Saddharma-Pundarika, Or 

The Lotus of the True Law

Translated by H. Kern (1884) Sacred Books of the East, Volume XXI

CHAPTER III: A PARABLE

 1) …On this speech of the venerable Sâriputra the Lord said to him the following: Have I not told thee before, Sâriputra, that the [Buddha] preaches the law …with due regard to the different dispositions and inclinations of creatures? … All his preachings…have no other end but supreme and perfect enlightenment, for which he is rousing beings to the Bodhisattva-course. But, Sâriputra, to elucidate this matter more at large, I will tell thee a parable, for men of good understanding will generally readily enough catch the meaning of what is taught under the shape of a parable.

2) Let us suppose the following case, Sâriputra.  In a certain village…there was a certain housekeeper, old, aged, decrepit, very advanced in years, rich, wealthy, opulent; he had a great house …built a long time ago and ...inhabited by some two, three, four, or five hundred living beings. The house had but one door, and a thatch; its terraces were tottering, the bases of its pillars rotten, the coverings and plaster of the walls loose. On a sudden the whole house was from every side put in conflagration by a mass of fire. Let us suppose that

the man had many little boys, say five, or ten, or even twenty, and that he himself had come out of the house.

3) Now, Sâriputra, that man, on seeing the house from every side wrapped in a blaze by a great mass of fire, got …anxious in his mind, and made the following reflection: I myself am able to come out from the burning house through the door, quickly and safely, without being touched or scorched by that great mass of fire; but my children … are staying in the burning house, playing, amusing, and diverting themselves with all sorts of sports. They do not perceive, nor know, nor understand, nor mind that the house is on fire, and do not get afraid. Though scorched by that great mass of fire, and affected with such a mass of pain, they do not mind the pain, nor do they conceive the idea of escaping.

4) The man, Sâriputra, is strong, has powerful arms, and (so) he makes this reflection: … let me gather all my little boys and…[carry them out from] the house. [But then he realized] …This house has but one opening; the door is shut; and those boys, fickle, unsteady, and childlike as they are, will… run hither and thither, and come to grief and disaster in this mass of fire. Therefore I will warn them. So resolved, he calls to the boys: Come, my children; the house is burning with a mass of fire; come, lest you be burnt in that mass of fire, and come to grief and disaster. But the ignorant boys do not heed … [his] words … they are not afraid,…nor even... understand … the word 'burning;' on the contrary, they run hither and

thither, walk about, and repeatedly look at their father; all because they are so ignorant.

5) Then the man is going to reflect thus: The house is burning, is blazing by a mass of fire, [and I fear] that I as well as my children will come to grief and disaster. Let me therefore by some skilful means get the boys out of the house. The man knows the disposition of the

boys, and has a clear perception of their inclinations. Now these boys happen to have many and manifold toys…. [Knowing their disposition, the man] says to them: My children, [I have put your precious toys] … (such as) bullock-carts, goat-carts, deer-carts…outside the house-door for you to play with. Come, run out, leave the house; to each of you I shall give what he wants. Come soon; come out for the sake of these toys. And the boys, on hearing the names mentioned of such playthings as they like and desire…quickly rush out from the burning house,…pushing each other on with the cry of 'Who shall arrive first, the very first?'

6) The man, seeing that his children have safely and happily escaped, and knowing that they are free from danger, goes and sits down in the open air on the square of the village, his heart filled with joy and delight… The boys go …where their father is sitting, and say: 'Father, give us those toys to play with, those bullock-carts, goat-carts, and deer-carts.' Then,

Sâriputra, the man gives to his sons…bullock-carts only, made of seven precious substances…embellished with jewel wreaths, decorated with garlands of flowers…yoked with white, very fair and fleet bullocks, led by a multitude of men. To each of his children he gives several bullock carts of one appearance and one kind, provided with flags, and swift as the wind. That man does so, Sâriputra, because being rich…he rightly thinks: Why should I give these boys inferior carts, all these boys being my own children, dear and precious? I have got such great vehicles, and ought to treat all the boys equally and without partiality. …Meanwhile the boys are mounting the vehicles with feelings of astonishment and wonder.

Now, Sâriputra, what is thy opinion? Has that man made himself guilty of a falsehood by first holding out to his children the prospect of three vehicles and afterwards giving to each of them the greatest vehicles only, the most magnificent vehicles?

7) Sâriputra answered: By no means, Lord… That is not sufficient, O Lord, to qualify the man as a speaker of falsehood, since it only was a skilful device to persuade his children to go out of the burning house and save their lives. Nay, besides recovering their very body, O Lord, they have received all those toys. If that man, O Lord, had given no single cart, even then he would not have been a speaker of falsehood, for he had previously been meditating on saving the little boys … Even in this case, O Lord, the man would not have been guilty of falsehood, and far less now that he, considering his having plenty of treasures and prompted by no other motive but the love of his children, gives to all… vehicles of one kind…That man, Lord, is not guilty of falsehood.

