Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Patiently Guide Others by Using Parables (樂說譬喻循善誘誨)
Date: January.13. 2016
“The Dharma is taught with analogies to help us awaken and to treat the pursuit of the five acute afflictions and the karmic retributions of overbearing arrogance. With the parable of the burning house of the Three Realms, we attained the cart pulled by a great white ox. Then the parable of the poor son was taught.”
All of you can probably recall the teachings. I have been sharing over this long period of time. From the Chapter on Skillful Means and the Chapter on Parables, we learned how the Buddha did everything He could think of to persuade His disciples to find a way to let go of the Small Vehicle Dharma they had clung to. He tried to guide them to enter the Great Dharma of the One Reality. By this point, His disciples had gradually begun to realize the Buddha’s mindfulness.
They had now begun to repent or to reflect on themselves. By opening up their minds, they drew nearer to the Buddha’s original intent. This truly was not an easy feat. Getting rid of all the attachments, afflictions and ignorance in our lives is indeed not easy. Though the Buddha put a lot of effort into this, it still took more than 40 years for Him to inspire this thought in His disciples.
So, when we listen to the Dharma, we learn from those before and inspire those after. We should not forget what we learned previously and carry it with us into the future.
“The Dharma is taught with analogies to help us awaken.” The Buddha exerted a lot of mental effort and taught with all kinds of methods over the Five Periods of Teachings. He shared His enlightened state of mind only with the Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas, expounding the Dharma and state of mind of attaining Buddhahood.
Next we taught unenlightened beings, guiding them into the Buddha-Dharma. So with the Agama teachings, He gradually led them to understand the karmic law of cause and effect, the Four Noble Truths and so on, as well as the suffering people actually faced; the impermanence of the world, the temporary nature of life etc.
[He taught] that by accumulating afflictions, we will be led beyond our control by karmic forces and will thus transmigrate in the Six Realms to face unbearable suffering. He taught all of this for more than 12 years. But the Buddha did not think that was enough; He needed to quickly go to the next level and expound the Vaipulya teachings to break down their attachment to “existence”.
He began to let everyone know that everything is empty, illusive and impermanent. He taught this for eight years. In this way, 20 years had passed. However, it was still not enough; they had only put an end to ignorance and afflictions from desires but had yet to eliminate their dust-like delusions. So, He had to expound the Prajna teachings about how the Five Aggregates are all empty. He broke down all the subtle and intricate principles related to emptiness. Doing this took 22 years.
Next, the Buddha expounded the Lotus teachings. So, the paths He opened up in the past were now all brought back to one broad path. Whether we are speaking of the Avatamsaka, which was taught over 21 years, or teachings given over 12 years, then 8 years and then 22 years, over such a long period of time, “The Dharma was taught.”
So, in the Chapter on Parables, the Buddha told the parable of “the burring house of the Three Realms.”
Inside the burring house of the Three Realms, sentient beings are like young and ignorant children who stubbornly play with fire and are burned by it.
Though their father called to them from outside, they did not know to leave the house.
So, he set up three carts outside the door.By using this approach, he helped the children inside to run out of the burning house and be saved; they could also personally see the magnificent treasures in the great ox-cart.
So, they attained “the cart pulled by a great white ox”.
“Then the parable of the poor son was taught.”
As we continue in the sutra, there is a story, the parable of the pore son.In the past, the Buddha put in the effort; now it was time for His disciples to do so.
Four disciples, including Subhuti and Maudgalyayana expressed their thoughts at the same time.They repented and openly expressed themselves.They stated that they were advanced in years and could not have imagined that they would be forming aspirations now; they thought they had reached the end.
“To our surprise today, we unexpectedly heard this precious Dharma. Thus, we profoundly commended ourselves, for we have attained a great benefit. Infinite treasures, though unsought, have now been attained.”
This describes how the children originally did not know there was an ox-cart filled with such an abundance of things.Now they [knew they] had a part in it.
So, “Though we did not dare to seek it, this had actually always belonged to us. If we want it, it is ours.”So, they “profoundly celebrated for [themselves].”This was a precious treasure; this was precious Dharma.
“We have attained a great benefit.”What they had attained was a tremendous benefit; “Infinite treasures, though unsought, have now been attained.”
The following passage states, “World-Honored One, I and the others who are here now would be pleased to employ a parable to elucidate our meaning.”
