the wisdom of the lotus sutra-chapter three

8/12/2019 The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra-Chapter Three

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The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra

Chapter Three

"Simile and Parable"

Similes and Parables - Compassion and Wisdom Distilledto Their Fragrant Essence

Saito: People often ask h! the Lotus Sutra contains dran-out passages describing inconcei"abl! long periods of time-such as those hich e#pound San$en %intengo and goh!aku %intengo&Endo: 'es( ) often onder the same thing& *oh!aku %intengo is

e#plained in the +Life Span of the Thus Come ,ne+ si#teenth.chapter& First( e are asked to imagine a person pul"eri$ing todust the astronomical number of /"e hundred( a thousand( tenthousand( a million na!uta asamkh!a thousand-million-foldorlds& 012 Then the Person proceeds to the east( dropping onespeck each time he passes /"e hundred( a thousand( tenthousand( a million na!uta asamkh!a orlds& Then Shak!amuniasks( +*ood men( hat is !our opinion3 Can the total numberof all these orlds be imagined or calculated3+ LS14( 556.&Suda: ,n top of that( all those in/nite numbers of orldspassed in this process are then also pul"eri$ed to dust( and

each resulting particle of dust stands for one kalpa( 052 or eon&This represents an enormousl!( unthinkabl! long period oftime& )t might indeed ha"e been easier to e#press suchnumbers b! sa!ing +a one folloed b! # hundreds of $eros+ or+ten to the #th poer&+)keda: 'es( and the Lotus Sutra ould ha"e ended up muchshorter( then( ouldn7t it89ut seriousl!( let7s consider this& )f the 9uddha had said( +)became a 9uddha ten-to-the-#-hundredth-poer !ears ago(+his listeners could onl! respond passi"el!( +'es( e see&+ 9uthen this fact is presented to them as a narrati"e--+/"e

hundred( a thousand( ten thousand( a million a!uta asamkh!aorlds are pul"eri$ed to dust( and then one speck of the dustis dropped e"er! /"e hundred( a thousand( ten thousand( amillion a!uta asamkh!a orlds+--the listeners are forced toform their on image of this incredibl! long period( the! areforced to think for themsel"es and acti"el! assimilate thisinformation&

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Saito: ) see& The man! parables in the Lotus Sutra also attestto this poer of the image to stimulate our minds&)keda: Precisel!& ; certain educator once e#plained the poerof parables from an educational perspecti"e& <e maintainedthat hen parables are used to teach( the learner or student

follos the same path of thought that the teacher oncefolloed& )n other ords( the student is not simpl! listeningpassi"el! to information( but is being encouraged to engage inthe acti"e mental process of thinking for himself& 0=2Endo: )n the treatment of ps!chological disorders( encouragingthe patient to think for himself is also regarded as "er!important& There is( for e#ample( the so-called sand-pla!therap!( in hich the patient is gi"en a 7sandbo# along ithminiature houses( human /gures( and so on( and alloed tocreate his on little orld& The process of creating his onnarrati"e is thought to assist in acti"ating the patient7s

inherent poers of self-healing&)keda: We use the sand-pla! therap! in the educationalcounseling centers run b! the Soka *akkai7s educationdi"ision( don7t e3Saito: 'es& There are tent!-se"en such educationalcounseling centers throughout >apan& )n the tent!-se"en!ears since the /rst one as opened( more than 5??(???people ha"e a"ailed themsel"es of this counseling ser"ice( andthe program has been "er! ell recei"ed&)keda: @embers of the education di"ision pro"ide a onderfulser"ice( gi"ing great encouragement to those ith problems

related to education& The! are demonstrating the beha"ior oftrue bodhisatt"as&9ut to return to the Lotus Sutra( e all kno that it is /lledith memorable stories and parables& There are se"en( hichare most outstanding and ha"e come to be ell-knon o"erthe centuries& The /rst of the se"en( the parable of the threecarts and the burning house appears in the +Similes andParables+ chapter& Toda! let us discuss the signi/cance ofparables centering around this chapter&Suda: 'es& ;nd perhaps e should begin ith an o"er"ie ofthe entire chapter&

The Parable of the Three Carts and the

Burning House

Endo: The +Similes and Parables+ chapter begins ith

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Shariputra7s e#pression of his profound %o!--the %o! he feelsafter ha"ing heard and understood the teaching of thereplacement of the three "ehicles ith the one "ehicle( hichas presented in the preceding +E#pedient @eans+ chapter&Shariputra e#pressed his e#ultation ith his hole being& The

sutra states: +Shariputra7s mind danced ith %o!& Then heimmediatel! stood up( pressed his palms together+ LS=( AB.&)n other ords( he leaps up ith %o! and presses his palmstogether in a gesture of re"erence toard the 9uddha&ichiren Daishonin rites that this passage describes ho one+dances ith %o! hen one comes to the reali$ation that thephenomena of the bod! and mind are the @!stic La+ *oshoenshu( p&B55.&Saito: 9ut the other disciples still don7t understand& )t is fortheir sake that Shariputra asks Shak!amuni to preach +a Lane"er knon in the past+ LS=( A.& ;nd Shak!amuni responds

b! preaching the parable of the three carts and the burninghouse&Endo: ;s President )keda mentioned earlier( this is the /rst ofthe se"en parables of the Lotus Sutra& The others are: theparable of the ealth! man and his poor son( hich appears inthe +9elief and nderstanding+ fourth. chapter the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and to kinds of trees( fromthe +Parable of the7 @edicinal <erbs+ /fth. chapter theparable of the phantom cit! and the treasure land( from the+Parable of the Phantom Cit!+ se"enth. chapter the parableof the gem in the robe( from the +Prophec! of Enlightenment

for Fi"e <undred Disciples+ eighth. chapter the parable of thepriceless gem in the topknot( from the +Peaceful Practices+fourteenth. chapter and /nall!( the parable of the e#cellentph!sician and his sick children( from the +Life Span+si#teenth. chapter&)keda: Parables pla! a "er! important part not onl! in the+Similes and Parables+ chapter but in the entire Lotus Sutra&;s it sa!s in the +E#pedient @eans+ chapter( +The marks oftranGuil e#tinction borne b! all phenomena H cannot bee#plained in ords+ LS5( AA.& The in/nitel! profound La tohich the 9uddha has aakened is "er! diIcult to put into

ords& 'et if that enlightenment remained locked in the9uddha7s heart( the road to 9uddhahood for all li"ing beingsould sta! closed& The 9uddha uses parables to preach theLa in order to open the a! to enlightenment for all li"ingbeings&Suda: ) think no ould be a good time to introduce thegeneral outline of the parable of the three carts and theburning house&

