妙法蓮華經

Volume II

3. The Parable Chapter

At that time, Shariputra was filled with joy and delight. He immediately rose, joined his palms, gazed reverently upon the Buddha’s countenance, and addressed the Buddha, saying: “Now, having followed the Blessed One and heard this voice of the Dharma, my heart rejoices, for I have attained what I never had before. Why is this? In the past, when I followed the Buddha and heard Dharma such as this, I saw the bodhisattvas receive predictions of their future Buddhahood, while we had no part in that. I deeply grieved that I had lost the immeasurable insight and wisdom of the Tathagata.

“Blessed One! Whenever I was alone beneath a tree in the mountains and forests, whether sitting or walking in meditation, I constantly reflected thus: ‘We have all entered the same Dharma-nature; why, then, does the Tathagata save us by means of the Lesser Vehicle?’

“This was our own fault, not that of the Blessed One. Why is this? Had we waited for the Buddha to teach the causes by which unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment is attained, we would certainly have been liberated through the Mahayana Dharma. Yet we did not understand that the Buddha, through skillful means, taught the Dharma according to beings’ capacities. As soon as we heard the Buddha teach, we hastily believed, accepted, reflected upon, and sought to realize it.

“Blessed One! From the past until now, throughout every day and night, I have continually reproached myself. But now I have heard from the Buddha a Dharma never heard before. All my doubts and regrets have ceased, and my body and mind are serene and perfectly at ease. Only today do I know that I am truly a child of the Buddha, born from the Buddha’s mouth, born through transformation from the Dharma, and that I have received a share of the Buddha’s Dharma.”

At that time, Shariputra, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse:

I hear this voice of Dharma

And attain what I never had before;

My heart is filled with great joy,

And the net of doubt has been removed.

From the past I have received the Buddha’s teaching

And have not lost the Mahayana.

The Buddha’s voice is exceedingly rare

And can dispel the suffering of sentient beings.

Though I had exhausted all outflows, ⁽¹⁾

On hearing it, my grief and suffering also ceased.

When I dwelt in mountain caves,

Or beneath groves of forest trees,

Whether sitting or walking in meditation,

I constantly reflected upon this matter:

“Alas!” I bitterly reproached myself,

“Why have I deceived myself?

We too are children of the Buddha

And have entered the same uncontaminated Dharma,

Yet in the future we shall not be able

To teach the Dharma of the unsurpassed Way.

A golden-colored body, the thirty-two marks, ⁽²⁾

The ten powers, ⁽³⁾ and all the liberations—

Though dwelling together within the one Dharma,

I have not attained these things.

The eighty excellent characteristics,

The eighteen unique qualities, ⁽⁴⁾

And merits such as these—

All of them I have lost.”

When I walked in meditation alone,

I saw the Buddha amid the assembly,

His renown filling the ten directions,

Widely benefiting sentient beings.

I thought that I had lost this benefit

And had truly deceived myself.

Throughout every day and night,

I constantly reflected upon this matter

And wished to ask the Blessed One:

“Have I lost it or have I not?”

I often saw the Blessed One

Praise the bodhisattvas. ⁽⁵⁾

Therefore, throughout day and night,

I deliberated upon this matter.

Now I hear the Buddha’s voice

Teaching the Dharma according to beings’ capacities—

Uncontaminated and inconceivable—

Leading beings to the place of enlightenment.

Formerly I clung to wrong views

And was a teacher of the brahmans. ⁽⁶⁾

The Blessed One understood my mind,

Removed my errors, and taught nirvana.

I completely cast off wrong views

And realized the Dharma of emptiness.

At that time, I told myself

That I had attained extinction,

But only now do I understand

That this was not true extinction.

When I attain Buddhahood,

Possessing the thirty-two marks,

And devas, humans, yakshas,

Dragons, and spirits all pay me reverence,

Only then may it be said

That all has been forever extinguished without remainder.

Before the great assembly, the Buddha

Declared that I shall become a Buddha.

Hearing this voice of Dharma,

My doubts and regrets were dispelled.

When I first heard the Buddha speak,

My heart was filled with fear and doubt:

“Could Mara be impersonating the Buddha

To disturb and confuse my mind?”

The Buddha employed various causes and conditions

And skillfully expounded parables;

My mind became tranquil as the sea,

And as I listened, the net of doubt was severed.

The Buddha said that in ages past,

After immeasurable Buddhas had entered nirvana,

They abided in skillful means

And all taught this same Dharma.

The Buddhas of the present and future,

Also countless and immeasurable,

Likewise employ various skillful means

To expound this Dharma.

Just as the Blessed One today,

From birth until renouncing the household life,

Attaining the Way and turning the Dharma-wheel,

Also taught through skillful means.

The Blessed One teaches the true Way;

Mara cannot teach the three turnings. ⁽⁷⁾

Therefore, I know with certainty

That it was not Mara impersonating the Buddha.

I had fallen into the net of doubt

And thought it was Mara’s doing.

Hearing the Buddha’s gentle voice,

Profound and exceedingly wondrous,

Thoroughly expounding the pure Dharma,

My heart was filled with great joy.

All doubts and regrets have forever ended;

I abide securely in true wisdom.

I am certain that I shall become a Buddha,

Revered by devas and humans,

Turning the unsurpassed Dharma-wheel

And teaching and transforming the bodhisattvas.

At that time, the Buddha said to Shariputra: “I now declare this before the assembly of devas, humans, shramanas, and brahmans. In the past, in the presence of twenty thousand kotis of Buddhas, for the sake of the unsurpassed Way, I constantly taught and transformed you. For a long time, you followed me and received instruction.

By skillful means I guided you and caused you to be born within my Dharma. Shariputra! In the past, I taught you to aspire to the Buddha Way, but now you have forgotten it all and instead said that you had attained extinction.

Now, wishing to cause you to recollect your original vow and the Way you formerly practiced, I teach for the shravakas this Mahayana sutra called the ‘Lotus Sutra of the Wondrous Dharma,’ a Dharma that teaches and transforms bodhisattvas and is guarded and kept in mind by the Buddhas.

“Shariputra! In a future age, after immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable kalpas have passed, you will make offerings to many thousands, myriads, and kotis of Buddhas, uphold the True Dharma, and fully perfect the path practiced by bodhisattvas. You will become a Buddha named Flower-Light Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One.

“Your land will be named Free from Defilement. That realm will be level, pure, beautiful, peaceful, prosperous, and joyful, and devas and humans will be numerous. Its ground will be made of lapis lazuli, and it will have eight intersecting roads. Cords of pure gold will border the roads, and along their sides will stand rows of trees made of the seven treasures, always bearing flowers and fruit. Flower-Light Tathagata will also teach and transform sentient beings by means of the Three Vehicles.

“Shariputra! Although the age in which that Buddha appears will not be an evil age, because of his original vow he will teach the Dharma of the Three Vehicles. That kalpa will be named Adorned with Great Jewels. Why will it be called Adorned with Great Jewels? Because in that realm the bodhisattvas will be regarded as great jewels. Those bodhisattvas will be countless, boundless, and inconceivable in number, beyond the reach of calculation or analogy. Apart from the power of a Buddha’s wisdom, no one will be able to know their number. Whenever they wish to walk, flowers will support their feet.

“Those bodhisattvas will not be newly awakened to the aspiration for enlightenment; all will have long planted roots of virtue. In the presence of immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of Buddhas, they will have purely cultivated the brahma conduct and will constantly be praised by the Buddhas. They will always cultivate the Buddha’s wisdom, possess great powers of spiritual penetration, and skillfully understand all Dharma gates. They will be upright and without deceit, and their resolve and mindfulness will be steadfast. Bodhisattvas such as these will fill that entire land.

“Shariputra! The lifespan of the Buddha Flower-Light will be twelve minor kalpas, excluding the time when he is still a prince and has not yet attained Buddhahood. The lifespan of the people in that land will be eight minor kalpas. After twelve minor kalpas, Flower-Light Tathagata will bestow upon the bodhisattva Firm-Fullness the prediction of unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment, saying to the bhikshus: ‘This bodhisattva Firm-Fullness will next become a Buddha named Flower-Foot Peacefully Walking Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Awakened One. That Buddha’s land will also be like this one.’

“Shariputra! After that Buddha Flower-Light enters nirvana, his True Dharma will remain in the world for thirty-two minor kalpas, and his Semblance Dharma will also remain in the world for thirty-two minor kalpas.”

At that time, the Blessed One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse:

Shariputra, in a future age,

Will become a Buddha of universal wisdom,

Named the Buddha Flower-Light,

And will save immeasurable beings.

Having made offerings to countless Buddhas,

Perfected the bodhisattva practices,

And attained the merits of the ten powers,

He will realize the unsurpassed Way.

