法苑珠林 24.19

24.19

如百喻經云。昔有一聚落。去王城五由旬。村中有好美水。王勅村人常使民日日送其美水。村人疲苦悉欲移避遠此村去。時彼村主語諸人言。汝等莫去。我當為汝白王。改五由旬作三由旬。使汝得近往來不疲。即往白王。王為改之作三由旬。眾人聞已便大歡喜。有人語言。此故是本五由旬。更無有異。雖聞此言信王語故終不肯捨。世間之人亦復如是。修行正法度於五道向涅槃城。心生疲倦便欲捨離。頓駕生死不能復進。如來法王有大方便。於一乘法分別說三。小乘之人聞之歡喜。以為易行。修善進德求度生死。後聞人說無有三乘。故是一乘。以信佛語終不肯捨。如彼村人亦復如是。

As the Sūtra of One Hundred Parables says: In the past there was a settlement five yojanas away from the royal city. In the village there was delicious water. The king commanded the villagers to constantly have people deliver that delicious water day after day. The villagers grew exhausted and distressed, and all wished to move away to avoid it, leaving this village far behind. Then the village headman said to them, 'Do not leave. I shall petition the king on your behalf to change five yojanas into three yojanas, so that it will be near for you and you will not be exhausted coming and going.' He went immediately to petition the king, and the king changed it to three yojanas for their sake. When the crowd heard this, they were greatly overjoyed. Someone said to them, 'This is still the original five yojanas; there is no difference whatsoever.' Even though they heard these words, because they believed the king's words, they were entirely unwilling to leave. Worldly people are also like this. Practicing the true Dharma, crossing the five destinies, and heading toward the city of nirvāṇa, their minds grow weary and they then wish to abandon it, arrested midway in saṃsāra and unable to advance further. The Tathāgata, the Dharma King, possesses great expedients: within the One Vehicle Dharma, he discriminatively expounds three. Those of the Hīnayāna hear this and are overjoyed, thinking it easy to practice; they cultivate goodness and advance in virtue, seeking deliverance from saṃsāra. Later, hearing people say that there are no three vehicles, that it is still just the One Vehicle, because they believe the Buddha's words, they are entirely unwilling to abandon it. They are just like those villagers.