, if she truly had no marks of male or female, then she is! She originally is! Why do you cling to marks? Female marks, male marks, being eight years old—all of these are attachments to marks!
At that time, the Dragon Girl had a priceless treasure gem on her person, worth as much as all the things in a triple-thousand great thousandfold world. She took it out and offered it to the Buddha. A dragon possesses a “Mani gem” which represents its life. At that moment, in the Dragon Girl’s eyes, the Buddha and she were one, not two. Because she was also a Buddha, they were one. Her giving the gem to the Buddha was exactly the same as giving it to herself; she had already realized this state and understood that these are all empty marks. She was attached neither to the mark of a Buddha nor to her own mark as a woman, nor to the marks of sentient beings. Offering that treasure gem to the Buddha was a return to her own Buddha- nature! So she took out that gem and offered it to the Buddha.
Without a second thought, the Buddha took it. The Dragon Girl then said to Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva and the Venerable Sariputra: “I offered the treasure gem, and the World-Honored One accepted it. Was that not very fast?” Wisdom Accumulated and Sariputra replied: “It was indeed very fast; you offered it and the Buddha took it immediately.” The Dragon Girl added: “Observe me achieving the fruit of Buddhahood with your supernatural powers; it is even swifter than this, even faster—I can achieve it immediately.” At that moment, all the great virtues in the assembly saw the Dragon Girl suddenly transform into a male and perfectly fulfill all the practices of a Bodhisattva. She immediately went to the World of Stainless Purity in the south, sat upon a treasure lotus, and achieved Supreme Perfect Enlightenment, no different from all other Buddhas. ENDOWED with the thirty-two extraordinary physical marks and the eighty subtle characteristics, she widely expounded the supreme wonderful Dharma for all sentient beings in the ten directions. The entire assembly saw the Dragon Girl attain Supreme Perfect Enlightenment in an instant.
This is the Dragon Girl attaining Buddhahood; she had the insight of a Tathagata from the moment she appeared. But why did she have to offer the gem to achieve Supreme Perfect Enlightenment? First, she had to let go of the final attachment; and second, she had to perfect her merit. Attaining the fruit of Supreme Perfect Enlightenment is a manifestation within time and space; she had to manifest a specific form. You should know that the Dragon Girl transforming into a male was for the sake of sentient beings who are attached to marks—those who believe a Buddha must appear in a male form. For the Dragon Girl, whether she transformed or not did not matter, but in the eyes of beings attached to marks, she transformed. In reality, there is neither male nor female mark. To manifest as a Buddha with a perfect physical form sitting on a treasure lotus in the southern World of Stainless Purity, she had to have perfect merit. If her realization was the insight of a Tathagata, she was already the Tathagata, who is formless and markless. But to manifest something within a specific time and space, she had to fulfill her merit, just as one must lay brick by brick to build a grand tower. She had to do something to perfect her merit, which is why she offered the treasure gem.
Therefore, we cannot just think about it in our minds; practicing the Bodhisattva path requires action. If you want to manifest as a Buddha who possesses all supernatural powers, is omnipresent, and is perfect in merit, you must manifest such an appearance, and you must accumulate merit. It is not as if the Dragon Girl could say, “I already deeply understand the marks of sin and merit, I understand everything, so I won’t offer the gem.” It’s not that the Buddha desired her gem, but could she have attained the Way without offering it? No! She could not have manifested that form. Thus, one must act! The Bodhisattva path must be practiced. You cannot say, “I am a Buddha,” and then do nothing. You must practice the Bodhisattva path.
…only then can one perfect the realization of the Trikaya (Three Bodies) and fully achieve the state of Buddhahood, so that sentient beings may truly benefit! Otherwise, that Buddha would just sit there motionless, and even you yourself would not benefit. Only when your merit and virtue are perfect can you and all sentient beings truly receive benefit from your realization.