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This is the second lecture in my seven part summer lecture series on the Lotus Sutra, and was recorded on July 11, 2011. This series will be an approach to studying the Lotus Sutra that will focus each session on various aspects of the Lotus Sutra, thereby giving a complete, though not necessarily in-depth, overview of the entire Lotus Sutra.
This second lecture is an overview of the major parables in the Lotus Sutra. In this lecture I cover four of the major parables with the remaining ones to be covered in various other lectures. The parables covered in this lecture are; Burning House, Rich Man and His Poor Son, Simile of Herbs, and Magic City. This covers parables found in Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 7. This is not a complete exploration of each of these chapters and is in fact only the study of the parables contained in each of these chapters.
The recording associated with this lecture is not edited.
I hope you find this material useful.
With Gassho
Ryusho
————notes for lecture————-
Here are the notes I used in the course of giving the lecture. These notes are unedited and put here in the hope of providing some value as you listen to the recorded lecture.
Major Parables – Second Lotus Sutra Study Session
July 11, 2011
There is much more contained within the chapters we are covering tonight. However, for the purpose of tonight’s lecture I am only going to talk about the parables or stories within the chapters, and not the other important subjects or ideas in these chapters. Tonight we will touch on Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 7.
Burning House – Chapter 3 (Murano, page 60; Reeves, page 112)
• Buddhas teach a variety of teachings with the single purpose of leading all beings in any capacity to attain enlightenment
• Nirvana was taught in particular for those not yet ready for the Great Vehicle in order to lead them to enter the Way by which they will become Buddhas.
• Includes many practices
• Now since the appearance of Buddhas is such a rare thing the Buddha begins to teach the One Vehicle, but to bodhisattvas only; Shariputra, the leading shravaka (learners) not normally regarded as a bodhisattva feels like dancing with joy because he realizes that the truth is he too is to become a Buddha and so is indeed a bodhisattva.
• Probably the most famous of all the parables taught by the Buddha, even those taught in other sutras
• Briefly summarizing:
o Once a great mansion – magnificent but now decayed and rotting
o As many as thirty children
o Does not speak of wives or mothers
o Many servants
o House suddenly caught fire
o Elder safe outside but children were inside playing and in danger of burning to death making no effort to escape
o Considered carrying the children out but not possible to get them all out in sufficient time
o Children did not understand the danger they were in
o Father realizes that he can entice the children out with carts they would like to play with
o Children wanted their promised carts however the father was so fond of his children and since he was extremely wealthy, in fact his wealth was infinite, so he gave each of them a cart even greater than what he had originally promised
o Father wasn’t deceitful because he was motivated by his desire for the welfare and safety of his children
• Representations:
o Old man is the Buddha
o Mansion is not just the world but the whole universe full of all kinds of beings not just humans
o The mansion is old though once magnificent – universe is subject to all kinds of imperfections such as impermanence, changing all the time
o We can not stay in this world for long, we will eventually die so in some ways this world is not like a house but more like a hotel
o Mansion is haunted by ghosts – our lives are haunted by our past, we may think we live in the present and that we are experiencing things objectively but often they are projections of our unconscious mind
o Mansion catches fire but in fact it was already on fire, that is the condition we are introduced to at the beginning of the parable, though we know it had another state we have not experienced it in any other way
o Fire is a common symbol in Buddhism and in Indian religion and is not always a negative image. However in this story the fire is a real threat to the children – being stuck and in danger has many implications:
• Lower spiritual ideals
• Evolving to only a certain point yet still have a great way to go
• Danger of remaining within the process of conditioned existence – the cycle of birth, death and rebirth
• Danger of becoming stuck at a lower level – though not always our fault
• Restrictions of circumstance with no clear perceivable direction so they feel frustrated, restricted, resentful, miserable
o Father representing the Buddha is not father in a biological sense – the Buddha is not a creator – Buddha is like a cultural father, someone more experienced. In older cultures it was not uncommon for a child to have both a biological father as well as a cultural father, often the mother’s brother or an uncle, even a godfather
• Father’s desire to rush in and save the children even though he was strong enough to do so it would not have resulted in the rescue of all the children – so too we can not spiritually save someone by force – we can not make people evolve emotionally or spiritually by forcing them or by coercion – we can drag them to meditation or church or temple but we can not force them to believe
• Children refuse to abandon their playing and running around even though they have been told of dire consequences, even though they have been pleaded with, even though he warned them with good words; just as we often ignore warnings, or teachings no matter how pleasant, sometimes we need an enticement to change and so it was with the promise of the carts
• Children come rushing out of the house pushing and shoving each striving to become first – so too we often treat others of differing religions shoving them out of the way, treating them poorly because we are interested in getting our ‘reward’. We may not persecute someone, at least not if we are truly bodhisattvas, but at the same time we may not radiate positive feelings toward them
• Father gives each child the very best cart, even one and the same cart, bigger and better than they had imagined – the closer people come to the ultimate goal the closer their paths converge
• Parables are metaphorical, they are analogies, but they are never perfect
o Image may lead people to think there are possibly many great vehicles when in fact there is only one though shared and enjoyed by all
o May lead people to think the many diverse ways are to be replaced by the One Way when in fact there is no replacement but instead are paths within the One Way – the Lotus Sutra does not replace bodhisattva nor does it reject it when teaching the One Great Buddha way, bodhisattva, as well as sravaka and all the others are within the One Single Vehicle
o Skillful means are within the One Buddha Way not an alternative to it. It becomes skillful only when it leads to the One Buddha Way. Understanding the many skillful means as separate, alternative ways is a great mistake, a mistake sometimes leading to disrespect, intolerance, and disdain.