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)n a certain ton( there as an elderl! man of considerableealth& <e oned a large mansion( but it as old anddilapidated& Suddenl! the house caught /re( and soon thehole building as engulfed in James& 9ut the man7s man!children ere still inside& Though the house as burning don

around them and their "er! li"es ere in great peril( thechildren ere so engrossed in their games that the! did notnotice their predicament&;s the sutra sa!s( +There is no safet! in the threefold orld itis like a burning house+ LS=( 4K.& The burning house is ametaphor for this orld of ours( en"eloped as it is in theJames of suering& The sutra describes the house ith great"i"idness&Endo: 'es& The house is infested ith poisonous insects(snakes( rats( fo#es( ol"es( goblins( trolls( !akshas and e"ilspirits& Suddenl! great alls of Jame leap up( dri"ing these

creatures from their hiding places in ild and fren$ied panic&,ne terrif!ing scene unfolds after another( %ust like a modernhorror mo"ie& Then the focus shifts to the children pla!inginnocentl! and unaare of the dangers around them&)keda: )t7s like atching the masterful camera ork of agripping( suspense mo"ie& +Life is like a burning house+--thissimile successfull! stamps on our minds the poerful image ofthe dangers of a life li"ed lost in pleasure& The Lotus Sutradescribes the suerings of human e#istence in an e#tremel!realistic fashion& That is one of the reasons that the LotusSutra has such a /ne reputation as a ork of literature& The

Chinese riter Lu Mun 11-1K=4. used the image of theJames of the burning house to rite his no"el Sihuo TheFlame of Death.&Saito: This is a big dierence beteen the Lotus Sutra andother @aha!ana sutras( hich tend to regard realit! as anillusion& ) think this is a de/ning characteristic of the LotusSutra( hich stresses that all phenomena are one ith the truerealit!( and actualit! is one ith the truth&)keda: 'es( that7s probabl! part of it& 9ut the heart of the sutrais compassion( a determination to sa"e all li"ing beings( aprofound s!mpath!( hich feels the suerings of other li"ing

beings as one7s on&Endo: The second half of the parable of the three carts and theburning house is %ust such a stor! of sal"ation& The ealth!man runs into the burning house and tells the children to lea"eit at once& 9ut the children( rapped up in their games( don7tkno the house is on /re& The! don7t kno hat it means to beburned ali"e( and so the! keep running about the house(ha"ing fun&

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So the ealth! man de"ises a plan& <e tells the children thathe has placed outside goat-carts( deer-carts and o#-carts(things that the! had anted( and urges them to lea"e thehouse and choose hiche"er one the! like& <earing this( thechildren( each one stri"ing to be /rst( gleefull! rush out of the

conJagration to select their precious carts& ;nd so it is thatthe children are all sa"ed&Suda: When the children demand the promised carts from theirfather( he gi"es them not goat-carts( deer-carts or o#-carts(but presents each one ith +a large carriage of uniform si$eand Gualit!+ LS=( 6B.--a magni/cent %eeled carriage dranb! a hite o#& The three kinds of carts he had originall!promised--carts dran b! a goat( deer or o#--stand for thethree "ehicles the respecti"e "ehicles for the "oice-hearers(Prat!ekabuddhas and bodhisatt"as.& The goat-cart is theteaching for "oice-hearers people of Learning.( the deer-cart

is the teaching for Prat!ekabuddhas people of Neali$ation.(and the o#-cart is the teaching for bodhisatt"as& 9ut the greathite o# cart that the father actuall! bestoed on each of hischildren eGuall! is the one 9uddha "ehicle--in other ords( theteaching leading to 9uddhahood&Endo: ,f course( the ealth! man in this parable is the9uddha( and the children pla!ing in the house represent allli"ing beings( ho do not recogni$e that the! are li"ing in themidst of a orld of suering and ill e"entuall! be scorched b!the James of those suerings&The a! in hich the father gains the attention of his children

ith the three carts is a metaphor for the a! in hich the9uddha taught the three "ehicles( shaping his teachings tomatch people7s capacities in order to sa"e them&The fact that in the end the father ga"e each of his children agreat hite o# cart tells us that the 9uddha7s true teaching isnot the three "ehicles but the single 9uddha "ehicle& What esee enacted here is the replacement of the three "ehicles iththe one "ehicle&)keda: The great hite o# carts( representing the single9uddha "ehicle( are described in great detail in the sutra& Thisdescription itself is a parable( an attempt to someho

communicate the onder of the state of 9uddhahood&Saito: 'es& The sutra calls them +large carriages adorned ithse"en kinds of gems+ LS=( 6.& The ealth! man has man!treasures in his storehouses( and he uses them to adorn thecarriages ith gold( sil"er( lapis la$uli( agate and otherprecious stones& These are great carts dran b! hite o#en&The carriages had +railings running around them H and bells

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hanging from all sides& H Nopes of gold tisted and tined( Hnets of pearls H stretched o"er the top+ LS=( 4.&)keda: This calls to mind the description of the %eeled stupa inthe +Emergence of the Treasure Toer+ ele"enth. chapter&Suda: The hite o#en that dra the carts are also beautiful&

Their hides are pure and clean( and hen the! alk( the! pullthe carts straight and smoothl!& When the! run( the! are assift as the ind& The sutra sa!s that the children( riding inthese %eeled carts( en%o!ed themsel"es ith utter freedom&)keda: This is a description of the state of 9uddhahood&,ering the children the three carts as a means of luring themfrom the burning house is the 9uddha7s act of relie"ingsuering& Presenting them ith the great hite o#-carts is hisact of conferring %o!& <e ga"e the children the state ofunsurpassed ease and happiness--that is( the 9uddha7sisdom&

+) am the father of Li"ing beings and should rescue them fromtheir suerings and gi"e them the %o! of the measureless andboundless 9uddha isdom so that the! ma! /nd theiren%o!ment in that&+ LS5( 5A.The great hite o# cart( hich tra"erses freel! o"er the mosttreacherous peaks( represents the state of 9uddhahood( hichknos no limitations& )n the *osho +Daib!aku *osha*oshosoku+ on the *reat White ,# Cart.( ichiren Daishoninrites( +The great hite o# cart is a "ehicle that Jies freel!through the sk! of the fundamental nature of the La+ *oshoenshu( p& 16A.& )n this *osho( the Daishonin remarks on the

fact that the description of the great hite o# cart isabbre"iated in Oumara%i"a7s Chinese translation of the LotusSutra& For his description of the magni/cent "ehicle( theDaishonin refers directl! to a Sanskrit edition of the sutra thathe had studied&Endo: 'es& ;s the Daishonin notes the great hite o# cart is/"e hundred !o%anas 0A2 long( ide and high& This is e"enlarger than the treasure toer( hich appears in the sutra7sele"enth chapter& The! are the same height( but the greathite o# cart is tice as ide and as long as the treasuretoer&

Suda: The Sanskrit te#t of the Lotus Sutra that the Daishoninrefers to seems to be dierent from the sur"i"ing Sanskrit"ersions& 9ut according to the Daishonin( it described thegreat hite o# cart as ha"ing thirt!-se"en gleaming sil"er-thatched staira!s leading up to it& Eight!-four thousand %eeled bells ere hung on all four sides of the cart( and onthe fort!-to thousand railings( the Four <ea"enl! Oings 062

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stood as guardians& )nside the cart( more than 4K(=? 9uddhasand bodhisatt"as ere sitting on lotus seats&)keda: Such splendor de/es the imagination& We certainl!shouldn7t imagine the great hite o# cart as looking an!thinglike the humble o# carts one used to see in the countr!side

long ago8 ,f course( !ou don7t see them much an!more& )ould be delighted if a gifted and inspired painter could depictthis great hite o# cart in all its glor!&Saito: The number 4K(=? refers to the number of characters inthe Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra( doesn7t it3 )n +The,pening of the E!es(+ ichiren Daishonin rites:The Lotus Sutra is a single ork consisting of eight "olumes(tent!-eight chapters( and 4K(=A characters& Each and e"er!character is endoed ith the character m!o( each being a9uddha ho has the thirt!-to distincti"e features and eight!characteristics& 042 @W-5( 11B 01=B-=1.

Each and e"er! character of the Lotus Sutra is a 9uddha( andso 4K(=A 9uddhas are there inside the great hite o# cart&)keda: The great hite o# cart is none other than the LotusSutra itself& )ts substance is the ondrous life of the 9uddha(the great life of am-@!oho-Nenge-O!o& That is h! theDaishonin rites( +The great hite o# cart in the Lotus Sutra isthe "ehicle that ) and other "otaries of the Lotus Sutra are ableto board+ *osho enshu( p&16A.&Endo: The splendid "ision of the great hite o# cart is alsomeant to be seen as a sharp contrast to the burning house&)keda: Precisel!& Li"ing beings( submerged in foolishness and

ignorance( not onl! fail to recogni$e that the house in hichthe! dell is actuall! burning up ith them inside it( but the!also fail to reali$e that their "er! on li"es contain the9uddha7s life& sing parables( the 9uddha seeks to aakenthem to the brilliantl! shining life inside them&

The Wide Influence of the Parables of theLotus Sutra

Saito: There are man! parables in the Lotus Sutra( in additionto the se"en e ha"e alread! mentioned& The others that aremost freGuentl! referred to are: the parable of a great king7sfeast( in the +9estoal of Prophec!+ si#th. chapter theparable of grinding the earth particles in the thousand-million-fold orld into ink poder( in the +Phantom Cit!+ se"enth.chapter the parable of digging a ell in a high plateau( in the

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+Teacher of the La+ tenth. chapter the parable of grinding/"e hundred( a thousand( ten thousand( a million a!utaasamkh!a thousand-million-fold orlds to dust( in the +LifeSpan+ si#teenth. chapter the ten similes in the +Former;airs of the 9odhisatt"a @edicine Oing+ tent!-third.

chapter and the parable of the one-e!ed turtle( in the +Former;airs of Oing Wonderful ;dornment+ tent!-se"enth.chapter&,f course( there are man! more far too man! to cite here&Wh! is the Lotus Sutra so rich in parables3 ,ne apparentreason is the general fondness for parables and metaphor in)ndian thought( but ) think a more important reason is that theLotus Sutra is a scripture that speaks to the people&Suda: ;nd( in fact( the mar"elous parables of the sutra ha"efascinated and charmed man! people( transcendingboundaries and ages& ;mong the Chinese people( for e#ample(

faith in the Lotus Sutra stimulated the de"elopment of se"eralgenres of popular literature( recounting the bene/ts conferredon those ho praised the Lotus Sutra and relating biographicalaccounts of sincere belie"ers and practitioners of the sutra& 0B2Clearl!( it as the accessibilit! and illuminating nature of theparables of the Lotus Sutra that led to the emergence of suchpopular literature&Endo: Though e don7t possess enough e"idence to dra a/rm conclusion( some scholars suggest that the Lotus Sutrae"en inJuenced the e Testament of the 9ible& For e#ample(the stor! of the prodigal son in the *ospel according to Luke is

