bought for the Buddha at fabulous expense the famous
Jetavana (Jeta’s Grove) at S ́ravast, where he had a
monastery built. Texts tell of Anathapindada’s death-
bed grief when he realized that the Buddha had re-
served his higher teaching exclusively for his monastic
followers (Horner, pp. 309ff.).
Also important was the turncoat monk and disci-
ple, DEVADATTA, first cousin of the Buddha, who is re-
membered for his conspiracies to murder the Buddha
and split the SAN ̇GHA. These are regarded as the most
heinous crimes a monk can commit in relation to the
san ̇gha. Devadatta also attempted unsuccessfully to in-
troduce extra requirements into the vinaya, including
vegetarianism and four of the permitted asceticisms,
which included wearing only rag robes and eating only
begged food. Bizarrely, the Chinese pilgrim FAXIANre-
ported in the early fifth century C.E. that in the Bud-
dhist homeland Devadatta still had a significant
following who worshiped not S ́akyamuni but the three
buddhas previous to him.
Also important were the Buddha’s royal disciples:
Prasenajit (Pasenadi), king of Kos ́ala, who is credited
with commissioning the first Buddha image; Bimbi-
sara, king of Magadha; and Bimbisara’s son Ajatas ́atru
(Ajatasattu), who after initially conspiring with Deva-
datta, became a devout disciple of the Buddha (see
Samaññaphala-suttain Davids, 1899, pp. 65ff.).
In later layers of Buddhist canonical literature a
number of these disciples continue to appear as pro-
tagonists. Of particular importance is the promotion
to chief interlocutor in the PRAJN
APARAMITALITERA-
TUREof Subhuti, a monk and disciple noted in the aga-
masand nikayasas chief of those who dwell in the
forest and, presumably thereby, also the one most
worthy of offerings. Other MAHAYANA sutras and
VAJRAYANAtantras present a host of new and presum-
ably fictive disciples.
See also:Buddha, Life of the; Councils, Buddhist
Bibliography
Davids, Thomas W. Rhys, trans. Dialogues of the Buddha,Part
- London: Luzac, 1899.
Davids, Thomas W. Rhys, and Davids, Caroline A. F. Rhys,
trans. Dialogues of the Buddha,Part 2. London: Luzac, 1910.
Davids, Thomas W. Rhys, and Oldenberg, Hermann. Vinaya
Texts,Part 1. Oxford: Sacred Books of the East, 1885.
Horner, Isaline B., trans. The Middle Length SayingsIII. Lon-
don: Pali Text Society, 1977.
Norman, Kenneth R., trans. The Elders’ VersesI and II. London:
Pali Text Society, 1969 and 1971.
Nyanaponika Thera, and Hecker, Hellmuth. Great Disciples of
the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy.Boston:
Wisdom, 1997.
Ray, Reginald. Buddhist Saints in India: A Study in Buddhist Val-
ues and Orientations.New York: Oxford University Press,
1994.
Woodward, F. L., trans. Gradual Sayings.London: Pali Text So-
ciety, 1932.ANDREWSKILTONDIVINITIESFrom its very origins, Buddhism has recognized a wide
range of divinities (devas,a term frequently translated
as “gods”), while taking pains to emphasize that the
Buddha himself is not divine, but human (An ̇gut-
taranikaya,2.37–9). The various divinities are power-
ful superhuman beings who influence the world in
manifold ways. Although many of these divinities have
Vedic (Hindu) origins, in the early Buddhist tradition
they are not considered immortal, but rather are
trapped in SAMSARAand thus, like all SENTIENT BEINGS,
are subject to the law of KARMA(ACTION) and there-
fore DEATHand REBIRTH.
In the early texts of the Pali canon, divinities inhabit
several different realms. In the lower realm of desire
(kamadhatu), above the human realm, live the various
deities and spirits, who frequently do battle with a
group of jealous and mischievous deities, the asuras
(similar to the Greek Titans). The various divinities
include the four divine kings; the thirty-three gods re-
siding in the trayastrim ́as heaven, divinities incorpo-
rated from the Vedas and presided over by S ́akra
(INDRA); MARAand Yama, the gods of illusion and
death; and BODHISATTVASin their penultimate lives,
including, currently, MAITREYA(Pali, Metteya). Above
the sense realm, in the realm of pure form (rupadhatu),
abide the pure divinities, most significantly the Great
Brahma and his ministers, and, at the very top, the
anagamins(nonreturners), who live out their penulti-
mate existence before enlightenment in this realm.
One of the most important divinities is Mara, the
god of death, lust, greed, false views, delusion, and il-
lusion. Mara is a common presence in early Buddhist
texts, distracting the Buddha and, after his enlighten-
ment, questioning his very status as an enlightened be-
ing. Although Mara is “defeated” by the Buddha, heDIVINITIES