妙法蓮華經 2.30

2.30

“O Śāriputra! That affluent man saw his children leave the burning house safely and arrive at a safe place. Knowing that he had immeasurable wealth, he gave a large cart equally to each child. The Tathāgata is exactly like this. As the father of all sentient beings he sees that immeasurable thousands of koṭis of sentient beings escape from the dangers, sufferings, and fears of the triple world through the gates of the Buddha’s teaching and attain the pleasure of nirvana.

“Then the Tathāgata thought:

Because I possess the treasure house of the Dharma of all the buddhas,

which contains immeasurable limitless wisdom, power, and fearlessness,

and because all sentient beings are my children, I will give them equally

the Mahayana. I will not allow anyone to attain nirvana merely for him-

self but will cause everyone to attain it through the Tathāgata’s nirvana.

I will give sentient beings who have escaped from the triple world

all the toys of the Buddha’s meditations and liberations, which are of

one character and one kind, are praised by the Noble Ones, and which

produce pure and supreme pleasure.

“O Śāriputra! At first that affluent man attracted his children with three kinds of carts, then later gave them only the safest and best large [ox]cart,

adorned with jewels. Moreover, that affluent man was never accused of telling a lie. The Tathāgata is exactly like this. He tells no lies.

“In the beginning the Tathāgata teaches the three vehicles in order to lead sentient beings. And later he saves them through only the Mahayana. Why is this? Because the Tathāgata possesses the treasure house of the Dharma, which contains immeasurable wisdom, power, and fearlessness. And although he is able to give the teaching of the Mahayana to all sentient beings, not all of them can accept it.

“O Śāriputra! You should know that the buddhas, with the power of skillful means, teach the single buddha vehicle, dividing and teaching it as three.”

Then the Buddha, wanting to elaborate on the meaning of this again, spoke these verses:

Suppose there were an affluent man

Who had a large house,

And this house was very old,

On the verge of collapsing.

The halls were extremely dangerous,

The pillar bases rotten and disintegrating,

The beams and framework dangerously tilted,

And the stairways were falling apart.

The fences and walls were cracked,

The plaster was peeling off,

The thatched roof was falling down,

The rafters and eaves were coming apart,

The partitions were everywhere askew,

And the whole place was covered with filth.

Five hundred people lived there,

And moving around helter-skelter were

Kites, owls, hawks, eagles, crows, magpies,

Doves, pigeons, lizards, snakes, vipers,

Scorpions, centipedes, millipedes,

Newts, myriapods, ferrets, badgers, mice,

Rats, and other harmful creatures.

It was filled with stench, And there were places overflowing with excrement. All kinds of bugs Had gathered there. There were foxes, wolves, and vermin Devouring, trampling, and gnawing on corpses, Scattering bones and flesh about; And a pack of dogs,

Forcing each other out of the way, Rushed to the spot— Frightened and exhausted from hunger, They were searching everywhere for food, Fighting among themselves, snatching at food, Biting, snarling, and barking at each other. This house was terrifying, Corrupted to this grotesque condition: Ogres of the mountains and valleys, Yakṣas, and demons were everywhere Devouring human flesh. There were various poisonous insects, All kinds of harmful birds of prey, And beasts who were producing, rearing, And protecting their offspring. Yakṣas were scrabbling and fighting to devour them. And after sating themselves, Evil thoughts would arise in them. The sound of their fighting Was terrifying. The kumbhāṇḍa demons were crouching on the ground, Sometimes rising up a foot or two. Roaming about, pleasing themselves as they liked, They would catch two legs of a dog, Beat it until it could not bark And grabbing the dog’s neck with their legs, Terrify it for their own amusement.

There were also other demons living there With large bodies, naked, dark, and gaunt. They were screaming horrifying howls, Crying out while searching for food. Other demons were there, Some with needlelike throats, While others had necks Like a cow’s head; Some had those of human flesh-eaters or dog-devourers. Their hair was disheveled like rank weeds And they were destructive and malicious. Driven by hunger and thirst, They were crying and scurrying about. Yakṣas, hungry ghosts, And various malicious birds and beasts Were peering out of the windows And running frantically in all directions, Driven by hunger. In this house, with its immeasurable terrors, There were many such horrendous things as these. Now suppose this old and decaying house Belonged to a man, And this man came out from it a short distance. Soon after, the house suddenly Burst into flames behind him. The fire instantly spread in all directions. The frame, beams, rafters, and pillars exploded, And shaking, split and crashed, While the fences and walls collapsed. All the demons screamed out loudly. The hawks, eagles, other birds, And kumbhāṇḍa demons, panicked and terrified, Could not get out. Malicious beasts and poisonous insects Concealed themselves in holes.

