法苑珠林 52.22

52.22

As the Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā says: In this household, toward parents, siblings, wife, children, relatives, retinue, carriages, horses, and other things, greed and desire increase without satisfaction. The household is difficult to fill, like the ocean swallowing rivers. The household knows no contentment, like fire consuming firewood. The household has no rest, with coarse and subtle thoughts continuing uninterrupted. The household is painful in nature, like an enemy feigning affection. The household is an obstacle, capable of hindering the noble path. The household is discord, full of mutual conflict and strife. The household is full of wrath, reproaching the good and the bad. The household is impermanent; though lasting long, it deteriorates. The household is manifold suffering, pursued and guarded. The household is a place of suspicion, like enemy bandits. The household is inverted, coveting provisional names. The household is an entertainer, in various false adornments. The household is mutable; what is craved must disperse. The household is borrowed, having no real substance. The household is like a dream; wealth and nobility are lost. The household is like morning dew, vanishing in an instant. The household is like a drop of honey, its flavor meager indeed. The household is like a bramble patch, its thorns of desire injuring people. The household is like iron-eating worms, incessantly gnawing on coarse and subtle thoughts. Such perils cannot be recounted in full. Therefore, the lay bodhisattva should contemplate in this way and recognize the faults of the household. The household's wife, children, retinue, slaves, maidservants, wealth, and possessions cannot serve as a refuge or sanctuary; they are not my good friends. Therefore, one must swiftly abandon and renounce them. Furthermore, from beginningless time, all sentient beings have been mutually fathers and sons in the six destinies; how could closeness or distance be fixed? Therefore, the verse says: