Quote:This is followed by chapter twelve, the “Devadatta” chapter. Deva-datta, an evil-minded disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha, comparable to the Judas figure in Christianity, is revealed to have been a friend and teacher of the Buddha in a past life and to be destined to attain Buddhahood himself in a future existence. The chapter also describes a daughter of the dragon king Sagara who, though only a child of eight, has attained the highest level of enlightenment. Earlier Buddhism had generally denied that women could attain Buddhahood, at least while in female form, and one school of thinkers had declared that some people are so inherently evil in nature that they can never hope to gain enlightenment. The Lotus Sutra firmly rejects such assertions. We are to understand that all beings without exception, good or evil, female or male, are equally capable of becoming Buddhas.