A PARABLE.
Then the venerable Śāriputra, pleased, glad, charmed, cheerful, thrilling with delight and joy, stretched his joined hands towards the Lord, and, looking up to the Lord with a steady gaze, addressed him in this strain: I am astonished, amazed, O Lord! I am in ecstasy to hear such a call from the Lord. For when, before I had heard of this law from the Lord, I saw other Bodhisattvas, and heard that the Bodhisattvas would in future get the name of Buddhas, I felt extremely sorry, extremely vexed to be deprived from so grand a sight as the Tathāgata-knowledge. And whenever, O Lord, for my daily recreation I was visiting the caves of rocks or mountains, wood thickets, lovely gardens, rivers, and roots of trees, I always was occupied with the same and ever-recurring thought: ‘Whereas the entrance into the fixed points of the law is nominally equal, we have been dismissed by the Lord with the inferior vehicle.’ Instantly, however, O Lord, I felt that it was our own fault, not the Lord’s. For had we regarded the Lord at the time of his giving the all-surpassing demonstration of the law, that is, the exposition of supreme, perfect enlightenment, then, O Lord, we should have become adepts in those laws. But because, without understanding the mystery of the Lord, we, at the moment of the Bodhisattvas not being assembled, heard only in a hurry, caught, meditated, minded, took to heart the first lessons pronounced on the law, therefore, O Lord, I used to pass day and night in self-reproach. (But) to-day, O Lord, I have reached complete extinction; to-day, O Lord, I have become calm; to-day, O Lord, I am wholly come to rest; to-day, O Lord, I have reached Arhatship; to-day, O Lord, I am the Lord’s eldest son, born from his law, sprung into existence by the law, made by the law, inheriting from the law, accomplished by the law. My burning has left me, O Lord, now that I have heard this wonderful law, which I had not learnt before, announced by the voice from the mouth of the Lord.
Then the venerable Śāriputra, pleased, glad, charmed, cheerful, thrilling with delight and joy, stretched his joined hands towards the Lord, and, looking up to the Lord with a steady gaze, addressed him in this strain: I am astonished, amazed, O Lord! I am in ecstasy to hear such a call from the Lord. For when, before I had heard of this law from the Lord, I saw other Bodhisattvas, and heard that the Bodhisattvas would in future get the name of Buddhas, I felt extremely sorry, extremely vexed to be deprived from so grand a sight as the Tathāgata-knowledge. And whenever, O Lord, for my daily recreation I was visiting the caves of rocks or mountains, wood thickets, lovely gardens, rivers, and roots of trees, I always was occupied with the same and ever-recurring thought: ‘Whereas the entrance into the fixed points of the law is nominally equal, we have been dismissed by the Lord with the inferior vehicle.’ Instantly, however, O Lord, I felt that it was our own fault, not the Lord’s. For had we regarded the Lord at the time of his giving the all-surpassing demonstration of the law, that is, the exposition of supreme, perfect enlightenment, then, O Lord, we should have become adepts in those laws. But because, without understanding the mystery of the Lord, we, at the moment of the Bodhisattvas not being assembled, heard only in a hurry, caught, meditated, minded, took to heart the first lessons pronounced on the law, therefore, O Lord, I used to pass day and night in self-reproach. (But) to-day, O Lord, I have reached complete extinction; to-day, O Lord, I have become calm; to-day, O Lord, I am wholly come to rest; to-day, O Lord, I have reached Arhatship; to-day, O Lord, I am the Lord’s eldest son, born from his law, sprung into existence by the law, made by the law, inheriting from the law, accomplished by the law. My burning has left me, O Lord, now that I have heard this wonderful law, which I had not learnt before, announced by the voice from the mouth of the Lord.
And on that occasion the venerable Śāriputra addressed the Lord in the following stanzas:
1. I am astonished, great Leader, I am charmed
to hear this voice; I feel no doubt any more; now
am I fully ripe for the superior vehicle.
2. Wonderful is the voice of the Sugatas; it
dispels the doubt and pain of living beings; my
pain also is all gone now that I, freed from imper-
fections, have heard that voice (or, call).
3. When I was taking my daily recreation or was
walking in woody thickets, when betaking myself to
the roots of trees or to mountain caves, I indulged
in no other thought but this:
4. ‘O how am I deluded by vain thoughts!
whereas the faultless laws are, nominally, equal,
shall I in future not preach the superior law in the
world?