After immeasurable kalpas have passed

The kalpa is named Great Jewel Adornment,

The land is named Free from Defilement,

Pure and without stain,

With lapis lazuli for its ground,

And golden cords bordering its roads.

Trees of the seven treasures, beautiful in color,

Always bear both flowers and fruit.

The bodhisattvas in that land

Are ever firm in resolve and mindfulness;

In spiritual powers and paramitas,

They are all fully perfected.

In the presence of countless Buddhas,

They have skillfully learned the bodhisattva path.

Such great beings as these

Will be transformed and guided by the Buddha Flower Light.

When that Buddha is a prince,

He will leave his kingdom and forsake its glory;

In his final bodily existence,

He will renounce the household life and attain Buddhahood.

The Buddha Flower Light will abide in the world

For twelve minor kalpas.

The people of that land

Will live for eight minor kalpas.

After that Buddha enters nirvana,

His True Dharma will remain in the world

For thirty-two minor kalpas,

Widely liberating sentient beings.

When the True Dharma has entirely vanished,

The Semblance Dharma will also last for thirty-two.

His relics will be spread far and wide,

And gods and humans everywhere will make offerings to them.

All the deeds of the Buddha Flower Light

Will be precisely as described.

That Honored One, Perfect in Both Wisdom and Merit,

Will be supreme, with none his equal.

That Buddha will be none other than you;

Therefore you should rejoice.

At that time, the fourfold assembly—bhiksus, bhiksunis, male lay followers, and female lay followers—and the entire great assembly of gods, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, and others saw Sariputra receive before the Buddha the prediction that he would attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Their hearts were filled with immeasurable joy and exultation. Each removed the upper robe he was wearing and offered it to the Buddha.

Sakra, Lord of the Gods, together with the Brahma kings and others, as well as countless heavenly beings, also offered the Buddha exquisite celestial robes and celestial mandārava and mahāmandārava flowers. The celestial robes, cast aloft, remained suspended in empty space and revolved by themselves. Hundreds of thousands of myriads of kinds of celestial music sounded simultaneously in the air. They showered down various celestial flowers and said: “Long ago, in the city of Varanasi, the Buddha first turned the supremely great and unsurpassed Dharma wheel.”

At that time, the heavenly beings, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke these verses:

Long ago, in the city of Varanasi,

You turned the Dharma wheel of the Four Noble Truths,

Discerningly teaching all dharmas—

The arising and cessation of the five aggregates. ⁽⁸⁾

Now you turn the Dharma wheel again,

Supremely great, wondrous, and unsurpassed.

This Dharma is exceedingly profound and subtle;

Few are those who can believe it.

From times past until now,

We have often heard the World-Honored One teach,

Yet never have we heard such a supreme Dharma,

So profound and wondrous as this.

The World-Honored One has taught this Dharma,

And we all rejoice in accord.

Sariputra, possessed of great wisdom,

Has now received the Buddha’s prediction.

We too, in the same way,

Will certainly attain Buddhahood,

The most honored state in all the worlds,

With nothing higher than it.

The Buddha path is inconceivable,

Yet through skillful means it is taught according to what is fitting.

Whatever meritorious karma we have created,

Whether in this life or in past lives,

And the merit gained from seeing the Buddha,

We dedicate entirely to the Buddha path.

At that time, Sariputra addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One! I now have no further doubts or regrets, for in the Buddha’s presence I have personally received the prediction of unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. These twelve hundred whose minds have attained mastery formerly dwelt in the stage of those still in training.

The Buddha constantly instructed them, saying: ‘My Dharma enables one to leave behind birth, old age, sickness, and death and ultimately attain nirvana.’ These persons, both those still in training and those beyond training, have likewise freed themselves from attachment to self and from attachment to existence, nonexistence, and so forth, and they believed that they had attained nirvana. Yet now, before the World-Honored One, having heard what they had never heard before, they have all fallen into doubt and confusion.

Excellent, World-Honored One! I beseech the Buddha to explain this cause and condition to the fourfold assembly, so that they may be freed from doubt and regret.”

The Buddha then said to Sariputra: “Have I not previously said that all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, teach the Dharma through various causes and conditions, words, parables, and skillful means, and that all of it is for the sake of unsurpassed perfect enlightenment? Everything they teach is for the instruction of bodhisattvas. Nevertheless, Sariputra, I will now use a parable to clarify this meaning once more. Those who are wise will understand through the parable.

“Sariputra! Suppose that in a kingdom, city, town, or village there lived a wealthy elder, advanced in years and declining with age, whose riches were immeasurable and who owned many houses, fields, and servants. His house was vast, yet it had only a single entrance. A great many people lived within it—perhaps one hundred, two hundred, or as many as five hundred. Its halls and lofts were decayed, its walls and partitions were collapsing, the bases of its pillars were rotten, and its beams and rafters were leaning and falling. Suddenly, fire broke out on all four sides at once and began consuming the house.

“The elder’s children—perhaps ten, twenty, or as many as thirty—were inside that house.

“When the elder saw the fire rising on all four sides of the house, he became greatly alarmed and thought: ‘Although I myself can safely escape through the door of this burning house, my children remain inside, delighting in their games and unaware of what is happening. They are neither apprehensive nor afraid. The fire is closing in and will burn their bodies, causing them intense pain, yet they feel no distress or concern and have no thought of seeking escape.’

“Sariputra! The elder then thought: ‘My body and arms are strong. I could carry them out of the house in the fold of my robe or upon a table.’ But he thought again: ‘This house has only one door, and it is narrow and small. My children are young and ignorant, engrossed in play, and may stumble and be burned by the fire. I should tell them of the dangers that are to be feared.

“‘This house is already ablaze. They must come out quickly and not allow themselves to be harmed by the fire.’ Having thought this, he called to his children as he had resolved: ‘Children, come out quickly!’ Although the father, out of compassion, spoke gently and skillfully to entice them, the children were absorbed in their games and would not believe or heed him. They were not frightened and had no wish whatsoever to leave. Nor did they understand what fire was, what the house was, or what danger meant. They merely ran about playing in every direction and glanced at their father.

“At that time, the elder thought: ‘This house is already being consumed by a great fire. If my children and I do not leave at once, we will surely be burned. I must now devise a skillful means to enable my children to escape this disaster.’

“The father knew that his children had always delighted in rare and precious playthings and that, if such things were available, they would certainly become attached to them. He therefore told them: ‘Outside the door are rare and difficult-to-obtain playthings in which you may delight. If you do not come out and take them now, you will surely regret it later. There are goat carts, deer carts, and ox carts outside the door for you to ride and play with. Children, come quickly out of this burning house! Whatever you desire, I will give you.’

“At that time, when the children heard their father speak of precious and beautiful playthings that pleased them, they each became eager. Pushing one another, they all raced and scrambled out of the burning house. The elder then saw that his children had safely escaped the burning house and were all standing at the crossroads in an open space, free from every obstruction. His mind was relieved, and he rejoiced with exultation.

“The children then all said to their father: ‘Father, please give us at once the fine playthings you promised us just now—the goat carts, deer carts, and ox carts.’

“Sariputra! At that time, the elder gave each of his children the same kind of great cart. These carts were high and broad, adorned with various treasures, encircled by railings, and hung with bells on all four sides. Canopies and curtains were stretched over them, and they were further embellished with rare, fine, and beautiful treasures. Jeweled cords were tied around them, garlands hung down, layers of soft cushions and mats were spread within, and red pillows were placed on top. Each cart was drawn by a white ox, whose hide was pure and sleek, whose body was fine and well-formed, and whose strength was immense. Its gait was steady and even, and it moved as swiftly as the wind. Moreover, many servants attended and guarded each cart.”

Why is this? Because that elder possessed immeasurable wealth, and all his various treasuries were filled to overflowing. He thought: “My wealth is boundless. I should not give my children small, inferior carts. These young children are all my children, and I love them equally, without partiality. I have an immeasurable number of such carts made of the seven treasures; I should give one to each of them with an impartial mind and make no distinction among them.”

Why is this? Even if I were to distribute these carts throughout an entire country, there would still be no shortage—how much less among my own children! At that time, all the children mounted the great carts, obtaining what they had never had before and what they had not originally expected.

Sariputra! What do you think? When that elder equally gave the great jeweled carts to all his children, was he guilty of falsehood? Sariputra replied: “No, World-Honored One! The elder merely enabled his children to escape the danger of the fire and preserved their lives; this was not falsehood. Why is this? If their lives were preserved, they had already obtained a fine plaything, how much more so when he used skillful means to rescue them from the burning house.

World-Honored One! Even if that elder had not given them so much as a single small cart, he still would not have been guilty of falsehood. Why is this? Because the elder had previously thought: I shall use skillful means to enable my children to escape. For this reason, he was not guilty of falsehood. How much less so when the elder, knowing that his wealth was immeasurable and wishing to benefit his children, gave them all great carts!”

The Buddha told Sariputra: “Excellent! Excellent! It is just as you have said, Sariputra!

The Tathagata is likewise. The Buddha is the father of all the world. He has completely and utterly eradicated all fear, decline, affliction, anxiety, sorrow, ignorance, and darkness, and has fully attained immeasurable knowledge and vision, powers of wisdom, and fearlessness.

He possesses the powers of great spiritual penetration and the power of wisdom, and is fully endowed with every kind of skillful means, the perfection of wisdom, great loving-kindness, and great compassion, never becoming weary or indolent. Ever seeking what is good and beneficial for all beings, he is born into this decaying, burning house of the three realms to deliver sentient beings from the fires of birth, aging, sickness, death, anxiety, sorrow, suffering, affliction, delusion, darkness, and the three poisons, and to teach and guide them to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

I see sentient beings scorched by birth, aging, sickness, death, anxiety, sorrow, suffering, and affliction, and undergoing many sufferings because of the five desires ⁽⁹⁾ and the pursuit of wealth and gain. Moreover, because they greedily crave, pursue, and seek these things, they undergo many sufferings in the present life and, in future lives, endure the sufferings of hell beings, animals, and hungry ghosts. Even if they are born in the heavens or among human beings, they suffer poverty and hardship, the constant separation from those they love, and encounters with those they hate.

Sentient beings are immersed in sufferings such as these, yet they joyfully sport within them, unaware, neither alarmed nor afraid. They do not become disenchanted and do not seek liberation. Within this burning house of the three realms, they run about east and west; though they suffer greatly, they do not regard it with concern.

Sariputra! Having seen this, the Buddha then thought: I am the father of sentient beings, so I should rescue them from these painful dangers and bestow upon them the immeasurable and boundless bliss of the Buddha’s wisdom, in which they may delight.

Sariputra! The Tathagata further thought: If I were merely to employ the powers of spiritual penetration and wisdom, abandoning skillful means, and praise to sentient beings the Tathagata’s various kinds of knowledge and vision, powers of wisdom, and fearlessness, sentient beings could not thereby attain liberation. Why is this? Because those sentient beings have not yet escaped birth, aging, sickness, death, anxiety, sorrow, and suffering, and are being consumed within the burning house of the three realms. How could they understand the Buddha’s wisdom?

Sariputra! Although that elder possessed strength in his body and arms, he did not use it. He merely employed skillful means with earnest care to rescue his children from the danger of the burning house, and afterward gave them all great jeweled carts.

The Tathagata is likewise. Although he possesses the powers of wisdom and fearlessness ⁽¹⁰⁾, he does not employ them directly. He merely uses wisdom and skillful means to rescue sentient beings from the burning house of the three realms.

For the sake of sentient beings, he teaches the three vehicles—the Sravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the Buddha Vehicle—saying: “You should not delight in dwelling within the burning house of the three realms. Do not crave the coarse and inferior objects of form, sound, fragrance, taste, and touch. If you crave and become attached to them, desire and defilement will arise, and you will be burned by them.

Quickly escape the three realms, and you will attain the three vehicles: the Sravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the Buddha Vehicle.

I now give you my assurance concerning this: it is certainly not false. You need only practice diligently and energetically.” The Tathagata uses these skillful means to entice and guide sentient beings onward, and further tells them: “You should know that the teachings of these three vehicles are praised by all the sages. They are teachings of freedom, without bonds, in which there is no longer any need for dependence or further seeking. Abiding in these three vehicles, you may delight yourselves through the faculties, powers, factors of enlightenment, noble path ⁽¹¹⁾, undefiled meditative concentrations, liberations, samadhis, and so forth, and attain immeasurable peace and joy.”

Sariputra! If there are sentient beings who inwardly possess the nature of wisdom, who hear the Dharma from the Buddha, the World-Honored One, accept it with faith, and diligently and energetically practice, wishing swiftly to escape the three realms and seeking nirvana for themselves, this is called the Sravaka Vehicle. They are like the children who left the burning house seeking the goat carts.

If there are sentient beings who hear the Dharma from the World-Honored One, accept it with faith, and then diligently and energetically practice, seeking self-arising wisdom, delighting in solitude and tranquility, and profoundly understanding the causes and conditions of all dharmas, this is called the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle. They are like the children who left the burning house seeking the deer carts.

If there are sentient beings who hear the Dharma from the Buddha, the World-Honored One, accept it with faith, and diligently and energetically cultivate it, seeking all-knowledge, Buddha-knowledge, self-arising knowledge, knowledge without a teacher, and the Tathagata’s various kinds of knowledge and vision, powers, and fearlessness; who, with compassionate hearts, bring peace and happiness to immeasurable sentient beings, benefit devas and humans, and liberate all beings—such beings are said to follow the Great Vehicle. Because bodhisattvas seek this vehicle, they are called mahasattvas. They are like the children who left the burning house seeking the ox carts.

Sariputra! When that elder saw that his children had safely escaped the burning house and reached a place free from fear, he thought: My wealth is immeasurable, so I should impartially give the great carts to all my children. The Tathagata is likewise. He is the father of all sentient beings. When he sees that immeasurable thousands of millions of sentient beings have passed through the gateway of the Buddha’s teaching, escaped the suffering and the perilous, fearsome paths of the three realms, and attained the bliss of nirvana,

The Tathagata then thinks: “I possess the immeasurable and boundless wisdom, powers, fearlessness, and other treasures of the Dharma of all Buddhas. These sentient beings are all my children. I shall equally bestow upon them the Dharma of the Great Vehicle, allowing no one to attain a separate extinction, but causing all sentient beings to attain extinction through the Tathagata’s own Dharma of extinction.

To all those sentient beings who have escaped the three realms, the Buddha gives the delights of the Buddhas’ meditative concentrations, liberations, and so forth. These all have one characteristic and are of one kind, praised by the sages and capable of producing foremost, pure, sublime bliss.

Sariputra! Just as that elder at first used three kinds of carts to entice and guide his children, and afterward gave them only the great carts, foremost in security and adorned with precious things, yet was not guilty of falsehood, so too is the Tathagata. He is without falsehood. At first he teaches the three vehicles to guide sentient beings, but afterward he uses only the Great Vehicle to liberate them.

Why is this? The Tathagata possesses immeasurable treasuries of Dharma—wisdom, powers, fearlessness, and so forth—and is able to bestow the Dharma of the Great Vehicle upon all sentient beings. It is only that sentient beings are unable to receive it in its entirety.”

Shariputra! For this reason, you should know that the Tathagatas, through the power of skillful means, distinguish and teach the One Buddha Vehicle as three.

The Buddha, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse:

It is like a wealthy elder

Who had a very large house.

That house was old and decayed,

And moreover extremely dilapidated.

Its halls were lofty and precarious,

The bases of its pillars broken and rotten;

Its beams and rafters leaned and slanted,

Its foundations had crumbled away.

Its walls and partitions had collapsed,

And clods of plaster fell down;

The thatch was scattered everywhere,

The crossbeams and rafters had come apart.

On every side it was bent and warped,

And everywhere filled with filth.

As many as five hundred people

Dwelt there within.

Owls, hawks, eagles, and vultures,

Crows, magpies, doves, and pigeons;

Venomous snakes and scorpions,

Centipedes and millipedes;

Lizards and many-legged creatures,

Weasels, badgers, and rats;

All kinds of fierce, poisonous vermin

Scurried back and forth in every direction.

Places reeking with excrement,

Where impurities overflowed,

Were swarming above

With dung beetles and other insects.

Foxes, wolves, and jackals

Licked, gnawed, and trampled,

Tearing apart dead carcasses,

Scattering bones and flesh everywhere.

Because of this, packs of dogs

Came rushing to seize and devour them.

Gaunt, hungry, and frightened,

They searched everywhere for food,

Struggling and tearing at one another,

Growling, howling, barking, and whining.

Such were the terrifying

Conditions within that house.

Everywhere there were

魑, 魅, 魍, and 魉 demons,

Yakshas and evil ghosts

That devoured human flesh.

Fierce, poisonous vermin

And savage birds and beasts

Hatched, nursed, and gave birth,

Each concealing and guarding its young;

But yakshas came competing

To seize and devour them.

When they had eaten their fill,

Their ferocity grew still fiercer,

And the sound of their fighting and strife

Was truly dreadful to hear.

The kumbhanda demons

Squatted upon mounds of earth,

Or at times sprang from the ground

One or two feet high.

They wandered to and fro,

Indulging freely in play and sport.

Seizing dogs by their two legs,

They beat them until they shrieked,

Then planted their feet upon their necks,

Terrifying the dogs for amusement.

There were also various demons

Whose bodies were exceedingly tall and large,

Naked, black, and hideous,

Who constantly dwelt therein.

They uttered loud and evil cries,

Shouting as they searched for food.