"er! similar to the parable of the ealth! man and his poorson( hich appears in the sutra7s +9elief and nderstanding+chapter&Dr& <a%ime akamura( the famous >apanese 9uddhologist(refers to the possibilit! that Western religions espousingteachings of lo"e ma! ha"e de"eloped under the inJuence ofthe Eastern ideal of compassion& 02Saito: )n >apanese literature( too( the Lotus Sutra is the mostfreGuentl! cited of all the man! 9uddhist scriptures& )n theara period B1?-BKA.( shortl! after 9uddhism as introducedto >apan( the educated classes began to rite poetr! referring

to 9uddhist themes and ideas& 9ut at this point( the LotusSutra as not !et idel! adopted as a topic&;mong the common people( hoe"er( around this same time(the Lotus Sutra as becoming a sub%ect of popular literature&)n the ihon N!oi Oi Necord of @iraculous Stories from >apan.(0K2 a collection of 9uddhist tales recounting the karmicreards and punishments of all sorts of people( the Lotus

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Sutra crops up ith a freGuenc! that far e#ceeds an! otherscripture&)keda: )n the ara period( the Lotus Sutra as more fa"orabl!recei"ed among the common people than the elite& <oappropriate that is for a scripture dedicated to helping people

grapple ith the actual realities of human e#istence8Suda: From the time that *reat Teacher Deng!o founded theLotus Sutra-based Tendai school of 9uddhism in >apan duringthe <eian period BKA-116.( the Lotus Sutra came to beregarded as the king of the scriptures not onl! as a religiouste#t but as a ork of literature as ell( e"en among thelearned people of the capital& Lectures on the Lotus Sutra ereregularl! held in aristocratic societ!( and knoledge of thesutra as regarded as an indispensable part of one7s generaleducation&)keda: )n her no"el The Pillo 9ook( the <eian-period riter Sei

Shonagon re"eals the idespread currenc! of the Lotus Sutraamong the nobilit! in a humorous anecdote& When she made tolea"e a lecture on the Lotus Sutra( a certain nobleman namedFu%iara no 'oshichika remarked sarcasticall!( +;h( !ou do ellto depart8+ To hich Sei Shonagon sent back the repl!( +'ourE#cellenc! too( ill surel! be among the /"e thousand&+ 01?2 'oshichika as referring to Shak!amuni7s statement in the+E#pedient @eans+ chapter of the Lotus Sutra( hen heresponds to the departure of the /"e thousand arrogantbelie"ers from the assembl!( b! sa!ing( +)t is ell that thesepersons of o"erbearing arrogance ha"e ithdran+ LS5-=?.& )t

is clear from the ease ith hich Sei Shonagon and her friendsbandied references to the Lotus Sutra that it had penetrateddeepl! into people7s consciousness at this time&Suda: The Lotus Sutra is also the most freGuentl! cited9uddhist scripture in @urasaki Shikibu7s The Tale of *en%i(regarded b! man! as the orld7s /rst no"el& ;mong the"arious 9uddhist ceremonies that the characters of the no"elhold( the custom of the Eight Lectures on the Lotus Sutra 0112is freGuentl! mentioned& The no"el7s leading character( <ikaru*en%i( is said at the age of tent!-three to ha"e read the threemain Tendai scriptures and their man! commentaries--a total

of si#t! "olumes in all--and so as deepl! "ersed in the LotusSutra& 0152Saito: Some scholars sa! that the famous scene knon as +therain!-night discussion(+ in the chapter +The 9room Tree(+ 01=2follos the structure of the three c!cles of preaching of theLotus Sutra& 01A2Endo: From the mid-<eian period on( the emperor and thearistocrac! often composed poems based on "arious chapters

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of the Lotus Sutra& This custom of riting a poem based on asingle chapter seems to ha"e been popular in China( and astransmitted from there to >apan& ;ccording to scholars of >apanese literature( the +E#pedient @eans+ and +Life Span+chapters ere the most freGuent choices for such poems(

folloed b! the +De"adatta+ chapter and those chapters inhich the se"en parables are e#pounded: the +Similes andParables+ chapter( the +9elief and nderstanding+ chapter( the+Parables of the @edicinal <erbs+ chapter and the +Prophec! of Enlightenment for Fi"e <undred Disciples+ chapter&For e#ample( the folloing poem is based on the parable of thegem in the robe( from the +Fi"e <undred Disciples+ chapter:) onl! learned,f the %eel sen in m! robe9! a chance meetingWith an old friend

While ) as drunk& 0162;nother poem alludes to the parable of the three carts and theburning house:The orld is a dismal place;nd !et ho;m ) to escapeThis house of burning desiresWithout the o# cart3 0142)keda: The Lotus Sutra as so ell knon among the populaceat this time that man! of its famous phrases ere used aspuns in poetr!&

The Distinctive Features of the Parables of the

Lotus Sutra

Suda: Where( ) onder( does this tremendous poer of theLotus Sutra7s parables to capti"ate people7s hearts andimaginations come from3 )n particular( the sutra de"otes eightof its tent!-eight chapters to clarif!ing the true function of

the three "ehicles and replacing them ith the one 9uddha"ehicle( thereb! emphasi$ing that all li"ing beings possess thepotential for 9uddhahood& Fi"e of the Lotus Sutra7s se"enparables are found in these eight chapters& This teaching is setforth ith such persistence that some might e"en /nd it a littletiresome& 9ut hat e are seeing here( ) think( is thee#traordinar! depth of Shak!amuni7s compassion&

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)keda: E#actl!& That is precisel! the source of the richness ofthe parables of the Lotus Sutra&What is a parable3 The *reat Teacher T7ien-t7ai of Chinacomments:The 9uddha7s great compassion is ne"er e#hausted his skillful

isdom operates ithout limit& That is h! the 9uddhapreaches parables& @o"ing the trees( he shos us the indraising his fan( he re"eals the moon& This is ho he aakens usto the truth& 01B2ichiren Daishonin Guotes this passage and adds his oncomment: +0The 9uddha7s2 7great compassion7 is like the merc!and compassion a mother feels for her child+ *osho enshu(p& B51.&)t is deep compassion( hich gi"es birth to these skillfulparables& <e further cites the ords of T7ien-t7ai7s discipleChang-an: +,ne ho rids the oender of e"il is acting as his

parent+ *osho enshu( p& B51.& The Daishonin is describingthe +strict lo"e+ of a parent ho ill /ght to rid his or her childof e"il( e"en if it means earning the child7s dislike&&&&& o this threefold orldis all m! domain(and the li"ing beings in itare all m! children&o this placeis beset b! man! pains and trials&) am the onl! personho can rescue and protect others&&& LS=( 4K-B?.