8) The venerable Siriputra having thus spoken, the Lord said to him: Very well, very well, Sâriputra, quite so; it is even as [you say]... So, too, Sâriputra, the [Buddha] … is free from all dangers, wholly exempt from all misfortune, despondency, calamity, pain, grief, [and] the thick enveloping dark mists of ignorance. He … is the father of the world, who has reached the highest perfection in the knowledge of skilful means, who is most merciful, long- suffering, benevolent, compassionate. He appears in this triple world, which is like a house … burning by a mass of misery, in order to deliver from affection, hatred, and delusion the

beings subject to birth, old age, disease, death, grief, wailing, pain, melancholy, despondency, the dark enveloping mists of ignorance, in order to rouse them to supreme and perfect enlightenment. Once born, he sees how the creatures are burnt, tormented, vexed, distressed by birth, old age, disease, death, grief, wailing, pain, melancholy, despondency; how for the sake of enjoyments, and prompted by sensual desires, they severally suffer various pains [now, and will in future will suffer] in hell, in the brute creation, in the realm of Yama; suffer such pains as poverty in the world of gods or men, union with hateful persons or things, and separation from the beloved ones. And whilst incessantly whirling in that mass of evils they

are … diverting themselves; they do not fear… they are not startled, do not try to escape, but are enjoying themselves in that triple world which is like unto a burning house…

9) Under such circumstances, Sâriputra, the [Buddha] reflects thus: Verily, I am the father of these beings; I must save them from this mass of evil, and bestow on them the immense, inconceivable bliss of Buddha-knowledge, wherewith they shall sport, play, and divert themselves, wherein they shall find their rest.

10) Then, Sâriputra, the [Buddha] reflects thus: If … I manifest to these beings the knowledge, forces, and absence of hesitation of the [Buddha], without availing myself of some device, these beings will not escape. For they are attached to … worldly pleasures; they will not be freed from birth, old age, disease, death, grief, wailing, pain, melancholy,

despondency, by which they are burnt, tormented, vexed, distressed. Unless they are forced to leave the triple world which is like a house [afire] … how are they to get acquainted with Buddha-knowledge?

11) Now, Sâriputra, even as that man with powerful arms … attracts his children out of the burning house by an able device, and afterwards gives them magnificent, great carts, so, Sâriputra, the [Buddha] … to attract the creatures out of the triple world … shows … three vehicles, viz. the vehicle of the disciples, the vehicle of the Pratyekabuddhas, and the vehicle of the Bodhisattvas. By means of these three vehicles he attracts the creatures and speaks to them thus: Do not delight in this triple world, which is like a burning house, in these miserable forms, sounds, odours, flavours, and contacts. For in delighting in this triple world ye are burnt, heated, inflamed with the thirst inseparable from the pleasures of the five senses. Fly from this triple world; betake yourselves to the three vehicles: the vehicle of the disciples, the vehicle of the Pratyekabuddhas, the vehicle of the Bodhisattvas. I give you my pledge for it, that I shall give you these three vehicles; make an effort to run out of this triple world…

12) Now, Sâriputra, the beings who have become wise have faith in the [Buddha] … [and] amongst them there are some who… apply themselves to the commandment of the [Buddha] to acquire the knowledge of the Four Noble Truths, for the sake of their own complete Nirvâna. These one may say to be those who, coveting the vehicle of the disciples, fly from the triple world, just as some of the boys will fly from that burning house, prompted by a desire of getting a cart yoked with deer. Other beings desirous of the science without a master, of self-restraint and tranquility, apply themselves to the commandment of the [Buddha] to learn to understand causes and effects, for the sake of their own complete Nirvâna. These one may say to be those who, coveting the vehicle of the Pratyekabuddhas, fly from the triple world, just as some of the boys fly from the burning house, prompted by the desire of getting a cart yoked with goats. Others again desirous of the knowledge of the all-knowing, the knowledge of Buddha…apply themselves … to learn to understand the knowledge, powers, and freedom from hesitation of the [Buddha], for the sake of the common weal and happiness, out of compassion to the world… for the sake of the complete Nirvâna of all beings. These one may say to be those who, coveting the great vehicle, fly from the triple world. Therefore they are called Bodhisattvas… They may be likened to those among the boys who have fled from the burning house prompted by the desire of getting a cart yoked with bullocks.

13) [Just as] that man, on seeing his children escaped from the burning house and knowing them safely and happily rescued and out of danger, in the  consciousness of his great wealth, gives the boys one single grand cart; so, too, Sâriputra, the [Buddha] … on seeing [countless] … beings recovered from the triple world, released from sorrow, fear, terror, and calamity… and having reached the bliss of Nirvâna, so, too, Sâriputra, the [Buddha] … considering that he possesses great wealth of knowledge, power, and absence of hesitation, and that all beings are his children, leads them by no other vehicle but the Buddha-vehicle to full development. But he does not teach a particular Nirvâna for each being; he causes all beings to reach complete Nirvâna by means of the complete Nirvâna of the [Buddha]. And those beings, Sâriputra, who are delivered from the triple world, to them the [Buddha] gives as toys to amuse themselves with the lofty pleasures of the Aryas, the pleasures of meditation, emancipation, self-concentration, and its results; (toys) all of the same kind. Even as that man, Sâriputra, cannot be said to have told a falsehood for having held out to those boys the prospect of three vehicles and given to all of them but one great vehicle … so, too, Sâriputra, the [Buddha] … tells no falsehood when by an able device he first holds forth

three vehicles and afterwards leads all to complete Nirvâna by the one great vehicle. For the [Buddha], Sâriputra, who is rich in treasures and storehouses of abundant knowledge, powers, and absence of hesitation, is able to teach all beings the law which is connected with the knowledge of the all-knowing. In this way, Sâriputra, one has to understand how the [Buddha] by an able device and direction shows but one vehicle, the Great vehicle.