There were also various demons

Whose throats were as slender as needles.

There were also various demons

Whose heads were like the heads of oxen.

Some devoured human flesh,

And some devoured the flesh of dogs.

Their hair was disheveled and wild;

They were cruel and exceedingly vicious.

Tormented by hunger and thirst,

They shrieked as they rushed about.

Yakshas and hungry ghosts,

And vicious birds and beasts,

Driven by hunger, raced in every direction,

Peering through the windows.

Such were the countless perils

And immeasurable horrors. ⁽¹²⁾

This old and decaying house

Belonged to a certain man.

He had only just gone out,

And had not been away for long,

When afterward the house

Suddenly burst into flames.

At the same moment, on every side,

The fire blazed fiercely.

Beams, pillars, rafters, and crossbeams

Crackled and exploded with resounding noise,

Shattered, broke, and fell,

While the walls and partitions crumbled down.

All the ghosts and spirits

Raised their voices together in loud cries.

The eagles and vultures,

And all the kumbhanda demons,

Terrified, ran about in panic,

Yet still could not escape.

Savage beasts and poisonous vermin

Crawled into holes and burrows;

The pishacha demons

Also dwelt within those caves.

Because their merit and virtue were slight,

They were oppressed and scorched by the fire,

And harmed one another in turn,

Drinking one another’s blood and eating one another’s flesh.

The jackals

Had already died before them,

And the larger savage beasts

Rushed to compete in devouring them.

Foul smoke billowed forth,

Filling and blocking every side.

Centipedes and millipedes,

Together with venomous snakes,

Scorched by the advancing flames,

Struggled to flee their holes;

Kumbhanda demons lay in wait,

Immediately seized them, and ate them.

There were also hungry ghosts

With flames blazing upon their heads.

Tormented by hunger, thirst, heat, and suffering,

They ran about wildly in panic.

Such was that burning house,

Truly dreadful and terrifying.

The poison, harm, and calamity of fire

Were not the only perils there.

At that time, the master of the house

Was standing outside the gate

When he heard someone tell him:

“Your children,

Who had earlier gone out to play,

Have entered this house.

Being young and ignorant,

They delight only in their cherished amusements.”

As soon as the elder heard this,

He entered the burning house in alarm,

Seeking some suitable means to rescue them

And save his children from being burned.

He admonished and instructed his children,

Clearly describing all the dangers:

The evil ghosts and poisonous vermin,

And the fiery calamity spreading everywhere;

All these sufferings, one after another,

Continued without cease.

Venomous snakes and nguyen-phuc,

And all the yaksha demons,

Together with kumbhanda demons,

Jackals, foxes, and dogs,

Eagles, vultures, owls, and hawks,

As well as all the many-legged creatures,

Were driven by urgent hunger and thirst,

And were truly dreadful and terrifying.

Such was this place of suffering and peril—

How much more so with the great fire!

The young children did not understand.

Though they heard their father’s instruction,

They remained absorbed in their pleasures,

Playing on without stopping.

Then the elder

Thought to himself:

“These children are like this,

Causing me still greater grief and distress.

Now, within this burning house,

There is not a single thing in which to delight,

Yet these foolish children

Remain engrossed in their play.

They refuse to heed my words

And are about to be harmed by the fire.”

He then reflected again

That he should devise skillful means,

And said to the children:

“Your father has many kinds

Of rare and precious playthings—

Fine and beautiful jeweled carts:

Goat carts, deer carts,

And great ox carts.

They are now outside the gate.

Children, come out quickly!

It was especially for you

That your father prepared these carts.

Whichever ones you like,

You may use for play.”

When the children heard their father speak

Of carts such as these,

They immediately raced one another,

Running swiftly out of the house.

They reached the open ground,

Freed from all those sufferings and perils.

When the elder saw that his children

Had escaped from the burning house

And were at the crossroads,

He sat upon a lion seat

And rejoiced to himself, saying:

“Now I am exceedingly joyful!

These children of mine

Were very difficult to beget and raise.

Young and ignorant,

They mistakenly entered that dangerous house,

Where there were many poisonous vermin

And terrifying 魑 and 魅 demons,

While the great fire blazed fiercely,

Flaming up on every side.

Yet these children

Were still engrossed in their play.

Now I have rescued them

And enabled them all to escape peril.

Therefore, everyone,

I am now exceedingly joyful.”

At that time, the children,

Knowing that their father was seated in peace,

All approached him

And said to their father:

“Father, please give us

The three kinds of rare jeweled carts.

Just now you promised us:

‘Children, come out quickly,

And I shall give you three kinds of carts,

Whichever you desire.’

Now is precisely the time;

Please be compassionate and give them to us.”

The elder possessed immense wealth,

And his treasuries and granaries were filled to overflowing

With gold, silver, lapis lazuli,

Giant clamshell, and agate.

Using these precious materials,

He fashioned great carts,

Adorned and arranged with splendid ornaments.

Railings encircled them,

And bells hung on all four sides.

Golden cords were interwoven and knotted,

And nets and curtains of pearls

Were spread and draped above them.

Golden flowers and jeweled garlands

Hung down everywhere.

Multicolored ornaments

Surrounded the carts on every side.

Soft silks

Were used to make seat cushions.

Fine and precious cloth,

Worth thousands upon tens of thousands,

Glossy, white, and immaculate,

Was spread over the cushions.

There were great white oxen,

Plump, strong, and immensely powerful,

Their bodies handsome and robust,

To draw those jeweled carts.

Many servants and attendants

Waited upon and guarded them.

Such beautiful carts as these

He bestowed equally upon all his children.

At that time, the children

Were overjoyed and jubilant.

Mounted upon those jeweled carts,

They traveled throughout the four directions,

Playing in abundant delight,

Free and unhindered.

I tell you, Shariputra,

The Buddha is also like this.

Most honored among all the Noble Ones,

He is the loving father of the world.

All sentient beings

Are my children.

Intoxicated by worldly pleasures,

They have not the least thought of wisdom.

The three realms are perilous and without peace,

Like a house consumed by fire.

They are filled with every suffering and calamity,

Truly dreadful and terrifying.

Birth, aging,

Illness, death, and sorrow are ever present.

Fires such as these

Blaze fiercely without ever ceasing.

The Tathagata has already departed

From that burning house of the three realms.

Dwelling tranquilly at ease

Secure within the forest,

At present, all these three realms

Belong entirely to me;

The living beings within them

Are also all my children.

Yet now, throughout the three realms,

There are many kinds of affliction;

I alone

Am able to rescue and protect them.

Although I have instructed them,

Still they do not believe or accept,

Because, defiled by desires,

They give rise to deep craving and delusion.

Therefore, as an expedient means,

I teach them the Three Vehicles,

Causing all living beings

To understand that the three realms are suffering,

Revealing and expounding

The paths and teachings that transcend the world.

All these children,

If resolute in mind,

Perfect the Three Insights ⁽¹³⁾

And the Six Supernormal Powers ⁽¹⁴⁾.

Some attain the state of a pratyekabuddha,

Or become non-retrogressing bodhisattvas.

Sariputra, you should know:

For the sake of living beings,

I employ this parable

To teach the One Buddha Vehicle.

If all of you are able

To believe and accept these words,

Every one of you shall

Realize and accomplish the fruit of Buddhahood.

This Buddha Vehicle is wondrous and subtle,

Supremely pure and foremost;

Throughout all worlds,

There is no Dharma higher than it.

It is cherished and delighted in by all Buddhas,

And all living beings

Should praise it,

Make offerings to it, and bow in homage.

It possesses immeasurable thousands of kotis

Of powers of wisdom and liberations,

Meditative concentrations and wisdom,

Together with the other qualities of a Buddha.

Having attained such a vehicle,

All my children everywhere,

Throughout days and nights and countless kalpas,

Shall constantly sit within it and journey at ease.

All the bodhisattvas,

Together with the assembly of sravakas,

Relying upon this precious vehicle,

Proceed directly to the place of enlightenment.

For this reason,

Though one searches carefully throughout the ten directions,

There is no other vehicle,

Except those the Buddha teaches as expedient means.

I tell you, Sariputra:

All of you

Are my children,

And I am your compassionate father.

For many kalpas,

You have been scorched by suffering;

I have rescued you all

And brought you out of the three realms.

Although in former days I said

That you had attained cessation,

You had merely ended birth and death

And had not truly attained cessation.

Now what must be accomplished

Is nothing other than the Buddha's wisdom.

If there are bodhisattvas

Within this assembly

Who can single-mindedly hear

The true Dharma of all Buddhas,

Although all Buddha-World-Honored Ones

Employ expedient devices,

The living beings whom they liberate

Are all bodhisattvas.

If there are those of little wisdom,

Deeply deluded by sensual desire,

For the sake of such people

The Buddha teaches the truth of suffering.