Saito: We can see this parental concern of the 9uddha hereand there throughout the +Similes and Parables+ chapter& Fore#ample( Shak!amuni states: +These li"ing beings are all m!sons& ) ill gi"e the *reat ehicle to all of them eGuall!+ LS=(41. and +o this threefold orld H is all m! domain( H and theli"ing beings in it H are all m! children+ LS=( 4K.&Suda: The last passage is a "er! important one( for it makesthe relation beteen the 9uddha and li"ing beings perfectl!clear&)keda: ;ll se"en of the central parables of the Lotus Sutrare"eal the compassion of the 9uddha for li"ing beings& )n three

of them--the parables of the three carts and the burninghouse( the ealth! man and his poor son( and the e#cellentph!sician and his sick children--the 9uddha is depicted as afather ho sa"es his children& )n the parable of the three kindsof medicinal herbs( he is likened to a great cloud ofcompassion that deli"ers rain eGuall! to all t!pes of plants inthe parable of the phantom cit! and the treasure land( he isdepicted as a cara"an leader in the parable of the gem in the

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robe( he is depicted as a man ho protects his friend and inthe parable of the priceless gem in the topknot( he is depictedas a king ho praises his minister&The parables of the Lotus Sutra are not preached +inaccordance to the mind of li"ing beings+ $uitai.( matching

their capacities& The! are preached( +in accordance ith the9uddha7s on mind+ $ui%%i.( to re"eal that mind and to drali"ing beings toard it& The Daishonin rites:The Lotus Sutra is an e#ample of $ui%ii 0a teaching hich ispreached +in accordance ith the 9uddha7s on mind+.(because in it the 9uddha had all li"ing beings compl! ith hison mind& @W-B( 16=.

The Parables ,f The Lotus Sutra ;re Taught To @akeThe @inds ,f Li"ing 9eings ,ne With The 9uddha7s

@ind

Saito: The parables of the Lotus Sutra ha"e the poer to raiseli"ing beings to the state of 9uddhahood&)keda: 'es( the! do& Earlier ) noted that parables ha"e thepoer to make one think in a "er! acti"e and participator!a!& Tsunesaburo @akiguchi( the Soka *akkai7s foundingpresident( designed his educational s!stem to achie"e thatsame eect& ) am referring to hat he called a +homeen"ironment course+ and +practical education&+ <is idea as to

lead the student to e#perience hat he could in his on homeen"ironment( and then mo"e on to learning of things hecouldn7t directl! e#perience( ala!s using his on e#perienceas a reference point& With the students7 actual e#periencesser"ing as parables( as it ere( @r& @akiguchi7s methodencourages students to e#pand their /eld of thought on theiron& That is h! he placed such importance on free acti"itiesfor students&sing easil! understandable parables and similes to teach isthe same as forcing students to think on their on& ;nd it isprecisel! this( hich brings about a dramatic change in thosebeing taught&Nelated to this( a certain person once described the se"enparables of the Lotus Sutra as a medicine that cures theillnesses of life& ) am speaking of the )ndian 9uddhistphilosopher asubandhu( acti"e around the fourth or /fthcentur!&

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asubandhu stated( for instance( that the parable of the threecarts and the burning house is a cure for the arrogant mindhich mistakenl! seeks e"er! kind of "irtue& +@istakenl!+refers to the foll! of tr!ing to seek true happiness in theburning house of this threefold orld&

The parable of the phantom cit! and the treasure land( saidasubandhu( is a cure for the arrogant mind( hich iscon"inced of the realit! of things( hich do not actuall! e#istor ha"e an! substance& )t speci/call! teaches the "oice-hearersthat the limited enlightenment of the to "ehicles( hich the!belie"e to be e"er!thing( is in fact no more than a phantomcit!--in other ords( that it doesn7t e#ist&The parable of the gem in the robe( meanhile( cures thearrogant mind( hich is con"inced of the unrealit! of thathich is true or real& )t teaches that the %eel the 9uddhanature. that li"ing beings do not belie"e e#ists is there all

along( sen into the lining of their robes inherent in their "er!on li"es.&Thus asubandhu described the se"en parables as bene/cialmedicine for curing the illnesses of life& ;nd Shak!amuni( b!that token( is a great doctor ho cures and re"i"es li"ingbeings& <e is a great doctor and a strict father& )n all of hisincarnations( hat shines through is Shak!amuni7s ardentcompassion( hich seeks to make all li"ing beings happ!&Saito: The parable of the e#cellent ph!sician and his sickchildren in the +Life Span+ chapter shos the 9uddha as boththe great doctor and the strict father&

)keda: 'es( the 9uddha of the +Life Span+ chapter is the9uddha ho orks ceaselessl! for the sal"ation of all beings--from the beginning-less past and on into the endless future&The life of this 9uddha is eternal( and !et he appears in theorld to sa"e li"ing beings and then enters e#tinction again forthe same purpose& <is appearance and e#tinction are all forthe sake of li"ing beings& This 9uddha is the perfect e#pressionof a life of compassion&Endo: )n the /rst of the se"en parables( the three carts and theburning house( the 9uddha is depicted as a father& Thepassage mentioned earlier( +o this threefold orld H is all m!

domain( H and the li"ing beings in it H are all m! children+ LS=(4K.( illustrates the compassionate determination of the9uddha( ho is the father( to sa"e all li"ing beings( ho are hischildren& This 9uddha ho acts as a father to all li"ing beingsis then re"ealed in the +Life Span+ chapter as the 9uddha oftime ithout beginning( ho represents the eternal functionand acti"it! of compassion&

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)keda: The *osho +<!aku Nokka Sho+ The ,ne <undred andSi# Comparisons. refers to this passage as a hidden referenceto the +Life Span+ chapter *osho enshu( p& 64.&

Parables re Identical to the !ntit of the La#

Suda: The similes and parables that appear in the Lotus Sutraha"e another "er! important feature& ot onl! doesShak!amuni emplo! them in his attempts to con"e! theprofound depths of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra to hisdisciples( but his disciples use them( too( to demonstrate thatthe! ha"e understood his teachings&When e think of using parables to e#plain something( eusuall! consider it as a method emplo!ed b! a teacher hen

instructing his students& 9ut in the Lotus Sutra( parables areb! no means a one-a! street the 9uddha7s disciples alsomake use of parables hen the! speak&Saito: For e#ample( the four great "oice-hearers( 012 hoimmediatel! grasped the meaning of the parable of the threecarts and the burning house( re"eal their understanding in the+9elief and nderstanding+ chapter b! relating the parable ofthe ealth! man and his poor son& While in the +Prophec! ofEnlightenment for Fi"e <undred Disciples+ chapter( the "oice-hearers( ho ha"e grasped the teaching of causes andconditions set forth in the +Parable of the Phantom Cit!+chapter( sho their understanding b! sharing the parable ofthe gem in the robe&)keda: Simpl! hearing the 9uddha7s skillful parables andsimiles and declaring( +'es( ) understand8+ do not constitute afull understanding& Trul! profound understanding results in atransformation of one7s entire being& 9! its "er! nature(understanding entails a transformation& ;s one rises to ahigher state of being( isdom is born& That is h! the disciplesho heard and trul! understood the 9uddha7s teachings erethen able to speak in parables themsel"es&We must also remember that Shak!amuni used parables toreach all li"ing beings& <is purpose as to open the path of9uddhahood to all ithout e#ception& ,nce his disciplesunderstood the meaning behind the parables( the reason h!the 9uddha used them( it seems Guite natural that the! ouldrespond ith parables of their on& The %o! of understanding/lled them ith an irrepressible desire to share this truth ithothers&

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Endo: )n a dierent conte#t entirel!( this +%o! ofunderstanding+ reminds me of the stor! of the ancient *reekmathematician and in"entor ;rchimedes7 disco"er! of theph!sical la of buo!anc! knon as ;rchimedes7 Principle& Theking anted to con/rm hether a certain cron as in fact

made out of pure gold( and he asked ;rchimedes to /nd out forhim--ithout( of course( damaging the cron& ;rchimedesent to the public bath to pu$$le o"er this problem hen henoticed( as he loered himself into the tub( that the atero"erJoed& ;t that instant( a a! of measuring the gold struck him like a bolt of lightning& <e leapt out of the bath and cried+<eureka8 <eureka8+ )7"e found it8.& This episode is Guitefamous( and the term eureka as it is spelled in English. hasbeen an e#pression for the %o! of disco"er! throughout theWest for centuries&)keda: o doubt it is because ;rchimedes7 %ubilation continues

to pulse in this e#pression that it has sur"i"ed o"er thecenturies don to the present da!& Likeise( the uncontainable %o! of the 9uddha7s disciples permeates the parables the!oer&)nterestingl!( Shak!amuni tells Shariputra that he is preachingthe Lotus Sutra to make him recall the 9uddha a!( hich thelatter had aspired to and practiced in the past&The 9uddha states: +o( because ) ant !ou to recall to mindthe a! that !ou originall! "oed to follo&&& ) am preachingthis *reat ehicle sutra called the Lotus of the Wonderful La+LS=( 61.&

nderstanding and con"e!ing the truth to others are acts ofremembering& Necollection is possible because the truth isalread! ithin one7s life& That is h! the Lotus Sutra placessuch importance on both parables and the inJuence of causesand conditions& The +Life Span+ chapter teaches the ultimatecauses and conditions dating back to the beginning-less past&Saito: The >apanese poet @akoto ,oka rites:The ords e use in e"er!da! speech can suddenl! assume(depending upon the a!s in hich the! are combined or themoments in hich the! are uttered( a tremendous poer&&& Thelanguage e use is like the tip of an iceberg& What is the part

of the iceberg that rests belo the ocean surface3 )t is theintent( the mind of the person ho speaks the language( andthe mind of the listener( to hich the ord communicates( alsobelo the ocean7s surface of language& 01K2)keda: )n one sense( hen one uses a parable( one is changingthe a!s in hich one usuall! combines ords( selectinge#pressions that perfectl! communicate one7s message& Whenone does this( ordinar!( familiar ords and phrases take on a

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ne meaning that transcends their t!pical uses& The! acGuire apoer to link the minds and character of people that aresubmerged and e#ist on a le"el deeper than language& Thiscommunication is the real meaning of understanding andcon"e!ing ideas& ;nd this is h! parables ha"e such poer&

Endo: To share one of m! on e#periences( ) remember oncebeing reall! don in the dumps( and one of m! seniors said tome simpl!( +)t7s been reall! tough( hasn7t it3+ ) felt that "er!ordinar! phrase as a great encouragement( and ) as deepl!mo"ed& )t7s ama$ing ho our sincere concern for another canbe so mo"ing( can ha"e such a great eect&)keda: 'es& The! are ords( but the! are more than ords& Thepoer of ords deri"es from the human heart& The mind( theheart( is hat lies at the bottom of ords and hat gi"es themlife& ichiren Daishonin obser"es( +Words manifest throughsound to con"e! the sentiments in our heart+ *osho enshu(