5. ‘The thirty-two characteristic signs have failed
me, and the gold colour of the skin has vanished;
all the (ten) powers and emancipations have likewise
been lost. O how have I gone astray at the equal
laws!
6. ‘The secondary signs also of the great Seers,
the eighty excellent specific signs, and the eighteen
uncommon properties have failed me. O how am
I deluded!’
7. And when I had perceived thee, so benign and
merciful to the world, and was lonely walking to take
my daily recreation, I thought: ‘I am excluded from
that inconceivable, unbounded knowledge!’
1. I am astonished, great Leader, I am charmed
to hear this voice; I feel no doubt any more; now
am I fully ripe for the superior vehicle.
2. Wonderful is the voice of the Sugatas; it
dispels the doubt and pain of living beings; my
pain also is all gone now that I, freed from imper-
fections, have heard that voice (or, call).
3. When I was taking my daily recreation or was
walking in woody thickets, when betaking myself to
the roots of trees or to mountain caves, I indulged
in no other thought but this:
4. ‘O how am I deluded by vain thoughts!
whereas the faultless laws are, nominally, equal,
shall I in future not preach the superior law in the
world?
5. ‘The thirty-two characteristic signs have failed
me, and the gold colour of the skin has vanished;
all the (ten) powers and emancipations have likewise
been lost. O how have I gone astray at the equal
laws!
6. ‘The secondary signs also of the great Seers,
the eighty excellent specific signs, and the eighteen
uncommon properties have failed me. O how am
I deluded!’
7. And when I had perceived thee, so benign and
merciful to the world, and was lonely walking to take
my daily recreation, I thought: ‘I am excluded from
that inconceivable, unbounded knowledge!’
8. Days and nights, O Lord, I passed always
thinking of the same subject; I would ask the Lord
whether I had lost my rank or not.
9. In such reflections, O Chief of Jinas, I con-
stantly passed my days and nights; and on seeing
many other Bodhisattvas praised by the Leader of
the world,
10. And on hearing this Buddha-law, I thought:
‘To be sure, this is expounded mysteriously; it is
an inscrutable, subtle, and faultless science, which
is announced by the Jinas on the terrace of en-
lightenment.’
11. Formerly I was attached to (heretical) theories,
being a wandering monk and in high honour (or, of
the same opinions) with the heretics; afterwards
has the Lord, regarding my disposition, taught me
Nirvāṇa, to detach me from perverted views.
12. After having completely freed myself from
all (heretical) views and reached the laws of void,
(I conceive) that I have become extinct; yet this is
not deemed to be extinction.
13. But when one becomes Buddha, a superior being, honoured by men, gods, goblins, Titans, and adorned with the thirty-two characteristic signs, then one will be completely extinct.
14. All those (former) cares have now been dispelled, since I have heard the voice. Now am I extinct, as thou announcest my destination (to Nirvana) before the world including the gods.
thinking of the same subject; I would ask the Lord
whether I had lost my rank or not.
9. In such reflections, O Chief of Jinas, I con-
stantly passed my days and nights; and on seeing
many other Bodhisattvas praised by the Leader of
the world,
10. And on hearing this Buddha-law, I thought:
‘To be sure, this is expounded mysteriously; it is
an inscrutable, subtle, and faultless science, which
is announced by the Jinas on the terrace of en-
lightenment.’
11. Formerly I was attached to (heretical) theories,
being a wandering monk and in high honour (or, of
the same opinions) with the heretics; afterwards
has the Lord, regarding my disposition, taught me
Nirvāṇa, to detach me from perverted views.
12. After having completely freed myself from
all (heretical) views and reached the laws of void,
(I conceive) that I have become extinct; yet this is
not deemed to be extinction.
13. But when one becomes Buddha, a superior being, honoured by men, gods, goblins, Titans, and adorned with the thirty-two characteristic signs, then one will be completely extinct.
14. All those (former) cares have now been dispelled, since I have heard the voice. Now am I extinct, as thou announcest my destination (to Nirvana) before the world including the gods.
15. When I first heard the voice of the Lord, I had a great terror lest it might be Mara, the evil one, who on this occasion had adopted the disguise of Buddha.