When living beings hear it, their hearts rejoice,

Attaining what they have never had before.

The Buddha's teaching of the truth of suffering

Is genuine and without discrepancy.

If there are again living beings

Who do not understand the origin of suffering,

Who are deeply attached to the cause of suffering

And cannot relinquish it even briefly,

For the sake of such people,

The Buddha teaches through expedient means

That the cause of all suffering

Has craving and desire as its root.

If craving and desire are extinguished,

Suffering has nowhere to abide;

The complete cessation of all suffering

Is called the third truth.

In order to realize the truth of cessation,

One cultivates the truth of the path;

Freedom from all the bonds of suffering

Is called liberation.

From what Dharma

Can such people be said to have gained liberation?

Merely becoming detached from vain expectations

Is called liberation,

But in truth they have not yet attained

Complete liberation from everything.

The Buddha says that such people

Have not yet truly attained cessation,

Because they have not yet attained

The fruit of the unsurpassed path.

It is not my intention

To lead them only to that cessation.

I am the Dharma King,

Sovereign over all dharmas;

For the peace and security of living beings,

I appear in the world.

Sariputra, you should know:

This Dharma seal of mine

Is taught because I wish to benefit

The world.

Wherever you may go,

Do not propagate it heedlessly.

If anyone, on hearing it,

Rejoices accordingly and reverently accepts it,

You should know that this person

Is one who does not retrogress.

If anyone believes and accepts

This unsurpassed Dharma scripture,

That person has previously

Seen the Buddhas of the past,

Revered them and made offerings to them,

And has also heard this Dharma.

If anyone is able

To believe and accept what you teach,

That person thereby sees me,

And also sees you,

The assembly of bhiksus,

And all the bodhisattvas.

The Buddha teaches this Lotus Sutra

For those of profound wisdom;

Those of shallow understanding who hear it

Become confused and cannot comprehend it.

All the sravakas,

Together with the pratyekabuddhas,

Lack the capacity

To comprehend this Dharma scripture.

Even you, Sariputra,

Could enter this sutra

Only by means of faith;

How much more so the other sravakas.

All the other sravakas,

Because they believe the Buddha's words,

Accord with this sutra,

Not through wisdom of their own.

Furthermore, Sariputra,

To those who are arrogant or indolent,

Who falsely conceive and cling to a self,

Do not teach this sutra.

Ordinary people of shallow understanding,

Deeply attached to the five desires,

Will not comprehend the Dharma when they hear it;

Therefore, it should not be taught to them either.

If anyone refuses to believe,

Disparages, reviles, or slanders this sutra,

That person thereby severs all

Seeds of Buddhahood in the world.

If anyone scowls

And harbors doubt,

You should listen attentively as I explain

The retribution for that person's offenses.

Whether while the Buddha is still in the world

Or after his nirvana,

If anyone slanders

A scripture such as this,

Or, seeing those who read, recite,

Copy, accept, and uphold this sutra,

Despises, hates, or envies them

And harbors resentment against them,

The retribution for that person's offenses—

You should now listen once more.

When that person's life ends,

They shall fall into the Avici hell,

Remaining there for a full kalpa;

When that kalpa ends, they shall be born there again,

Continuing to revolve in this way

For innumerable kalpas.

After emerging from hell,

They shall fall into the animal realm,

Perhaps becoming a dog or jackal,

Their body emaciated,

Blackened and covered with sores and scabs,

Constantly tormented by people.

Moreover, they shall be regarded

With disgust and contempt,

Daily suffering from hunger and thirst,

Their flesh and bones withered and dry.

While alive, they shall endure suffering;

When dead, they shall be pelted with tiles and stones.

Because they severed the seeds of Buddhahood,

They shall undergo such retribution.

Or they may be born as camels,

Or be born among donkeys,

Their bodies constantly bearing and hauling heavy burdens,

While also being beaten.

They shall think only of water and grass

And know nothing else.

Because they disparaged this sutra,

They incur offenses such as these.

At times they may become jackals

And enter villages,

Their bodies covered with sores and scabs,

Blind in one eye.

Surrounded by children,

They shall be beaten and struck with stones,

Enduring many kinds of pain,

And sometimes even being killed.

As soon as they die there,

They shall immediately take the body of a serpent,

Its body long and immense,

Reaching five hundred yojanas.

Deaf, dull-witted, and without feet,

It shall writhe along upon its belly,

While tiny creatures

Bite and gnaw upon its flesh and blood.

It shall suffer throughout day and night,

Without even a moment's respite.

Because it disparaged this sutra,

It incurs offenses such as these.

If they are born as human beings,

All their faculties shall be dim and dull.

They shall be short, ugly, crooked, and lame,

Blind, deaf, and hunchbacked.

Whatever words they speak,

No one will believe or accept them.

Their breath shall always stink,

And spirits and demons shall possess them.

They shall be impoverished and extremely lowly,

Constantly ordered about by others.

Afflicted with many illnesses, their bodies shall be emaciated,

And they shall have no one upon whom to rely.

Even if they draw near to others,

Those people will pay them no heed.

Whatever they may acquire,

They shall immediately forget or lose it.

If they study the healing arts

And treat illness according to proper methods,

Their patients' illnesses shall become more severe,

And sometimes the patients shall even die.

If they themselves become ill,

No one shall be able to cure them.

Even if they take good medicine,

Their illnesses shall only grow worse.

Or others may rebel against them,

Rob, plunder, or steal their possessions;

Yet offenses of this kind

Shall instead be laid upon them.

People burdened by such offenses

Shall never see the Buddha,

The King among the Noble Ones,

Who constantly teaches the Dharma and transforms beings.

People burdened by such offenses

Shall always be born in places of tribulation,

With minds deranged and ears deaf,

Never able to hear the Dharma.

For innumerable kalpas,

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

They shall be born deaf and mute,

With their faculties incomplete.

They shall constantly dwell in hell

As though strolling in a household garden;

They shall abide in the other evil destinies

As though dwelling in their own homes.

Camels, donkeys, pigs, and dogs

Shall be the forms they constantly assume.

Because they disparaged this sutra,

They incur offenses such as these.

If they are born as human beings,

They shall be deaf, blind, mute, and unable to speak clearly.

The marks of poverty and decline

They use to adorn themselves.

Bloated, emaciated, and tormented by thirst,

Afflicted with scabs, ringworm, and malignant sores—

Illnesses such as these

They wear as their garments.

Their bodies always reek,

Filthy and never clean;

Deep and firm is their attachment to self,

And ever greater grows their wrathful nature.

Their lust blazes fiercely,

Sparing not even birds and beasts.

Because they disparage this sutra,

They incur offenses such as these.

I tell you, Shariputra!

If the offenses of those

Who disparage this sutra were recounted,

Even throughout a kalpa they could not be exhausted.

For this reason,

I have always told you:

Among those without wisdom,

Do not teach this sutra.

If there are people of keen faculties,

Whose power of wisdom is lucid and bright,

Who are widely learned and possess good memory,

And whose hearts seek the Buddha Way,

Only to people such as these

Should it be taught.

If there are people who in the past

Have seen hundreds of thousands of kotis of Buddhas,

Planted roots of wholesome virtue,

And are profoundly resolute in heart,

Only to people such as these

Should it be taught.

If there are people who are diligent,

Constantly cultivate loving-kindness,

And never begrudge their bodies or lives,

Only to them should it be taught.

If there are people who are reverent,

Who harbor no divided thoughts,

Who dwell far apart from ordinary people,

Alone in the depths of the mountains,

Only to people such as these

Should it be taught.

Again, Shariputra!

If you see anyone

Who has abandoned unwholesome teachers

And draws near to virtuous friends,

Only to people such as these

Should it be taught.

If you see disciples of the Buddha

Who maintain pure moral conduct,

Spotless as a radiant pearl,

And delight in seeking the Mahayana sutras,

Only to people such as these

Should it be taught.

If people are free from anger,

Honest, sincere, and gentle in mind,

Always compassionate toward all beings,

And reverent toward all Buddhas,

Only to such good people

Should it be taught.

Again, there are disciples of the Buddha

Who, amid the great assembly,

With a wholly pure mind,

Employ various causes and conditions,

Parables, and expressions

To teach the Dharma without obstruction;

Only to people such as these

Should it be taught.

If there is a bhikshu

Who, for the sake of seeking all-knowledge,

Seeks the Dharma throughout the four directions,

Joins his palms, and reverently receives it,

Delighting only in receiving and upholding

The Mahayana scriptures,

And who would not accept

Even a single verse from another scripture,

Only to people such as these

Should it be taught.

If there is someone who wholeheartedly

Seeks the relics of the Buddha,

And seeks this sutra in the same way,

Then, having obtained it, receives it with reverence and bows with the crown of his head,

And that person no longer

Harbors any desire to seek other scriptures,

Nor has ever entertained a thought

Of non-Buddhist writings,

Only to people such as these

Should it be taught.