Now these four disciples, on behalf of all the spiritual practitioners, were about to describe what was in their hearts.In addition, they would emulate the Buddha’s method of telling a parable to express [their realization].
Subhuti and the others stated that they had comprehended the parable which the Buddha taught and would use a parable to explain the meaning of their realization.
This was because they understood the Tathagata’s compassion in patiently teaching them and that they had been foolish, lingering in seeking only their own benefits.
In this next part, Subhuti and the others began to describe, to clearly express, that they comprehended the parable the Buddha taught.Thus, in response, they now used a parable to explain the meaning of their realization.
“This was because they understood the Tathagata’s compassion in patiently teaching them.”So, it was to express their gratitude for the Buddha’s compassion and patient guidance.
The Buddha had taken into consideration that they could not accept this [directly], so He established all kinds of teachings to discuss emptiness and existence and devised parables for everything.
By using these methods, the Buddha was “patiently teaching them,” gradually drawing them in and teaching them.
Now that they understood His original intent and His mindfulness in doing this, they expressed that they had been foolish lingering in seeking only to benefit themselves.
They were only attached to self-awakening.Out of respect for the Buddha, they addressed Him again as “World-Honored One”.This expressed everyone’s sincerity.
World-Honored One:
To express sincere respect, one must follow propriety with deferential and respectful etiquette.
Their minds had that resolve, and they comprehended and accepted the teachings, so they had to first state their utmost sincerity.
“To express sincere respect, one must follow propriety.”Subhuti and the others followed worldly etiquette to express [their respect].So, they called the Buddha, “World-Honored One”.This was what they wanted to express.This is sincerity; they wanted to demonstrate their deepest sincerity and admiration for the Buddha.
This was how they expressed themselves with humble and reverent etiquette.“Their minds had that resolve” meant they would accept the Buddha’s teachings and walk the Bodhisattva-path.
They had realized and accepted this, so they wanted to express their sincerity.Therefore, they said,“I and the others who are here now would be pleased to employ a parable”.
“I and the others who are here now would be pleased to employ a parable. In the Chapter on Parables, an elder of great wealth was used as an analogy for the Tathagata. He estimated that his wealth was inexhaustible, so it says that he bestowed the great ox-cart equally upon all.”
This passage talks about how the elder of great wealth is an analogy for the way the Buddha treated sentient beings. The Tathagata, in His wisdom, realized the extent of sentient beings’ capacities. So, He “estimated “ that He had tremendous wisdom to be given universally to all sentient beings. This is like having infinite wealth which can never be exhausted. This is analogous to the elder. He still had a lot of wealth, so he was able to patiently guide the children by making use of all kinds of methods.
The three carts, including the ox-cart, were placed right outside the door to entice them to come out. The elder did this with his great wealth, which represents the Buddha’s great wisdom.
Now, in the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, “The four disciples use the parable of the poor son”. The four disciples, including Wisdom-life Subhuti, Katyayana and so on, all employed this kind of parable to respond to the Buddha with their answer.
As the Buddha used parables, His disciples also used a parable in response to express what was in their hearts. They said that, in the past, they only wished to stop at the Small Vehicle and used a parable to reply to the Buddha.
So, after comprehending [the Buddha’s teachings], they started to express what was on their minds.
Both of these two chapters use the paired imagery of father and children. The Buddha has the virtue of helping His disciples to reach attainment, thus He is compared to a father. The disciples have the merit of taking up and passing down the legacy, so they are compared to children.
Previously, in the Chapter on Parables and now in the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, the imagery of father and children is used. The previous parable had the father outside the door, unable to bear the children remaining inside. So, he used all kinds of methods [to get them out]. Now, in the parable of the poor son, it was the child who disobeyed his father and left the family. It also uses father and child as the parable.
So, the imagery of father and children is likened to the Buddha and His disciples. The father saving his children from the house is similar to how the Buddha used all kinds of methods to develop the wisdom-life of His disciples. So, “The disciples have the merit of taking up and passing down the legacy”. Children inherit property from their father; the Buddha’s disciples must also shoulder the Tathagata’s family business.
The disciples should listen earnestly. After listening, they share, “Thus have I heard”. They should continue to pass on this Dharma. These are the duties of people who expound and spread the Dharma, to take responsibility for all Dharma in the world. We must spread it widely around the world.
