The Lotus Sūtra 2.23

2.23

舍利弗言：「不也，世尊！是長者但令諸子得免火難，全其軀命，非為虛妄。何以故？若全身命，便為已得玩好之具，況復方便於彼火宅而拔濟之。世尊！若是長者，乃至不與最小一車，猶不虛妄。何以故？是長者先作是意：『我以方便令子得出。』以是因緣，無虛妄也。何況長者自知財富無量，欲饒益諸子，等與大車。」

Śāriputra said: "No, Bhagavat! That elder merely caused his sons to escape the disaster of fire and preserved their physical lives; this is not a falsehood. Why? If they preserved their lives, they already gained playthings, not to mention that through an upāya he rescued them from that burning house! Bhagavat, even if that elder had not given them the smallest cart, it would still not be a falsehood. Why? That elder previously thought: 'I will use an upāya to enable my sons to escape.' By this reason, there is no falsehood. How much less so when the elder, knowing his wealth to be immeasurable and wishing to benefit his sons, gave them all great carts equally!"