I tell you, Shariputra!

Were I to describe the characteristics

Of those who seek the Buddha Way,

Even throughout a kalpa I could not exhaust them.

People such as these

Are able to believe and understand;

You should teach them

The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

4. The Chapter on Faith and Understanding

At that time, the venerable Subhuti, Mahakatyayana, Mahakashyapa, and Mahamaudgalyayana heard from the Buddha a Dharma they had never heard before. The Blessed One had bestowed upon Shariputra the prediction that he would attain unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. Their hearts were filled with wonder, exultation, and joy.

They immediately rose from their seats, adjusted their robes, bared their right shoulders, placed their right knees upon the ground, single-mindedly joined their palms, bowed respectfully, gazed reverently upon the Buddha’s countenance, and addressed the Buddha, saying: “We stand foremost among the Sangha, but we are all old and feeble. Believing that we had already attained nirvana and were no longer capable of anything further, we ceased to seek unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment.

“The Blessed One has long taught the Dharma. During that time, as we sat upon our seats, our bodies became weary and fatigued, and we thought only of the three teachings of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. As for the bodhisattvas’ spiritual powers exercised in play, purification of Buddha lands, and liberation of sentient beings, our hearts took no delight in them.

“Why was this? The Blessed One had enabled us to escape the three realms and realize nirvana. Moreover, we are now advanced in years and never gave rise to even a single thought of delight in the unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment taught by the Buddha to the bodhisattvas. Today, before the Buddha, we have heard that shravakas are given predictions of attaining unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. Our hearts rejoice greatly, for we have obtained a Dharma never known before. We never imagined that today we would suddenly obtain this rare Dharma. We consider ourselves exceedingly fortunate to have gained such great benefit: immeasurable precious treasures have come to us of themselves, though we never sought them.

“Blessed One! Today we wish to relate a parable to clarify this meaning.

“It is as though there were a man who, while still young, abandoned his father, ran away, and lived for a long time in another country—perhaps ten, twenty, or as many as fifty years. As he grew older, he became increasingly poor and destitute. He wandered in all directions seeking clothing and food, and in the course of his travels gradually and by chance returned to his native country.

“From the beginning, the father had searched for his son but could not find him, and so he settled in a city within that country. His household was immensely wealthy and possessed immeasurable riches. His treasuries and granaries were filled to overflowing with gold, silver, lapis lazuli, coral, amber, crystal, pearls, jewels, and other valuables. He had multitudes of servants, attendants, officials, and retainers, as well as countless elephants, horses, carriages, oxen, and sheep. His lending and collection of interest extended to other countries, and the merchants who conducted business with him were also exceedingly numerous.

“At that time, the poor son wandered through various settlements and passed through towns and villages until, little by little, he happened to arrive at the city where his father lived.

“The father had always remembered his son. Although he had been separated from him for more than fifty years, he had never spoken of the matter to anyone. He merely reflected to himself: ‘I am old and frail, yet I possess great wealth. Gold, silver, precious treasures, treasuries, and granaries are filled to overflowing, but I have no child. If I should suddenly die, my riches would be scattered and lost, with no one to whom I could entrust them.’ Therefore, he constantly and earnestly remembered his son. He further thought: ‘If I could find my son and entrust my wealth to him, I would be peaceful and joyful, free from all sorrow and anxiety.’

“Blessed One! At that time, the poor son, hiring himself out as a laborer, gradually and by chance came to his father’s house. He stopped by the gate and, from a distance, saw his father seated upon a lion throne, with a jeweled footstool supporting his feet.

Brahmins, kshatriyas, and householders surrounded him reverently. His body was adorned with strands of pearls worth thousands of myriads. Officials, retainers, and servants stood attending on either side, holding white fly-whisks.

A jeweled canopy hung above him, with beautiful banners suspended from it. Fragrant water had been sprinkled upon the ground, and renowned flowers were strewn about. Precious objects were arrayed before him as business was transacted—some being issued, others received, taken, or given.

Such were his magnificent adornments, and his majestic virtue inspired the greatest reverence.

“When the poor son saw that his father possessed such immense power and authority, fear arose in his heart, and he regretted having come to this house. He secretly thought: ‘This man must be a king, or someone equal to a king. This is not a place where I can hire myself out and earn wages.

“‘I would do better to go to a poor village, where I can find a place to expend my labor and easily obtain clothing and food. If I remain here long, they may seize me and compel me to work.’ Having thought this, he immediately ran swiftly away.

“At that moment, the wealthy elder, seated upon the lion throne, saw his son and recognized him. His heart rejoiced greatly, and he thought to himself: ‘Now there is someone to whom I can entrust my wealth and treasuries. I have always thought of this son and wondered how I might find him. Now he has suddenly come of his own accord, perfectly fulfilling my wish. Although I am old, I still cherish and yearn for him.’ He immediately ordered an attendant to pursue the son quickly and bring him back.

“The messenger promptly ran after the poor son and seized him. Greatly startled, the poor son cried out in protest: ‘I have committed no offense! Why am I being seized?’ But the messenger held him even more tightly and forcibly dragged him back. The poor son then thought to himself: ‘I have committed no crime, yet I am being arrested. Surely I am going to be put to death.’ Becoming even more terrified, he fainted and fell to the ground.

“Seeing this from afar, the father said to the messenger: ‘I have no need of this man. Do not force him to come here. Sprinkle cold water upon his face to revive him, and say nothing further to him.’”

Why was this? The father knew that his son’s resolve was lowly and inferior, and that, knowing his father to be wealthy and noble, the son would be frightened. Although he knew with certainty that this was his son, he employed skillful means and did not tell others that the man was his son. The messenger said to the poor son: “Now I release you. You may go wherever you wish.”

The poor son rejoiced at this unprecedented event, rose from the ground, and went to a poor village to seek food and clothing.

At that time, wishing to entice and guide his son, the Elder devised a skillful means. He secretly sent two men, haggard in appearance and lacking any imposing dignity: “You two should go to that village and gradually speak to the poor son, saying, ‘There is work here that pays twice the usual wage.’ If the poor son agrees, bring him back here and put him to work. If he asks what work he is to do, tell him, ‘We are hiring someone to clear away dung, and the two of us will work together with you.’” The two messengers then sought out the poor son and explained the entire matter just as instructed.

The poor son first asked about the wages and then immediately went to clear away dung. When the father saw his son, he felt pity and amazement. On another day, from a window he saw his son at a distance, emaciated and haggard, covered with dung, dirt, and dust, filthy and unclean. He immediately removed his jeweled necklace, fine soft garments, and ornaments. He put on coarse, torn, soiled clothing, smeared dust and dirt over his body, and held a dung shovel in his right hand. Assuming a stern and fearsome appearance, he said to the workers: “You must work diligently and must not be lazy or rest!” Through this skillful means, he was able to draw near his son.

Later, he again said to his son: “Young man! Remain here and work regularly; do not go elsewhere again. I will increase your wages. Whatever you need—such things as bowls, basins, rice, flour, salt, or vinegar—do not hesitate to ask. I also have an old and lowly servant whom I will provide for you if you need him. You should put your mind at ease. I am like a father to you, so do not be troubled.”

Why was this? “I am old and advanced in years, while you are young and strong. While working, you have never been deceitful, lazy, angry, resentful, or given to words of complaint. I have seen none of the faults in you that the other hired workers possess. From this day forward, you shall be as my own son.” The Elder then gave the poor son a name and called him his “son.”

At that time, although the poor son rejoiced at this unexpected treatment, he still regarded himself as a stranger and a lowly hired worker. For this reason, he was continually made to clear away dung for twenty years. Only afterward did his mind gradually become trusting, so that he could enter and leave without fear; nevertheless, he continued to live in his former quarters.

World-Honored One! At that time, the Elder fell ill. Knowing that he would die before long, he said to the poor son: “I now possess a great abundance of gold, silver, precious objects, and jewels, and my storehouses and granaries are overflowing. You must know completely how much there is, what is to be disbursed, and what is to be used. Such is my intention, and you should act in accordance with my wishes.

“Why is this? You and I are now no different from one another. You should apply yourself diligently and allow nothing to be lost.” The poor son then accepted his instructions and took charge of all the possessions—gold, silver, precious objects, jewels, and the various storehouses—yet he had no thought of taking so much as the cost of a single meal. He continued to live in his former quarters, for his lowly resolve had still not been cast aside.

After some more time had passed, the father knew that his son’s mind had gradually become discerning, that he had fully developed great resolve, and that he now reproached himself for his former state of mind. When the father was about to die, he summoned his son and assembled all his relatives, the king, the great ministers, the kshatriyas, and the householders. When they had all gathered, he proclaimed: “You should all understand that this man is my son, born of me.