o Three criteria for a teaching to be skillful, not just any trick will do
• Appropriateness – fits the situation and the ability of the student, also appropriate for the teacher to use it, teachers must not only consider the ability of the student but their own ability to instruct appropriately – “What needs to be done? and What can I do?”
• Skillfulness – for the sake of helping someone else – even though often the person using skillful means is rewarded – the purpose is not for the reward but for the outcome benefiting others
• Effectiveness – it must work, intentions are important but the Lotus Sutra places more importance on results. In the sutra as taught, we may be concerned with what goes on in our heads, we are even more concerned with what we do with our bodies, how we behave, how we live our daily lives – consider all the stories of previous and future lives
Rich Man Poor Son – Chapter 4 (Murano, page 89; Reeves, page 142)
• This is not the same or even similar to the story of the Prodigal Son in the Bible and Christian tradition. To claim they are similar shows a lack of understanding of either of the two stories and possibly both. Neither the story is same nor is the message being taught the same.
• This parable is not told by the Buddha, but by the elders of the congregation who had thought that they had already attained what there was to attain and sought nothing further thinking it required too much effort
• Summary
o Young man leaves home – father is not rich at this time
o Both the son and the father lost track of each other – the father and the son both moved around
o The son lived a life of poverty doing menial work, he is neither lazy nor wasteful of his abilities necessarily, he just doesn’t have good fortune to improve his condition
o Father meanwhile becomes a wealthy merchant and longed to find his son now that he was rich and powerful
o By accident the son came to the place where the father lived and the father recognized him but the son didn’t see nor recognize his father, instead he saw a rich man surrounded by servants and other signs of great wealth
o Son fled from the person who was his father fearing such wealth that he may be taken prisoner possibly and become a slave
o Father sent a servant to seek out the son and bring him back but the son feared that he would be taken captive pleaded he had done nothing wrong and fell to the ground in a faint.
o His father saw this and told the servant to awaken the son and tell him he could go wherever he wished
o Later the father sent two ordinary appearing persons to hire the son to work for the father
o The son agreed to work shoveling dung at double the pay
o The father disguised himself and went to the son to encourage him to stay and continue working for him with the promise that since his work was good he would be rewarded with a better position and more pay.
o Son continued working shoveling dung for another 20 years gradually becoming more confident and more trusted by his father
o Still though the son considered himself lacking in confidence and lived in a run down shack outside the estate
o The father became ill and knowing he would die soon he asked his son to manage and take charge of his various properties and business.
o The son did well even increasing his father’s estate
o Eventually the father becomes very ill nearing his death
o Calls all his relatives and friends and servants and son together and reveals the truth of the identity of the poor son and said he would inherit all of his wealth
• Lessons taught by parable
o Faith in ones self – not the only thing required but it is important
• Throughout the Lotus Sutra it is stressed that each of us is somebody important – important to ourselves, to others and important to the Buddha
• Each of us possesses great potential
• We are sought after by the Buddha, not just we seek the Buddha – the Buddha with great compassion shared his ultimate truth so that all people could attain enlightenment – Buddhism is not complete without everyone
• Does not overtly advocate social responsibility it does make evident the need for those who follow the Buddha to be concerned about social welfare. They are offensive to the Buddha because they assault and affront the Buddha-nature in people and give rise to suffering.
• Relationship to the Buddha – the Buddha yearns for all people just as the father yearned for his son, the Buddha seeks out all people, he wants to give all people his great treasure of enlgithenment – in Dharma Flower Sutra the term ‘children of the Buddha’ is used primarily to refer to Bodhisattvas including those who do not even know they are bodhisattvas.
• Saying we are children of the Buddha says something important about us it also says something important about the Buddha ‘a father to the whole world’.