There were also piśāca demons dwelling there Who, because of little merit, Were chased by the flames. They were tearing at each other, Drinking blood and eating flesh. A horde of vermin had already died off, And the large malicious beasts Raced to devour them, While the smoke of the stench flowed And filled everywhere. As the centipedes, millipedes, And poisonous snakes rushed,

Burning, out of their holes The kumbhāṇḍa demons devoured them One after another. The hungry ghosts, with their hair on fire, Ravenous, thirsty, and suffering from the heat, Frantically scurried about. In this way, the house was extremely terrifying With poison and fire, And disasters more than one. Then the householder, who was standing Outside the entrance of the house, Heard someone say:

Just a moment ago,

In the midst of their play,

Your children entered this house.

Being young and ignorant,

They are attached to playing games.

Hearing this, the affluent man was startled And went into the burning house To save them from the disaster of the fire. As he thought fit, he warned the children And explained the various dangers:

There are malicious demons, poisonous insects,

And the fire is raging everywhere.

There are endless horrors,

One right after another.

There are poisonous snakes, lizards, vipers,

Yakṣas, kumbhāṇḍa demons, vermin,

Foxes, dogs, hawks, eagles, kites,

Owls, and centipedes, all acutely suffering

From hunger and thirst

And all extremely terrifying.

These horrors are difficult to deal with,

How much more so the conflagration!

But the children, being ignorant, Would not listen to their father’s warning. Still attached to their games, They kept right on playing. Thereupon the affluent man thought:

My children by doing this

Increase my distress!

There is nothing to enjoy now in this house.

Nevertheless, my children who are absorbed in play

Will not accept my instructions

And so will be hurt by the fire.

Then he immediately thought That he should advise his children Using various skillful means, and said:

I have a variety of unusual toys

Such as fine carts adorned with beautiful treasures,

Yoked to sheep, deer, and oxen.

They are just outside the gate.

O children! Come out of the house!

I had these carts made for you.

Play with them as you like!

Hearing about these carts, The children immediately started To push each other out of the way To get out of the house. Arriving at an open area, They escaped from the disaster. The affluent man, seeing that his children Had escaped from the burning house And were standing at the crossroads, Sat down on his lion seat. Then he joyously said:

Now I am happy!

It is extremely difficult to raise these children.

Foolish and ignorant,

They entered a dangerous house

Full of various poisonous insects,

Terrifying ogres from mountains and valleys,

And a raging fire that broke out in all directions.

In spite of this,

These children were attached to playing their games.

But by causing them to escape from the disaster,

I have saved them.

Therefore, my people, I now feel at ease.

Thereupon the children, Seeing their father sitting in peace, Approached him saying:

Please, father,

Give us the three kinds of carts

Adorned with treasures

That you just promised us,

When you said that if we, your children, came out

You would give us three kinds of carts

Just as we like.

Now is the right time.

Give them to us right away!

This affluent man, Who was extremely wealthy, Had an abundance of treasures. He had a number of great carts made, Adorned with various precious things Like gold, silver, lapis lazuli, Mother-of-pearl, and agate. They were beautifully decorated, Encircled with railings, And were covered with hanging bells Attached to golden cords. Over them was hung a net of pearls With golden flower tassels Hanging down everywhere. They were all completely Decorated in a variety of colors. The bedding was made of soft silk That was covered with An extremely fine carpet of spotless white Which cost thousands of koṭis. There were large white oxen, Healthy and powerful with beautiful bodies, Yoked to the jeweled carts, And they were guarded by many attendants. When they were given these fine carts, The children were joyful and excited. They got on the carts And drove delightedly all about. Amusing themselves in play, They mastered them without difficulties.

The Buddha said to Śāriputra:

I am also like this. I am the father of the world, The best of the sages. All sentient beings are my children. They are deeply attached to worldly pleasures And have no wisdom. There is no peace in the triple world, Just like in the burning house, Which is full of various suffering And which is extremely terrifying. There are always the sufferings Of birth, old age, illness, and death. Such fires as these burn endlessly. The Tathāgata, who has already left The burning house of the triple world, Lives in tranquility And dwells at ease in the forest. Now this triple world is my property And the sentient beings in it are my children. There are now many dangers here And I am the only one who can protect them. Although I give them advice, They do not accept it, Because they are tainted with desires And have deep attachments.