Long ago, in such-and-such a city, he abandoned me and fled. He wandered about and suffered hardships for more than fifty years. His original name was such-and-such, and my name is such-and-such.

In the past, while in that city, I anxiously searched for him. Then, unexpectedly, I encountered him here. He is truly my son, and I am truly his father.

All the wealth I now possess belongs entirely to my son. My son already knows all that has previously been disbursed and received.”

World-Honored One! When the poor son heard his father speak in this way, he rejoiced greatly at this unprecedented event and thought: “Originally, I had no thought of seeking or expecting anything, yet now this treasury of jewels has come to me of its own accord.”

World-Honored One! That wealthy Elder is the Tathagata, while all of us are like the Buddha’s sons. The Tathagata has always said that we are his children.

World-Honored One! Because of the three kinds of suffering ⁽¹⁶⁾, we have undergone all manner of pain within birth and death. Deluded and ignorant, we delighted in the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. Today, the World-Honored One has caused us to reflect upon and clear away the filth of frivolous theories ⁽¹⁷⁾. Within this teaching, we strove diligently and attained nirvana, receiving the wages of a single day. Having attained this, our hearts greatly rejoiced, and we considered it sufficient. We said to ourselves that, within the Buddha’s Dharma, through diligent effort and vigor, what we had attained was already abundant.

Yet the World-Honored One knew beforehand that our hearts delighted in what was low and inferior and were attached to the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. Therefore, the Buddha left us to ourselves and did not explain to us: “You shall have a share in the treasury of the Tathagata’s knowledge and vision.”

The World-Honored One used the power of skillful means to expound the Tathagata’s wisdom. Following the Buddha, we attained nirvana as the wages of a single day and considered this to be abundant; toward the Dharma of the Great Vehicle, we had no aspiration to seek it. Moreover, relying upon the Buddha’s wisdom, we revealed and expounded it for the bodhisattvas, yet we ourselves had no aspiration for that Dharma.

Why was this? The Buddha knew that we delighted in the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle, so he used the power of skillful means to teach the Dharma in accordance with us. We ourselves did not know that we were truly the Buddha’s children. Only today have we come to know that the World-Honored One is never sparing of the Buddha’s wisdom.

Why is this? From the distant past until now, we have truly been the Buddha’s children, yet we delighted only in the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. If we had cherished an aspiration for the Great Vehicle, the Buddha would have taught us the Dharma of the Great Vehicle. In this sutra, only the Dharma of the One Vehicle is taught. Formerly, in the presence of the bodhisattvas, the Buddha reproached the shravakas for delighting in the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle.

Yet in truth, the Buddha uses the Great Vehicle to teach and transform. Therefore, we say that originally we had no thought of seeking or expecting anything, yet now the great treasure of the Dharma King has come to us of its own accord. All that the Buddha’s children ought to receive has now been obtained.

At that time, Mahakashyapa, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke these verses:

On this very day, we,

Hearing the Buddha’s teaching voice,

Have hearts exultant and joyful,

Having gained unprecedented Dharma.

The Buddha says that the shravakas

Shall attain the fruit of Buddhahood.

This hoard of unsurpassed jewels,

Unsought, has come of itself.

It is like a young boy,

Childish and without understanding,

Who abandoned his father and fled,

Going to a distant foreign land.

He wandered throughout foreign lands

For more than fifty long years.

His father, grieving and longing for him,

Searched throughout the four directions.

Weary from searching for him,

He then remained in a certain city,

Where he built himself a house

And delighted in the five desires.

His household was exceedingly wealthy,

With many treasuries of gold and silver,

Giant clamshell, agate,

Pearls, and lapis lazuli;

Elephants, horses, cattle, and sheep;

Palanquins, litters, and all kinds of carriages;

Fields and lands, as well as servants;

And people in very great number.

His revenues and profits

Extended throughout other lands.

Merchants and traders

Were found everywhere.

Thousands, myriads, and kotis of people

Surrounded and revered him.

He was always cherished and remembered

By kings and sovereigns.

Officials and noble clans

All honored him alike.

Because of his many affairs,

Those who came and went were very numerous.

So wealthy and powerful was he,

Possessing exceedingly great influence;

Yet he was already old and feeble,

And grieved ever more as he remembered his son.

Day and night he thought in vain:

“The hour of my death is drawing near.

My foolish child abandoned me

More than fifty full years ago.

All the possessions in my treasuries”

What should be done?

11. At that time, the destitute son

Went in search of food and clothing,

From village to village,

From one country to another.

Sometimes he obtained something,

And sometimes he obtained nothing;

Hungry and deprived, his body grew gaunt,

And sores and scabs broke out upon him.

Wandering on and on,

He arrived at the city where his father dwelt;

Going from place to place seeking hired work,

He happened to come before his father’s house.

At that time, the Elder

Was within his residence,

Where a great jeweled canopy had been spread,

Seated high upon a lion throne.

His kindred surrounded him,

And a multitude stood attending him;

Some were calculating

Gold, silver, and precious objects,

Recording upon documents

The wealth that went out and came in.

The destitute son saw his father,

Mighty, wealthy, and majestic,

And took him for a king

Or one equal in rank to a king.

Alarmed and afraid, he reproached himself inwardly:

Why have I come here?

Again he secretly thought:

If I remain here long,

I may be harassed,

Seized, and compelled to work.

Having thought thus,

He hurriedly ran straight away,

Inquiring after a poor village

Where he might go to seek hired work.

12. At that time, the Elder,

Seated upon the lion throne,

Saw his son from afar

And silently recognized him.

He immediately ordered a messenger

To pursue, seize, and bring him back.

The destitute son cried out in fear,

Fainted, and fell to the ground:

“This man has seized me;

Surely I shall be killed!

What need had I of food and clothing

That I should have come to this?”

The Elder knew that his son

Was foolish, narrow-minded, and lowly,

That he would not believe his words

Nor believe that he was his father.

He therefore employed skillful means

And sent two other men,

One-eyed, short, and ugly,

Men possessing no imposing dignity.

“You should tell him

That we wish to hire him

To clear away filth and excrement,

And that we will pay him double wages.”

When the destitute son heard this,

He joyfully followed the messengers back

To clear away the filth and excrement

And cleanse the rooms and buildings.

From within a window, the Elder

Often watched his son,

Thinking that his son was foolish

And delighted in menial labor.

At that time, the Elder

Put on old, tattered garments,

Took in his hand a tool for removing excrement,

And went to where his son was working.

Through skillful means, he gradually drew near

And said, “Work diligently!

I have increased your wages

And will give you oil with which to anoint your feet,

Food and drink in abundance,

And thick, warm mats and bedding.”

He spoke to him earnestly in this way:

“You should work diligently!”

Then he gently addressed him,

As though he were truly his own son.

13. The wise Elder

Gradually allowed him to come and go.

After twenty years had passed,

He entrusted him with managing the household affairs,

Showing him the gold, silver,

Pearls, jewels, and crystal,

And causing him to know clearly

All the goods that went out and came in.

Yet the son still remained outside the gate,

Dwelling in a thatched hut,

Thinking of his own impoverished lot:

“None of these things belongs to me.”

The father knew that his son’s mind

Had gradually broadened,

And, wishing to entrust his wealth to him,

He assembled all his relatives,

The king, the great ministers,

The kshatriyas, and householders.

Then, before this assembly,

He proclaimed, “This is truly my son.

He abandoned me and went to another country

More than fifty years ago.

Since I found my son again,

Twenty years have now passed.

Long ago, in a certain city,

I lost this son.

I searched for him everywhere

And eventually came to dwell here.

All the wealth I possess,

My houses and servants,

I entrust entirely to him,

To use as he wishes.”

The son recalled his former poverty

And his exceedingly lowly aspirations;

Now, in his father’s presence,

He received a vast abundance of jewels,

Together with the houses

And all the wealth.

His heart was filled with immense joy,

For he had attained what he had never had before.

14. The Buddha is also like this.

Knowing that we delighted in the Lesser Vehicle,

He never told us,

“You will become Buddhas,”

But said only that we

Had attained the virtue of being free from outflows

And had accomplished the fruit of the Lesser Vehicle

As shravaka disciples.

The Buddha instructed us

To proclaim the supreme path of Dharma:

“Those who cultivate this Dharma

Will attain the fruit of Buddhahood.”

We obeyed the Buddha’s command

And, for the great bodhisattvas,

Used various causes and conditions,

Various parables,

And countless eloquent expressions

To proclaim the unsurpassed path.

All the Buddha’s children

Heard the Dharma from us,

Reflected upon it constantly, day and night,

And diligently cultivated it with vigor.

Then the Buddhas

Immediately bestowed predictions upon them:

“In future lives,

You will attain the Buddha Way.”

The wondrous and most secret treasury of Dharma

Of all the Buddhas

Was taught solely for the sake of bodhisattvas,

Revealing this true matter;

Yet this genuine and essential Dharma

Was not proclaimed for us.