p& 64=.& The same ords can ha"e "er! dierent degrees ofpoer( too( depending upon the depth of the hearts of thoseho speak them&)n one of his commentaries( the *reat Teacher Deng!o rites(+These se"en parables 0of the Lotus Sutra2 are none other thanthe entit! of the La( and the entit! of the La is none otherthan these metaphors and parables+ @W-B( BA.& This meansthat the parables of the Lotus Sutra are the "er! heart andmind of the 9uddha& )n the *osho +The Entit! of the @!sticLa(+ the Daishonin elucidates that am-@!oho-Nenge-O!o isthe ultimate e#pression of this principle that the parables of

the Lotus Sutra are identical to the entit! of the La&Suda: )n the past( the Lotus Sutra has been critici$ed forlacking doctrinal teachings and constituting nothing more thana collection of parables and la"ish praise for the 9uddha&)keda: >apanese scholars such as Tominaga akamoto 1B16-A4. and <irata ;tsutane 1BB4-1A=. are ell knon for"oicing such criticisms&Suda: 'es& ;fter stud!ing the Lotus Sutra( the Edo-periodphilosopher Tominaga came to the conclusion that it containedlittle more than praise for the 9uddha and presented noteachings orth mentioning& <e also critici$ed the parables of

the sutra for merel! emphasi$ing the superiorit! of the sutraitself&<irata( a scholar of >apanese classics( declared the Lotus Sutrato be inferior to all other @aha!ana scriptures& Compared toother @aha!ana sutras( he said( it as decidedl! unsatisf!ing(ha"ing no real substance it as /lled ith arnings about thedestruction of 9uddhism and had man! fantastic tales( butne"er stated its purpose& ;ccording to <irata( the onl! thing

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one could sa! for the tent!-eight chapters as that the!ere long and( though the! ere /lled ith praise for theremed! the! promised( the! ne"er actuall! deli"ered themedicine the! touted&)keda: ichiren Daishonin rote something that seems at /rst

glance to be of similar intent: +9ear in mind that the tent!-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra contain onl! a fe passageselucidating the truth( but a great man! ords of praise+ @W-6( 5?=.& 9ut the Daishonin7s conclusion is the opposite of<irata7s& <e asserts( +The more one praises the blessings ofthe Lotus Sutra( the more his blessings ill increase+ @W-6(5?=.&The Daishonin is suggesting that e adopt the position of the9uddha& Since the 9uddha praises the Lotus Sutra( e arebound to reap great bene/t if e do the same& )t meansembracing the 9uddha7s spirit as our on& nless e ha"e this

attitude--that is( unless e ha"e faith--e ill ne"erunderstand the Lotus Sutra( hich e#pounds the 9uddha7sheart and intent& )ndeed( hen e read the Lotus Sutra iththe heart of faith( it is immediatel! clear ho shallo suchcriticisms of the Lotus Sutra are& For in those +fe passageselucidating the truth(+ of hich the Daishonin speaks( the seedof 9uddhahood for all li"ing beings is indisputabl! present&Suda: Contemporar! scholars also point out that the ob%ectionsof Tominaga and others to the Lotus Sutra are ill founded& Fore#ample( Dr& akamura( hom e cited earlier( rites:There is no s!stematic presentation of an abstract philosoph!

in the /rst half of the Lotus Sutra& )t restricts itself to arepeated( richl! e#pressed assertion( emplo!ing a "ariet! ofparables( of the doctrine that all of the 9uddha7s teachings aresolel! the one 9uddha "ehicle& ;s a result( an!one ho seeks aparticular philosophical or doctrinal s!stem in this part of thesutra ill be disappointed& 9ut it is this "er! absence of aspeci/call! stated philosoph! that indicates the Lotus Sutra7simportant philosophical position& 05?2Saito: Earlier( through the parables of the Lotus Sutra( ediscussed the poer of language to encourage and enlighten&9ut in our societ! toda!( unfortunatel!( language is freGuentl!

put to other purposes: to decei"e( to e#ploit( and to renderinsensible people7s aareness of basic human rights&Suda: @r& Toda declared( +Speech or riting bereft ofcon"iction is as insubstantial as smoke&+ When e see smoke(e can e"ade it& 9ut in >apan toda!( public discourse is soengulfed in the smoke of lies that there is nohere to escape&o one e"en tries an! more&)keda: We li"e( if not in a burning house( in a smoking house8

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Suda: The late Dr& Toshio Oamba( a noted sociologist andprofessor of Soka ni"ersit!( once noted: +The ruling elites ofgo"ernment and business are tr!ing to bring the media undertheir control in order to steer public opinion in a directionfa"orable to their on agendas&&&+ 0512 ;nd he arned:

)t is crucial that such fascist political tendencies are nipped inthe bud( before the! can take /rm hold& >apan7s preare#perience taught us that a repressi"e go"ernment begins b!instituting relati"el! mild measures of control& 9ut it Guickl!picks up the tempo and organi$es its forces& ,nce that hashappened( a great deal of eort is reGuired to oppose the riseof fascism& ;nd that is h! e must strike hard against theconser"ati"e reactionar! forces no( hen the! are %ustbeginning to e#ercise their poer& 0552)keda: That7s true& We must be alert to the forces runningbeneath the smallest changes in societ!& ;nd e must nip e"il

in the bud and encourage the groth of good& E"er!phenomenon has implications that must be understood( ande"er! phenomenon can be transformed into a producti"ede"elopment( into something of ultimate "alue&;t the closing lines of his traged! Faust( *oethe rites that allthat is changeable is but an eternal parable& 05=2Saito: )t is eas! enough for us( too( if e7re not careful( to fall"ictim to the illusions that the most profound essence of9uddhism is to be found in some theor! or doctrine separatedfrom our dail! li"es( but the parables of the Lotus Sutra teachus that this real orld before us is true 9uddhism&