“This chapter uses a poor young son as an analogy for the disciples’ lack of aspirations to seek [to advance]. Thus, it says that they unexpectedly obtained their part in the Tathagata’s treasury.”
“This chapter” refers to the Chapter on Faith and Understanding. “A poor young son” is used as an analogy for the disciples lack of aspirations to seek [to advance]”. Clearly, the Buddha expounded so many teachings, but the disciples were still lost in that one; they still lingered in the Small Vehicle Dharma. They had stopped at the Small Vehicle, seeking only to awaken themselves. By this time, [the disciples] had understood and realized this, so they had “unexpectedly obtained.
Actually, we can also attain Buddhahood in the future; Buddhahood is within our reach. Although we are old, we still have this pure nature within us. Now we understand. We have comprehended and discovered that the treasures of True Suchness were already within us.”
“The previous chapter describes the loving-kindness and compassion of the Tathagata as like a father who holds his children most dear. Thus, it says the elder entered the burning house in alarm. This chapter writes that the children were foolish and turned their backs on the father. Thus, it says [the son] hastily left.”
“The previous chapter” is the Chapter on Parables. It “describes the loving-kindness and compassion of the Tathagata”. The Buddha is like a kind father who sincerely wants the best for his children in the parable of the burning house, we saw how the children foolishly and stubbornly remained in the house,not only were they untafraid of the fire, they treated it as a plaything. Aren’t people nowadays just like them?
The elder outside the burning house felt a great sense of urgency, what could he do? He had to come up with all kinds of methods. This was His “loving-kindness and compassion.” The Buddha’s compassion for sentient beings was filled with genuine sincerity, like what a father has for his children. Among spiritual practitioners, how many can actually comprehend the sincerity of the Buddha’s original intent? After more than 40 years, in His old age, they finally understood that the relationship between a teacher and his disciples was the same as that of a father and his children.The father was so eager to save his children that. “He entered the burning house in alarm.”
The previous chapter explains how the Tathagata enticed all the children to escape out of the door of the desires, afflictions and dust-like delusions of the Three Realms. Thus, it said that the father was now outside the door. The chapter explains that the poor son was in fear, doubted his father and dared not enter the door. Thus, it says he stood beside the gate.
Now the Chapter on Faith and Understanding expressed that, “The poor son was still in fear.” Though his father continued to call to him, he still had doubts. This was like the relationship between the Buddha and His disciples. He told them, “You can attain Buddhahood, but they did not quite dare believe it.” The same thing applies here. So, they “dared not enter the door”. Previously, the Buddha wanted them to exit the door of the Three Realms. Now, He wanted them to enter the Buddha’s door of True Suchness, the door to their nature of True Suchness. But the children still had doubts, so out of hesitation they dared not enter. This is a contrast.
So, “stood beside the gate” means they dared not enter. This is in the following text.
These sets of fathers and children represented how for 40 years, many roundabout methods were used to give and accept the teachings. Today father and sons were in accord, and the teacher and the path had come together. Thus, these two parables express His intentions.
“These sets of fathers and children explained that for this period of more than 40 years, many roundabout methods [were used].” In His later years, the Buddha was old, as were His disciples. By that time, “Father and sons were in accord.” The Buddha had fully carried out His intent to give teachings to His disciples. The disciples had also realized and taken the Buddha’s teachings to heart.
To elucidate their meaning: Their meaning was the desire to explain the compassion of the Thatagata, His patient guidance and instruction and their own foolish state of mind. This was why we say those who are wise use analogies to facilitate understanding.
They wanted “to elucidate [their] meaning” to help us have a better understanding of “the compassion of the Tathagata [and] His patient guidance and instruction.”
With patient guidance, the Buddha educated [His disciples], but they remained in a foolish state of mind. They deeply regretted [wasting] such a long time. “Those who are wise using analogies to facilitate understanding.”
In the Chapter on Parables, the Buddha taught parables not because His disciples were unintelligent. Parables were taught with great wisdom. They were conveyed and told with great wisdom to explain principles. So, in order to understand this parable, people must also apply wisdom in comprehending it. So everyone, learning the Buddha’s teachings beings with listening to the Dharma.
We cannot forget what we have heard and then start over each day. As we listen to today’s teachings,we must comprehend past teachings. Since sutras are very long, this is the only way to connect everything and take the entirety of the Dharma into our hearts So everyone, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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