Suppabuddha


Suprabuddha, or Suppabuddha was the uncle and father-in-law of the Buddha according to the Mahavamsa genealogy and the Theravada commentarial tradition. He was also known as Mahāsuppabuddha.
Suppabuddha is also the name of several other individuals mentioned briefly in the Theravada tradition.

Life

According to the Theravada commentaries, the king was very offended because Prince Siddhartha had left his daughter Yasodhara to renounce the world and because his son Devadatta had come to regard him as his arch enemy. One day, knowing that the Buddha would be coming for almsfood, he got himself drunk and blocked the way. When the Buddha and the bhikkhus came, Suppabuddha refused to make way. Finding the road blocked, the Buddha and the bhikkhus turned back, and the Buddha remarked to Ananda that the king would be swallowed by the earth for being disrespectful towards a Buddha.
Informed of this prediction, the king sealed himself up on a high floor of his palace as a precaution. However, on the seventh day predicted by the Buddha, a horse belonging to the king broke loose and the king went to attempt to calm it. He fell down the stairs and was swallowed by the earth, sharing the same eventual fate as his son, Devadatta.

Others Named Suppabuddha

Suppabuddha the Sakyan is one of several individuals by that given name identified in Pali literature. Others include: