Itivuttaka 89

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, conquered by three forms of false Dhamma–his mind overwhelmed–Devadatta1 is incurably doomed to deprivation, to hell, for an eon. Which three? Conquered by evil desires–his mind overwhelmed–Devadatta is incurably doomed to deprivation, to hell, for the duration of an eon. Conquered by friendship with evil people–his mind overwhelmed–Devadatta is incurably doomed to deprivation, to hell, for the duration of an eon. And, there being something further to be done, he nevertheless stopped halfway with a lower modicum of distinctive attainment. Conquered by these three forms of false Dhamma–his mind overwhelmed–Devadatta is incurably doomed to deprivation, to hell, for an eon.”

May no one in the world

ever be reborn

with evil desire.

Know that

through that

evil desire,

his destination’s that

of all who have evil desires.

I’ve heard how Devadatta,

–regarded as wise, composed,

incandescent with honor–

in the thrall of heedlessness

assaulted the Tathāgata

and fell to the four-gated, fearful place:

Avīci, unmitigated hell.

Whoever plots against

one free of corruption

who’s done no evil deed:

that evil touches him himself,

corrupted in mind,

disrespectful.

Whoever might think

of polluting the ocean

with a pot of poison,

couldn’t succeed,

for the mass of water is great.

So it is

when anyone attacks with abuse

the Tathāgata

–rightly-gone,

of peaceful mind–

for abuse doesn’t grow on him.

A wise person should make friends,

should associate,

with a person like him–

whose path a monk can pursue

and reach the ending

of suffering & stress.

Note

1. Devadatta, one of the Buddha’s cousins, plotted to take over the Saṅgha, and ended up causing a schism. His story is told in Cv VII. See also §18. His “lower modicum of distinctive attainment“ was his mastery of psychic powers.