Chapter 3. Simile and Parable
This chapter discusses the insights of Shariputra and other Hinayana disciples after hearing the Buddha’s teaching that even disciples of the Small Vehicle can ultimately attain Buddhahood. They were filled with joy and excitement.
Shariputra, moved to tears and exceptionally joyful, said to the Buddha: “We thought that we, as disciples of the Small Vehicle, were different from the assembly of Bodhisattvas. We thought the Buddha taught us the Small Vehicle because we lacked the capacity to study the Great Vehicle treatises, that we did not have the required spiritual roots, and that we were destined to have no connection with the fruit of Buddhahood in this life. We thought it impossible for us to attain the thirty-two marks and eighty subsidiary characteristics, or to one day deliver all sentient beings and propagate the Dharma like a Buddha. We thought that perhaps our karmic weight from past lives was too heavy, which is why the Buddha taught us the Small Vehicle. The Buddha is surely equitable, so if he taught us the Small Vehicle while teaching the Bodhisattvas the Great Vehicle, it must have been because our capacity was insufficient.” Today, they finally understood that it was simply because their attachments as Small Vehicle disciples were different. Because they had a deeper understanding of suffering, the Buddha first taught them from the perspective of the Truth of Suffering. “In truth, like the Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas, we are all sons of the Buddha! We were originally Buddhas all along; it was only our attachments that differed. We all possess the Tathagata nature!” He spoke of his great happiness.
The Parable of the Burning House and the Three Carts
Here, the Buddha told Shariputra a parable known as the “Parable of the Burning House and the Three Carts.” There are seven parables in the Lotus Sutra, known as the Seven Parables of the Lotus. This first parable explains why the Buddha did not speak of the One Buddha Vehicle from the beginning, but instead spoke of the Three Vehicles.
The parable tells of a wealthy elder in a certain town. He had a vast estate, but it had only one gate. Within this estate lived many children who spent their days playing in the courtyard. One day, fire suddenly broke out on all four sides of the estate. The elder, seeing the house on fire, became very anxious and called out to the children to come out quickly. But the children were too young; they did not understand what fire was, nor did they know what would happen if they were burned. They were preoccupied with their games and refused to leave. The elder considered: “The children are scattered all over the vast estate, and there is only one narrow gate. Some are unwilling to leave; if I try to force them out, some might be lost to the fire, which would be dangerous.” He thought of an expedient means and stood outside the burning house, shouting: “The goat carts, deer carts, and ox carts I promised you before—I have brought them now! They are just outside the gate. Come out quickly! If you are late, they will be gone!” Although the children were hidden in various parts of the house, as soon as they heard there were toys outside—and specifically the goat, deer, and ox carts they liked—they scrambled to get out, racing one another. They followed their father’s voice, running toward wherever he was. When the father saw that all the children had escaped the burning house and were sitting safely outside the gate, he was very happy. Because he was very wealthy, he would not give anything but the supreme Dharma. Thus, the father gave each of them a magnificent ox cart, adorned with every kind of treasure, and even their attendants were equally given Great White Ox Carts.
What does the Buddha intend to illustrate with this parable? The burning house represents our Three Realms—the “burning house of the Three Realms.” The fire represents our “three poisons” of greed, anger, and ignorance. Every person’s greed, anger, and ignorance are like poisonous fires; every one of us is being burned by the fires of desire. But we are like children; we do not understand what this fire is, nor do we understand the consequences of being ignited by it. Thus, sentient beings do not fear causes! We bravely do whatever we want to do, and then, when suffering arrives, we endure the torment. The Buddha says we are small and do not understand! But why did he not speak of the One Buddha Vehicle from the beginning? Because sentient beings want to leave suffering and find happiness; if you simply tell them to come out, they are preoccupied with their play and do not understand, so they will not come out. Therefore, the Buddha taught the three vehicles of the Sravaka, the Pratyekabuddha, and the Bodhisattva, using the goat, deer, and ox carts as metaphors. These are toys for sentient beings to lure them out first. After the children come out, the Buddha actually grants them liberation through the Buddha Vehicle—the Great White Ox Carts. The Buddha’s purpose in delivering sentient beings is to lead them to Buddhahood. In the middle of it all, there is only one gate; ultimately, everyone is liberated through the One Buddha Vehicle. Furthermore, the Buddha said he is very powerful, so why does he not just grab the children one by one? This means that although the Buddha possesses all spiritual powers and infinite Dharma might, he will not simply pull you out one by one. You must walk out from within your own heart. Because you must generate the resolve yourself and liberate yourself. The Buddha will not use spiritual powers to directly compel you.
After telling the “Parable of the Burning House,” the Buddha asked Shariputra: “In this story, this elder used the three carts to entice the children to leave the burning house. Was he telling a falsehood?” Shariputra replied that he certainly was not. Even if the elder had given them nothing after they came out, he did it for their own good to lure them out; even if he hadn’t given each of them a Great White Ox Cart, it would not be a falsehood. The Buddha said: “I am the same. I first taught you the Three Vehicles, and finally told you that those stages of realization cannot bring ultimate liberation. In the end, you are delivered by the One Buddha Vehicle, and you shall all achieve Unsurpassed Right and Perfect Enlightenment. You must all resolve to achieve Unsurpassed Right and Perfect Enlightenment; only by achieving this can you attain great mastery and be liberated from the cycle of life. Moreover, you are originally Buddhas; only by generating this resolve can you truly be liberated. You must generate this resolve from deep within; do not merely think, ‘I want to avoid suffering and find happiness,’ or ‘I want to attain some spiritual powers.’ Thinking this way will not bring liberation! My earlier teaching of the Three Vehicles was not a falsehood.”