)keda: The proof of faith that e manifest in our li"esrepresents parables or illustrations of the "irtues to beobtained from embracing the @!stic La& Such proof is aneloGuent testimon! to the truth of the @!stic La&The great e#amples of Shi%o Oingo( the to )kegami brothersand other disciples of ichiren Daishonin ho faced ando"ercame great diIculties in their pursuit of faith are atremendous encouragement to us ho face similar problems&The Daishonin encouraged the )kegami brothers hen the tounited in the face of persecution( riting( +Could there e"er bea more onderful stor! than !our on3+ @W-1( 1A=.& ;nd %ust

as the Daishonin asserted( the stor! of the brothers is no toldaround the orld&The same applies to us& ,ur indi"idual e#periences oftriumphing o"er our problems gi"e courage and hope to man!others& The stor! of our personal "ictor!( in other ords(becomes a parable e#pressing the poer of the @!stic La&;nd those ho hear our e#perience can share it ith stillothers&

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@r& @akiguchi started the Soka *akkai7s discussion meetingmo"ement( hich centers on members sharing theire#periences in faith ith others& <e taught the @!stic La notin the form of diIcult abstract theories but through easil!intelligible personal e#periences&

Each indi"idual e#perience is a parable of the all-per"ading@!stic La& ;nd the discussion meeting( based on sharing suchpersonal e#periences( is a contemporar! representation of the+Similes and Parables+ chapter( a modern "ersion of the se"enparables of the Lotus Sutra( an in/nite treasur! of parables&Parables are isdom and compassion distilled to their mostfragrant essence& The Soka *akkai initiated a re"olution in thea! 9uddhism is spread b! adopting the same method as theLotus Sutra& The spirit of the Lotus Sutra7s parables li"es on inthe si#t!-/"e-!ear histor! of Soka *akkai&;nd e ill continue to rite the brilliant stor! of the

idespread propagation of the Lotus Sutra am-@!oho-Nenge-O!o. da! after da!( a stor! that ill be passed donthrough eternal future generations&

Footnotes$

1& a!uta and asamkh!a both Sanskrit terms. are ancient)ndian numerical units( hose e#planations dier according to

the source& ,ne source de/nes them respecti"el! as 1?11 and1?6K&5& Oalpa: Skt. ;n e#tremel! long period of time& Sources diersomehat in their de/nitions& ;ccording to one e#planation(the length of a small kalpa is appro#imatel! si#teen million!ears&=& From the >apanese translation of ,tto Friedrich 9ollno7sSprache und Er$iehung: ,&F& 9ollno( *engo to O!oikuLanguage and Education.( trans& Takashi @orita Tok!o:Oaashima Shoten( 1K4K.( p& 146&A& 'o%ana: Skt. ; unit of measurement used in ancient )ndia(eGual to the distance that the ro!al arm! as thought to beable to march in a da!& ;ppro#imations "ar! as idel! as K&4(14 and 5A kilometers&6& Four <ea"enl! Oings: Lords of the four Guarters ho ser"e)ndra >p& Taishaku. as his generals and protect the fourcontinents&

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4& Thirt!-to distincti"e features and eight! characteristics:The remarkable ph!sical characteristics and e#traordinar!features possessed b! 9uddhas and bodhisatt"as&B& Such Chinese orks as the <okke Denki The Lotus Sutraand its Traditions. and the Oosan <okke Den Wide Praise for

the Lotus Sutra.&& <a%ime akamura( +)ndo to *irishia to no Shiso Oor!u+)ntellectual E#change 9eteen )ndia and *reece.( akamura<a%ime Senshu Selected Works of <a%ime akamura. Tok!o:Shun%usha( 1K4.( "ol& 14( p& 1K1&K& @iraculous Stories from the >apanese 9uddhist Tradition:The ihon N!oiki of the @onk O!okai( trans& and ed& O!okootomochi akamura Cambridge: <ar"ard ni"ersit! Press(1KB=.&1?& The Pillo 9ook of Sei Shonagon( trans& )"an @orrisLondon: ,#ford ni"ersit! Press( 1K4B.( p& =K&

11& Eight Lectures on the Lotus Sutra: Nefers to the custom ofholding lectures on the eight "olumes of the Lotus Sutra ineight sessions b! eight dierent people&15& The three main scriptures ritten b! T7ien-t7ai: <okke*engi Profound @eaning of the Lotus Sutra.( <okke @onguWords and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra. and @aka Shikan*reat Concentration and )nsight.&1=& @urasaki Shikibu( The Tale of *en%i( trans& Edard *&Seidensticker Tok!o: Charles E& Tuttle Compan!( )nc&( 1KB4.( p&5?&1A& Three c!cles of preaching: The c!cles of preaching(

understanding and prediction of enlightenment thatShak!amuni emplo!ed in the Lotus Sutra& The c!cle isrepeated in accord ith the dierent capacities of each of thethree groups of "oice-hearer disciples--hence the term +threec!cles of preaching&+16& The poem is b! Senshi aishinno K4A-1?=6.( hich isincluded in the <osshin Waka Shu( a collection of /ft!-/"epoems based on the Lotus Sutra& The charm of the poem in theoriginal deri"es largel! from untranslatable puns&14& ;uthor anon!mous& )ncluded in the Shui Waka ShuCollection of *leanings.( an imperial antholog! of aka

poems( completed beteen KK4-1??B&1B& <okke @ongu Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.( "ol&6&1& The four great "oice-hearers: @audgal!a!ana(@ahakash!apa( Oat!a!ana and Subhuti&1K& @akoto ,oka( Shi( Ootoba( ingen Poetr!( Words andPeople. Tok!o: Oodansha *aku%utsu 9unko( 1K6.( p& 5&

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5?& <a%ime akamura( +)ndo Shiso no Shomondai+,bser"ations on )ndian Thought.( akamura <a%ime SenshuSelected Works of <a%ime akamura. Tok!o: Shun%usha(1K4.( "ol& 1?( pp& 514-1B&51& Toshio Oamba( Nekishi a Ourikaesu ka3 Does <istor!

Nepeat )tself3. Tok!o: Oeiso Shobo( 1KBK.( p& 4&55& )bid&( pp& 5?B-5?&5=& cf& *erman and >apanese translations of >ohann Wolfgang"on *oethe7s Faust

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the wisdom of the lotus sutra-chapter three

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