On this occasion I teach the three vehicles Using skillful means. Realizing the sufferings of the triple world, I reveal and explain it To cause sentient beings to Escape from the mundane path. If these children are resolute, They are endowed with the three knowledges

And six transcendent powers. Or they can become pratyekabuddhas or Bodhisattvas who have reached The stage of nonretrogression. O Śāriputra! I explain the single buddha vehicle To sentient beings, using this illustration. If you are able to accept what I say, You will all attain the buddha path. This vehicle is subtle, pure, and peerless. There is nothing superior to it In all the worlds. This is what the Buddha enjoys. All the sentient beings should praise, Honor, and revere it. There are immeasurable thousands of koṭis Of powers, liberations, meditations, Wisdoms, and other attributes of the Buddha. I cause my children to obtain such a vehicle And let them play continuously, Day and night, for kalpas. I cause the bodhisattvas as well as the śrāvakas To board this jeweled vehicle, And lead them directly To the terrace of enlightenment. For this reason, There is no other vehicle but The skillful means of the buddhas, Even if one seeks in all the ten directions. I tell you, O Śāriputra: All of you are my children, And I am thus your father. Since you were burned by the fire Of various sufferings for many kalpas, I saved you all

By leading you out of the triple world. Although I have previously told you About your parinirvāṇa, You have only extinguished birth and death And have not actually attained nirvana. You should now seek only The wisdom of the Buddha. If there are any bodhisattvas in this assembly, They should listen singlemindedly To the real teaching of all the buddhas. Those sentient beings Whom the Buddha Bhagavats Lead and inspire with skillful means Are all bodhisattvas. Because people have little knowledge And are deeply attached to pleasures, I teach them the truth of suffering (i.e., the First Noble Truth). And those sentient beings rejoice, Having attained Such an unprecedented experience. The truth of suffering taught by the Buddha Is nothing but the truth. To those who do not know the origin of suffering (i.e., the Second

Noble Truth), Who are deeply attached to its causes And unable to abandon them even for a while, I teach the truth about the path to its cessation Using skillful means. All the causes of suffering Originate from excessive craving. When this craving is extinguished, The source is removed. The cessation of suffering Is called the Third [Noble] Truth.

One practices the path leading to its cessation (i.e., the Fourth Noble

Truth]

In order to attain the truth of cessation. Removing the bonds of sufferings is called liberation. In what sense have these people attained liberation? They have merely removed false views And called that liberation. But actually, they have not yet completely attained it. The Buddha has explained that these people Have not actually attained nirvana: I do not intend to lead them to nirvana Because they have not yet attained the highest path. I am the Lord of the Dharma And have mastered the Dharma. I appear in the world To cause sentient beings to be at peace. O, you, Śāriputra! Teach this my Dharma sign To benefit the world! Wherever you may go, Never propagate it recklessly. You should know that those who hear, Rejoice, and fully accept it Have reached the stage of nonretrogression. Those who accept the teaching of this sutra Have formerly seen the buddhas in the past, Honored, and paid homage to them, And also heard this teaching. Those who are able to accept what you teach, Will see me, you, the monks and the bodhisattvas. This very Lotus Sutra shall be taught Only to the profoundly wise. Those of superficial awareness who hear it Will become confused and will not comprehend it. This sutra is beyond the comprehension Of all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. O, you, Śāriputra!

Even you understood this sutra only through faith; It is no wonder that the other disciples cannot. They accept this sutra Because they believe the Buddha’s teaching, But it is beyond their intellectual comprehension. O Śāriputra! Never teach this sutra To those who are arrogant and lazy, Or to those who hold False views about the self. Never teach it to those people Of superficial awareness, Who are deeply attached To the desires of the five senses, Since even if they heard it, They would not understand. Those people who will not accept And who disparage this sutra, Will consequently destroy the seed of the Buddha In the entire world. Now listen to what I teach About the results of the errors of those people Who frown upon and have doubts about this sutra. Listen also to what I teach Concerning the results of the errors of those people, Who, whether at the time Of the Buddha’s presence in this world Or after his parinirvāṇa, disparage this sutra, And despise, hate, and hold grudges Against the people who recite, copy, and preserve it. When such people die, They will go to the Avīci Hell, And after spending a kalpa there, Will be born in the same way

Again and again for innumerable kalpas.

