143. The Story of Shining Forth [Virocana-Jātaka]

At one time when Buddha was living at the Jeta Grove, Devadatta came to the Buddha and requested him to impose four new practices on all the monks. The first was that all monks should wear robes stitched together from the clothing of the departed that could be picked up in the cemetery. The second was that all monks should live under trees, not in houses. The third was that monks should not eat meat or fish during their lifetime. The fourth was that monks should live all the time in the forest, not in a village or city. The Buddha responded that he had monks in his community who had been very rich, and who had before their ordination comfortable lives. Therefore, those who wish to do as Devadatta suggests, let them do it. Those who do not so wish, let them not do it. He was not going to impose such regulations as might be objectionable to them. Devadatta got angry because the Buddha refused to do as he wanted. He took away 500 monks who were followers of the Venerable Sāriputta and who had only recently been ordained, and went with them to Gayāsīsa. He said that he had not gotten anything from the Buddha, not even a blade of grass. And he created a schism in the order. With the 500 monks, he went to Gayāsīsa north of the Ganges River, and claimed there that he also was a Buddha.

At one point, the Buddha came to understand that the 500 monks who had gone off with Devadatta had the potentiality at that time of becoming Arahants on account of their previous births. Understanding so, the Buddha summoned the Venerable Sāriputta and Moggallāna and requested that they go to Devadatta’s community and preach to the 500 monks, bringing them back into the Buddha’s fold. Then the two chief disciples of the Buddha, Sāriputta and Moggallāna, left for Devadatta’s community.

Devadatta saw from afar the two chief disciples coming toward him, and he imagined that they were giving up the Buddha, and were coming to join his community. Thinking so, he claimed that like the Buddha he too had back pain. He requested that in his stead, they might preach to the community. He lay down near the preaching chair and went to sleep. The Venerable Sāriputta preached then, and all the 500 monks attained Arahantship. They all then returned with him and Moggallāna to the Buddha at the Bamboo Grove.

Kokālika, the chief disciple of Devadatta, came to Devadatta’s temple and saw that it was empty of people. He went into the temple, and saw Devadatta sleeping there. He got angry and said to Devadatta, “You are sleeping deeply while your disciples have been taken away by the two chief disciples of the Buddha. Our temple is empty now.” With his left foot, he kicked Devadatta’s chest. This caused Devadatta to vomit blood.

When the Venerable Sāriputta and Moggallāna came to the Buddha with the 500 monks, the Buddha asked, “How was Devadatta when you were there?” The Venerable Sāriputta said, “Revered one, when we were there, Devadatta was pretending to be a Buddha. He was preaching.” And Sāriputta then explained all that had happened, including Devadatta’s being kicked by Kokālika. The Buddha heard that news and said, “Sāriputta, not only today, but also in the past has Devadatta imitated me. And by doing so, he fell into a big calamity.” The Venerable Sāriputta then invited the Buddha to disclose the former story.

This is how it was:

At one time, King Brahmadatta was ruling in Benares. At that time, the Bodhisatta was born as a lion. He lived in a den hollowed into a big rock.

One day, he left his den and killed a water buffalo, eating the meat. He went to a nearby pool and drank some water. Returning to his den, he met a jackal. The jackal did not see the lion till the lion came very close. He became very much afraid as he had no way of fleeing. Kneeling down, he paid obeisance to the lion. The lion said, “Jackal! Why do you want to kneel down like that?” The cunning jackal said, “Oh, your lordship. I did so, as I would like to serve you.” The lion, who was the Enlightenment Being, then took him to his den in the rock and showed him a place to lie down. He said, “Whenever you see any animal you would like to eat in this area, let me know. Then I will kill him, and we will both have food to eat.” The jackal said, “Yes, sir.”

The jackal followed this advice. And the jackal and lion both ate the same food. As the jackal got enough food from the lion’s killing animals, he became very fat and strong.  He then became conceited.  “The lion is a beast.  I also am a beast. Why should I eat meat killed by someone else? I will kill animals for myself.” Thinking so, he went to the lion and said, “Your lordship! I have eaten the meat of the animals that you killed. From now on whatever you kill, you can eat yourself.” The lion said, “But you cannot kill animals such as elephants, as I do.” He said this several times. Even though the lion prevented the jackal from hunting on its own several times, the jackal did not want to listen. Eventually, the lion said, “Let him learn a lesson.” The jackal said, “You should not go to hunt in the morning. I will go.” The lion agreed.

In the morning, the jackal got up and came out from the den. He shook his body three times, as the lion always did. And as the lion always roared, he shouted. As the lion would do, he looked in the four directions and he saw an elephant. He ran, and jumped up on the elephant.

When he jumped up on the elephant, he could not remain on the elephant’s back. He fell down in front of the elephant. The angry elephant crushed him under his foot. He trampled the carcass, collected the bones in one pile, dropped dung on them, and urinated on them. Then he trumpeted, and went away.

The lion saw this and thought, “The jackal deserved this lesson.” Thinking so, he went into his den and sat down.

“The jackal who was crushed by the elephant at that time was Devadatta. And I, who today am the Buddha, the enlightened one, was the lion at that time.” Saying so, he ended the Jātaka story of shining forth.

The moral: “One must be true to his nature.”

143. The Story of Shining Forth [Virocana-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/13/143-the-story-of-shining-forth-virocana-jataka/

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