Like that destitute son

Who, though close beside his father

And charged with receiving and knowing all his possessions,

Had no thought of seeking them,

Although we proclaimed

The Buddha’s precious treasury of Dharma,

We ourselves had no aspiration toward it;

We were likewise in this way.

15. We extinguished what lay within ⁽¹⁸⁾

And considered that sufficient;

Having accomplished only this task,

We knew nothing of any other.

Although we heard

The Dharma of purifying Buddha lands

And teaching and transforming sentient beings,

We felt no joy or delight in it.

Why was this so?

Because all dharmas

Are entirely empty and quiescent,

Neither arising nor ceasing,

Neither great nor small,

Free from outflows and unconditioned.

Having reflected in this way,

We gave rise to no joyful aspiration.

For a long time,

With regard to the Buddha’s wisdom,

We neither coveted nor delighted in it,

Nor did we aspire to it.

As for our own Dharma,

We considered it ultimate.

For a long time,

We devoted ourselves solely to cultivating emptiness,

Gaining liberation from the calamities

And sufferings of the three realms,

Abiding in our final bodies

In nirvana with remainder ⁽¹⁹⁾.

Having attained the path taught by the Buddha

Without falsehood or error,

We believed that we were thereby able

To repay the Buddha’s kindness.

Although, for the sake

Of all the Buddha’s children,

We proclaimed the Dharma of the bodhisattvas

So that they might seek and realize the Buddha Way,

We ourselves, toward that Dharma,

Never gave rise to any desire.

The Guiding Teacher left us as we were,

For he perceived and understood our minds.

At first, he did not urge us forward

By speaking of its true benefits.

Like the wealthy Elder,

Who knew that his son’s aspirations were lowly

And therefore employed the power of skillful means

To harmonize and subdue his mind,

Only afterward entrusting him

With all his precious wealth,

The Buddha is likewise in this way.

He manifests a most rare deed:

Knowing that we delighted in the Lesser Vehicle,

He employed the power of skillful means

To discipline and subdue our minds,

And only then taught us the great wisdom.

Today, we

Have attained the Dharma never attained before.

It was not something we formerly hoped for,

Yet now we have received it spontaneously,

Like that destitute son

Who obtained immeasurable treasure.

16. World-Honored One! Today we

Have attained the path and realized its fruit;

Within the Dharma free from outflows,

We have attained the pure wisdom-eye.

For a long time,

We have upheld the pure precepts established by the Buddha;

Only today

Have we received their fruit of recompense.

Within the Dharma of the Dharma King,

We have long cultivated the pure conduct;

Today we have attained the freedom from outflows,

The great and unsurpassed fruit of recompense.

Only today

Have we truly become shravakas,

Causing the voice of the Buddha Way

To be heard by all.

Only today

Have we truly become arhats,

Worthy, throughout all worlds,

Among devas, humans, maras, and brahmas,

Amid all these multitudes,

To receive offerings.

The great kindness of the World-Honored One,

Who, through this rare deed,

Compassionately taught and instructed us

And brought us benefit—

Who could repay it,

Even throughout immeasurable kotis of kalpas?

Serving him with our hands and feet,

Bowing our heads in reverence,

And presenting every kind of offering,

We still could not repay it.

Even if we carried the Buddha upon our heads

And bore him upon both shoulders,

Wholeheartedly honoring him

Throughout kalpas numerous as the sands of the Ganges;

Even if we further presented delicious food,

Immeasurable precious garments,

Various kinds of bedding,

And all manner of medicines;

Even if we used ox-head sandalwood

And various precious materials

To erect stupas and shrines,

And spread precious garments upon the ground—

If we used all such things

To make offerings to the Buddha

Throughout kalpas numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

We still could not repay him.

The Buddhas are truly rare:

Immeasurable, boundless,

And inconceivable,

They possess great powers of spiritual penetration.

Free from outflows and unconditioned,

They are kings of all dharmas.

For the sake of those who are lowly,

They patiently endure this most exalted task,

Manifesting the appearance of ordinary beings

And teaching according to capacities and circumstances.

The Buddhas, with regard to the Dharma,

Have attained the power of complete mastery

And know the various classes of sentient beings

Whatever their inclinations and desires,

And the strength of their resolve,

According to what they can bear,

He uses immeasurable parables

To expound the Dharma for them.

According to how sentient beings

Planted wholesome roots in former lives,

He also knows whether they have matured

Or have not yet matured.

Having considered these matters

And discerned them clearly,

Within the path of the One Vehicle,

He expediently teaches three according to their capacities.

THE SUTRA OF THE LOTUS FLOWER OF THE WONDERFUL DHARMA

Volume Two

EXPLANATORY NOTES

⁽¹⁾ EXHAUSTION OF THE OUTFLOWS: The defilements and afflictions of the mind have been completely exhausted; synonymous with “free from outflows.”

⁽²⁾ The Buddha’s body is the color of purple-gold and is endowed with the thirty-two excellent marks.

⁽³⁾ The Buddha’s wisdom possesses ten powers:

1. The power of knowing what is possible and what is impossible

2. The power of knowing karma

3. The power of knowing meditative concentration

4. The power of knowing beings’ faculties and dispositions

5. The power of knowing aspirations and desires

6. The power of knowing the various realms

7. The power of knowing the paths leading to all destinations

8. The power of knowing former lives

9. The power of the divine eye

10. The power of knowing the exhaustion of the outflows

⁽⁴⁾ UNCOMMON: Bodhisattvas, shravakas, and pratyekabuddhas do not possess these; these eighteen dharmas belong exclusively to the Buddha.

⁽⁵⁾ BODHISATTVA: “Bodhi” means awakening; “sattva” means sentient being. The abbreviated term is bodhisattva, meaning one who has personally awakened and is able to liberate sentient beings and lead them to awakening.

⁽⁶⁾ That is, a brahmin.

⁽⁷⁾ The name of the Mara king at the summit of the desire realm.

⁽⁸⁾ FIVE SKANDHAS: The form skandha, feeling skandha, perception skandha, formations skandha, and consciousness skandha. They are also called the five aggregates.

⁽⁹⁾ FIVE DESIRES: 1. Wealth, sexual desire, fame, food, and sleep. 2. Sights, sounds, fragrances, tastes, and tangible objects.

⁽¹⁰⁾ The Buddha’s four kinds of fearlessness:

1. Fearlessness in omniscience

2. Fearlessness in the exhaustion of the outflows

3. Fearlessness in teaching the path

4. Fearlessness in teaching the path that ends suffering

⁽¹¹⁾ FIVE FACULTIES: The faculty of faith, the faculty of diligence, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, and the faculty of wisdom.

FIVE POWERS: The power of faith, the power of diligence, the power of mindfulness, the power of concentration, and the power of wisdom.

SEVEN FACTORS OF AWAKENING: Investigation of dharmas, mindfulness, diligence, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity.

NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH: Right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right mindfulness, right effort, and right concentration.

⁽¹²⁾ XÚY: A cat-eared owl; HIÊU, ĐIÊU, and THỨU: Fierce birds of ill omen. THƯỚC: Magpie.

CƯU: Cuckoo. CÁP: Pigeon. NGOAN-XÀ: Venomous snake. PHÚC-YẾT: Scorpion.

NGÔ ÂCÔNG: Centipede. DO-DIÊN: Insects and lice living in rain capes. DỨU-LY: Weasels and foxes.

HỀ-THỬ: A species of rat. KHƯƠNG-LƯƠNG: Dung beetle.

⁽¹³⁾ The knowledge of the divine eye, the knowledge of former lives, and the knowledge of the exhaustion of the outflows.

⁽¹⁴⁾ The supernormal power of the divine eye, the supernormal power of miraculous transformation, the supernormal power of the divine ear, the supernormal power of knowing others’ minds, the supernormal power of knowing former lives, and the supernormal power of the exhaustion of the outflows.

⁽¹⁵⁾ FAITH: Trusting confidence. UNDERSTANDING: Clear comprehension.

⁽¹⁶⁾ The suffering of suffering, the suffering of change, and the suffering inherent in conditioned existence.

⁽¹⁷⁾ FRIVOLOUS DISCOURSE: Empty argument devoid of truth; synonymous with falsehood.

⁽¹⁸⁾ Eliminating the afflictions of the mind: 1. Those abandoned through seeing. 2. Those abandoned through cultivation.

⁽¹⁹⁾ NIRVANA: Quiescence; PERFECT QUIESCENCE means complete stillness. As long as delusive agitation and afflictions remain, one continues to create karma and undergo its results in birth and death. When delusive agitation and afflictions are utterly ended, one is freed from the recompense of birth and death and abides in peaceful ease; therefore, it is called nirvana.

NIRVANA WITH RESIDUE: The present human body still remains until its final end.