• Even when we think we can not see him the Buddha is present and we are being led to the Buddha even when we do not know it, the Buddha seeks to elevate us from wherever we are we do not need to become anything in order to benefit from the Buddha’s teachings first
• Meaningful life can be found at all levels of life, even doing menial tasks and they are great preparation for a great life, a humble life
• Chapter is also about not being complacent with what we have done and an invitation to continue to grow in wisdom, compassion, and service
• Parable also about the journey of life – you could say our personal Odyssey but it is not a journey from the past though but a journey out of time itself, a journey that transcends time
• Condition of alienation of human kind – when did the alienation occur, when did the condition begin – it is of long standing, in Buddhism you can go back in time to the beginningless past and no matter how far you go back you never come to a time when man did not posses the potential for alienation while at the same time possessing the potential for enlightenment. There is no Adam and Eve point
• Son on one level refers to the scholar, the academic specialist in comparative religion. He knows the text, he knows the teachings, he knows the high and low and esoteric teachings – he goes in and out of the mansion without hesitation but he does not live there, he still lives in a straw hovel outside the gate.
• Also going in and out refers to the average person following a religion, they are sincere and even perhaps have genuine religious experiences, but their home is elsewhere. Even though they have religious experiences such as weekly meditation or weekly services their day to day life is preoccupied most of the time in the mundane world.
Simile of Herbs – Chapter 5 (Murano, page 105; Reeves, page 159)
• Story
o Great cloud that dispenses rain, a universal rain that falls everywhere benefiting the world
o All living beings are benefited and nourished equally regardless of their size or location
o Very short story
• Lessons Taught
o Roots equal faith, stem equals precepts or practice, branches equal firm mind, leaves equals wisdom – as faith grows the plant grows as the plant grows it is able to practice stronger, as the practice becomes stronger the roots grow and so do the branches or our mind becomes firmer which then produces greater wisdom which feeds the roots and plant with more nourishment as they grow and spread
o Small herbs represent humans and deities, middle plants represent hearers and private Buddhas, large plants represent Bodhisattvas
o Shift in focus of the Lotus Sutra from teaching in skillful means to an emphasis on universality of the Dharma and the equality of all living beings – this is one of those transitional moments that I’ll talk about in another part of this lecture series
o This story is about the intention of the Buddha and the teachings of Buddhism to be inclusive – yet this inclusivity does not diminish the reality and importance of individual things – there is no denying of the individual but an affirmation of the equality of all things in their capacity to become Buddhas and benefit from the teachings of the Buddha
o Dharma can be found everywhere and is ready to nourish each of us no matter what our capacity or capabilities are, not dependant or limited by age, gender, ethnicity, rich, poor, smart or otherwise, all the distinctions we apply to each other do not apply when it comes to the nourishment of the rain of the Buddha Dharma.
o Each person is also equally valuable to the Buddha and to life as a whole, every thing and every person has a purpose and is important to the entire picture of the universe
Magic City – Chapter 7 (Murano, page 144; Reeves, page 198)
• Story
o Bad road, it was very long and dangerous to travel for a variety of reasons
o There was a place along this road that was a fantastic place full of rare and wonderful treasures
o A group of people wanted to travel the road however they needed a guide to lead them – a person who knew the road very well, he knew all the pitfalls and dangers of the journey of this road
o Along the way the people traveling became tired and discouraged and afraid, saying they just couldn’t go any further. They thought the road went on and on with no end and so they wanted to turn back
o The guide who was skillful and thought it would be a shame if the people turned around at this point
o The guide conjured up a beautiful and wonderful city. A place where the people could rest and relax and could refresh themselves and then continue on the journey after they are rested, so they must not become discouraged and give up their journey
o Later the guide after seeing the people are rested makes the magic city vanish and the people could continue on their journey
• Lessons Taught
o Central message is that the objective of Nirvana is not our final goal. While we may think Nirvana is salvation it is only a useful illusion and eventually we need to move on.
o Also it is an illusion to think that we have arrived at someplace with nothing more to do no matter where we think we are on our journey to enlightenment
o Also while we may think the Buddha attained final Nirvana that too is only an illusion. To think he is no longer active is only an illusion as he reveals in Chapter 16 he is always present. We are always working with him to save all the living beings.
o This does not mean the teaching of Nirvana is unimportant; it is not merely a convenience but is essential on our spiritual journey. So the magic city is not a mirage or false destination it is an integral place along the journey, a necessary destination.
o Nirvana is variously taught as a state of awakening in which all illusions and all karma that leads to rebirth are extinguished. But this is not the entire picture because as the Buddha later reveals, he never leaves this world, he is always present. Nirvana is not necessarily to be taken as the final goal, but one goal along the continuing path.
o The journey to enlightenment is not easy, it is difficult and full of peril and trials and tribulations, this is the saha world. Yet there are times of ease and relative comfort, that is times when no matter what we are enduring we can appreciate the opportunities to practice even in difficult circumstances. Just because we are not resting in some comfortable place does not mean we need feel miserable.
Two other parables I was going to include in this session the Gem in the Robe and the Good Physician I will not cover tonight as there is not enough time. I had previously decided that I would include the Good Physician in my lecture on Chapter 16. I will try to come back to the Gem in the Robe at some other point in this lecture series.
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