Chapter 7. The Parableof the Conjured City
The Parable of the Conjured City
In “The Parable of the Conjured City,” the Buddha continues to explain why he taught the Lesser Vehicle. He says: “Monks, you should know that the Tathagata, using his power of skillful means, deeply understands the nature of all sentient beings. He knows that their inclinations lie toward the Lesser Vehicle and that they are deeply attached to the five worldly desires: wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. Therefore, you seek the Dharma only for your own comfort and the ease of this life. This is why I used the Lesser Vehicle to lead you away from suffering and toward joy.” He then gives the parable of the conjured city. Suppose a group of people is seeking a treasure, but they must travel a perilous and evil road five hundred yojanas long. Only by traversing this difficult and dangerous path can they reach the place where the treasure is hidden. They find a guide to lead them. However, halfway through the journey, the group becomes discouraged. Someone says to the guide, “We are exhausted, and the road is becoming more difficult. There seems to be no end in sight. We don’t want the treasure anymore; we want to go back.”
The guide is very clever and wise. He realizes that it would be a great pity for them to turn back after traveling halfway. With just a little more effort, they could reach the treasure. Why should they abandon such a great prize? He then thinks of a skillful method. At a point three hundred yojanas along the road, he conjures up a city and says to the travelers: “Do not be afraid, and do not give up. There is a city not far ahead where you can rest, eat, and enjoy yourselves. Once you are rested, if you feel you can continue, we will move on. If you do not wish to go further, you can stay or return.” Hearing this, the people are delighted. They exert themselves a bit more and enter the conjured city. Once inside, they settle down and feel they have arrived at their destination, believing they have attained liberation. These are the disciples of the Lesser Vehicle. They dwell in this conjured city and find temporary happiness.
When they have rested sufficiently, the guide says to them: “You should continue forward. The place of treasure is nearby; the prize is almost within reach. This city was merely something I conjured through supernatural power for the purpose of your rest.” This is the Buddha telling his disciples that the Lesser Vehicle’s fruit is like a conjured city—it allows one to temporarily escape samsara through meditative concentration, but it is not ultimate liberation. The real treasure has not yet been obtained.
Thus, the Buddha says: “Monks, the Tathagata is just like this. He is now your great guide. He knows the various afflictions on the path of birth and death, and how extremely dangerous the evil paths are, full of long-lasting suffering. Therefore, you should leave this dangerous path and find the joy and comfort of liberation. However, if sentient beings were to hear only of the One Buddha Vehicle, they would not want to see the Buddha or be near him. They would think that the path to Buddhahood is too distant and that success can only be achieved through extremely long and diligent practice.”
The Buddha knows that the minds of sentient beings are weak and lowly. Therefore, using his power of skillful means, he speaks to them of two kinds of Nirvana—Nirvana with remainder and Nirvana without remainder. If sentient beings abide in these two states, the Tathagata then says to them, “What you have done is not yet finished. The place where you now dwell is close to the wisdom of the Buddha. You should observe carefully and consider deeply: the Nirvana you have attained is not the true Nirvana. The Nirvana of the Shravaka and Pratyekabuddha is not true Nirvana. It is merely the skillful power of the Tathagata.” From the One Buddha Vehicle, he distinguished and spoke of the three vehicles, just as that guide, in order to let the people rest, conjured up a great city.