Devadatta in Hell

One of Buddhism’s most reviled villains was crucified in the Buddhist underworld. When French Christians arrived in Siam in the 17th century, venerating images of Christ on the cross, dialogue between the two religions reached an impasse.

Donald S. Lopez Jr. | Published in History Today Volume 71 Issue 11 November 2021

Mara, the spirit of evil, tells the Buddha it is time to die and Ananda asks the Buddha three times to remain on earth, from The Life of the Buddha, Burmese, c.1800-20. — Mara, the spirit of evil, tells the Buddha it is time to die and Ananda asks the Buddha three times to remain on earth, from The Life of the Buddha, Burmese, c.1800-20 © British Library Board/Bridgeman Images.

In the stories of the Buddha’s life there are two villains. The first is Mara, the Buddhist deity of desire and death. Fearing that if Prince Siddhartha achieved buddhahood he would deprive him of victims, Mara attacked the prince under the Bodhi Tree. He failed. The other villain is Devadatta, the Buddha’s cousin. To exalt the Buddha, one must debase Devadatta. To debase the Buddha, one must exalt Devadatta.