After coming out of this hell, They will be reborn as animals. If born as dogs or vermin, Their bodies will be emaciated, dark-spotted, Devoid of hair, with scabies and leprosy. Tormented, hated, and despised by people, They will constantly suffer from hunger and thirst. With withered bones and flesh, They will be in anguish while living And covered with stones after death. Because they destroyed The seed of the Buddha, They will suffer the consequences Of their errors. If they are born as camels or mules, They will always have heavy burdens to carry. They will be whipped repeatedly And think of nothing but water and grass. It is because they disparaged this sutra That they suffer the consequences of their errors in this way. If they are born as vermin and enter a village, Children will beat them because they have scabies, Leprosy, and perhaps a missing eye. At times they will be tortured even to death. After dying, They will be reborn as giant snakes With great bodies as long as five hundred yojanas. Deaf, dumb, legless, slithering on their bellies, Eaten at by small insects, They will suffer day and night without respite. They suffer the consequences of their errors in this way, Because they disparaged this sutra. If they are born as humans, They will have dull faculties And be runts who twitch and are crippled,

Blind, deaf, and humpbacked. No matter what they may say People will not believe them. Their breath will always be foul. They will be snatched at by demons. Being poor and degraded and enslaved by others, They will be emaciated from many illnesses And will have nowhere to turn. When they approach others, They will be disdained. Even if they manage to get something They will immediately lose it. Even if they study medicine And cure themselves according to the correct method, They will suffer from other illnesses again And may even die. When they get sick No one will tend to them; And even if they take the proper medicine Their pain will increase. Every hand will be turned against them, Threatening them, pilfering and stealing from them. They will fall helplessly into this plight Because of their transgressions. Such erring people will never see The Buddha, the king of seers, Preaching the Dharma and leading and inspiring people. Such people will always be born Into difficult circumstances. Crazed, unheeding, and unthinking, They will never hear the teaching. They will be born deaf and dumb, With defective faculties For as many immeasurable kalpas As the sands of the Ganges River.

Though they will always find themselves in hell,

They will feel as if they were playing

In a pleasure garden.

Although they are in other troubled states of being,

They will feel as if they were in their own home.

They will live among camels, mules, boars, and dogs.

These are the results of their error

In disparaging this sutra.

If they are born as human beings,

They will be deaf, blind, mute,

Impoverished, and decrepit.

Such will be their adornments.

They will have dropsy, gonorrhea,

Scabies, leprosy, and tumors.

Such diseases as these will be their clothing.

Their bodies will always be foul, filthy, and impure.

Their deep attachment to false views

About the self will cause

Their anger and passion to increase.

Their sexual desires will be insatiable,

With either birds or beasts as their objects.

These are the results of their

Errors in disparaging this sutra.

The Buddha said to Śāriputra:

If one were to explain

The consequences of the errors

Of those who disparage this sutra,

It would take more than a kalpa.

For that reason I am now telling you

Never to expound this sutra

To those who have little wisdom.

You should teach it

Only to those people of sharp faculties

Who are wise, learned, and understanding,

Who have good memories and erudition, And are seeking the buddha path. You should teach it to those who have seen Hundreds of thousands of koṭis of buddhas, Who have planted good roots, and are resolute. Teach it to those who strive, Always practice compassion, And give unsparingly of their bodies and lives. You should teach it to those who are respectful And devoid of hypocrisy, Who are living alone In mountains and valleys away from fools. O Śāriputra! You should teach it To those who have left their bad companions And made friends with virtuous people. Teach it to the heirs of the Buddha Who have good conduct, are as pure as jewels, And who are seeking the Mahayana sutras. You should teach it To those who are free of anger, Honest, flexible, always sympathetic to everyone, And who honor all the buddhas. Teach it to the heirs of the Buddha In the great assembly, Who have pure thoughts And who teach the Dharma without doubts, Using various reasonings, Illustrations, and explanations. You should teach it to those monks Who, always and everywhere in search of the Dharma, Seek the Omniscient One, To whom they joyfully press their palms together, Touch their heads, and preserve Only the Mahayana sutras with pleasure,

Who never preserve even a single verse

Of any other sutra.