The story of Devadatta raises a compelling argument regarding his journey to overthrow the Buddha. In traditional Buddhism, Devadatta is seen as a selfish, greedy and jealous cousin of the Buddha, who attempted to kill him three times before falling ill. While in the Lotus Sutra, Devadatta is praised for being a good friend to the Buddha in helping him become fully endowed with the six paramitas. These six paramitas include pity, compassion, joy and indifference, which also include thirty-two traits, eighty characteristics, the ten powers, four types of fearlessness, four methods of winning people, eighteen unshared properties, transcendental powers and the power of the path. The famous psychologist Sigmund Freud designed what he called “the structural model of the psyche,” consisting of an id, an ego, and a superego. The Id and the ego relate most to this particular story, while the Id is a set of uncoordinated instinctual tendencies and the ego is the organized, realistic section of your consciousness, the intermediary between the id and the superego. This story of Devadatta can be viewed from a metaphorical and psychological perspective when we relate Devadatta to his identity and the Buddha to his ego. It is inevitably a story of Good versus Evil. Additionally, as you read this essay, you will see how the perception of Devadatta changes from early traditional Indian Buddhism to Chinese Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra. Gotama “The Buddha” Before diving into the story of Devadatta, I would like to briefly give the background of his cousin, “The Buddha”. The Buddha, also known by his government name Gotama, was born into both luxury and privilege. Being hosted by his father, owning three palaces... middle of paper ... which I previously discussed with Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche, Devadatta can be seen from a metaphorical perspective like that of identity and of the Buddha as ego. Moving on to the story of Devadatta told in the Lotus Sutra, we are given a completely different view of him. In the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, Devadatta is considered an essential part of the Buddha's life, enabling him to achieve enlightenment, among other things. The Buddha always speaks of Devadatta with respect, even calling him a great friend. Devadatta was seen in the Lotus Sutra: Chapter 12, as the holy teacher of the Buddha who guided him on his path to Buddhahood. Although this chapter was written on the assumption that one already knows the Indian tradition, so that the negative aspects can be left aside, the Buddha spoke of Devadatta as someone without whom he would not have could not succeed..