Indra- Buddhist GodDeity"King of the Thirty-Three Gods"

The Heaven of the Thirty-Three

Indra rules from the summit of Mount Meru, in the heaven named for the thirty-three gods who preside there with him. His city, Sudarsana, is wrought of gold and precious gems. His palace is Vaijayanta, where he holds court and wages war against the asuras who storm upward from below. He rides forth on his white elephant Airavata, carrying the vajra.

Guardian of the Buddha

Indra appeared at the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, holding a white umbrella over the infant prince, and was among the celestial witnesses at the awakening beneath the bodhi tree. When the Buddha ascended to Trayastrimsa to spend three months teaching the Abhidharma to his mother Maya, who had been reborn there as a deva, Indra served as host for the entire retreat.

The Sakkapanha Sutta preserves their most intimate encounter. Indra visits the Buddha in the Indasala Cave, accompanied by the gandharva Pancasikha, who plays the lute to gain them entrance. Indra poses ten questions about the origin of conflict among beings. Through the Buddha's answers, he comes to understand that hatred and jealousy arise from clinging to what is dear. The teaching brings him to stream-entry, the first stage of awakening, guaranteeing his full enlightenment within seven lifetimes.

Indra's Net

The Avatamsaka Sutra describes an infinite net stretching across Indra's palace. At each intersection hangs a jewel, and each jewel reflects all the other jewels. The reflection is endless: look into one jewel and you see every other, each containing the image of every other in turn.