Asura- Buddhist RaceRace"Jealous Gods"

The Wish-Fulfilling Tree

Both Devas and Asuras dwell on and around Mount Meru. At its base grows a wish-fulfilling tree whose roots are in the Asura realm but whose branches and fruit extend into the realm of the gods. The Asuras can see the Devas enjoying the tree's sweet fruit but cannot reach it. They wage war against the heavens, storming up the mountain with armies and magical power. Sakka and the Thirty-Three Gods repel them every time. They always come back.

Kings and Marriages

The Vepacitti Sutta names Vemacitrin as the foremost Asura king. When gods and Asuras trade insults, Vemacitrin retaliates with violence; Sakka practices restraint. The Buddha holds up Sakka's patience as the greater victory. Rahu, another Asura king, is vast enough to swallow the sun and moon. When eclipses darken the sky, it is Rahu's mouth closing over the light.

Sakka himself married Suja, Vemacitrin's daughter, a union that bridged the warring realms. The marriage never ended the fighting. In the Bhavachakra, the Wheel of Life painted at the entrance of Tibetan temples, the Asura realm appears as a field of armored warriors locked in battle. They never win. They never stop.