16. But when the unsurpassed Buddha-wisdom had been displayed in and established with arguments, reasons, and illustrations, by myriads of kotis, then I lost all doubt about the law I heard.
17. And when thou hadst mentioned to me the thousands of kotis of Buddhas, the past Jinas who have come to final rest, and how they preached this law by firmly establishing it through skilfulness;
18. How the many future Buddhas and those who are now existing, as knowers of the real truth, shall expound or are expounding this law by hundreds of able devices;
19. And when thou wert mentioning thine own course after leaving home, how the idea of the wheel of the law presented itself to thy mind and how thou decidedst upon preaching the law;
20. Then I was convinced: This is not Mara; it is the Lord of the world, who has shown the true course; no Maras can here abide. So then my mind (for a moment) was overcome with perplexity;
21. But when the sweet, deep, and lovely voice of Buddha gladdened me, all doubts were scattered, my perplexity vanished, and I stood firm in knowledge.
16. But when the unsurpassed Buddha-wisdom had been displayed in and established with arguments, reasons, and illustrations, by myriads of kotis, then I lost all doubt about the law I heard.
17. And when thou hadst mentioned to me the thousands of kotis of Buddhas, the past Jinas who have come to final rest, and how they preached this law by firmly establishing it through skilfulness;
18. How the many future Buddhas and those who are now existing, as knowers of the real truth, shall expound or are expounding this law by hundreds of able devices;
19. And when thou wert mentioning thine own course after leaving home, how the idea of the wheel of the law presented itself to thy mind and how thou decidedst upon preaching the law;
20. Then I was convinced: This is not Mara; it is the Lord of the world, who has shown the true course; no Maras can here abide. So then my mind (for a moment) was overcome with perplexity;
21. But when the sweet, deep, and lovely voice of Buddha gladdened me, all doubts were scattered, my perplexity vanished, and I stood firm in knowledge.
22. I shall become a Tathagata, undoubtedly, worshipped in the world including the gods; I shall manifest Buddha-wisdom, mysteriously rousing many Bodhisattvas.
After this speech of the venerable Sariputra, the Lord said to him: I declare to thee, Sariputra, I announce to thee, in presence of this world including the gods, Maras, and Brahmas, in presence of this people, including ascetics and Brahmans, that thou, Sariputra, hast been by me made ripe for supreme, perfect enlightenment, in presence of twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Buddhas, and that thou, Sariputra, hast for a long time followed my commandments. Thou, Sariputra, art, by the counsel of the Bodhisattva, by the decree of the Bodhisattva, reborn here under my rule. Owing to the mighty will of the Bodhisattva thou, Sariputra, hast no recollection of thy former vow to observe the (religious) course; of the counsel of the Bodhisattva, the decree of the Bodhisattva. Thou thinkest that thou hast reached final rest. I, wishing to revive and renew in thee the knowledge of thy former vow to observe the (religious) course, will reveal to the disciples the Dharmaparyaya called ‘the Lotus of the True Law,’ this Sutranta, &c.
Again, Sariputra, at a future period, after innumerable, inconceivable, immeasurable Æons, when thou shalt have learnt the true law of hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Tathagatas, shown devotion in various ways, and achieved the present Bodhisattva-course, thou shalt become in the world a Tathagata, &c., named Padmaprabha, endowed with science and conduct, a Sugata, a knower of the world, an unsurpassed tamer of men, a master of gods and men, a Lord Buddha.
After this speech of the venerable Sariputra, the Lord said to him: I declare to thee, Sariputra, I announce to thee, in presence of this world including the gods, Maras, and Brahmas, in presence of this people, including ascetics and Brahmans, that thou, Sariputra, hast been by me made ripe for supreme, perfect enlightenment, in presence of twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Buddhas, and that thou, Sariputra, hast for a long time followed my commandments. Thou, Sariputra, art, by the counsel of the Bodhisattva, by the decree of the Bodhisattva, reborn here under my rule. Owing to the mighty will of the Bodhisattva thou, Sariputra, hast no recollection of thy former vow to observe the (religious) course; of the counsel of the Bodhisattva, the decree of the Bodhisattva. Thou thinkest that thou hast reached final rest. I, wishing to revive and renew in thee the knowledge of thy former vow to observe the (religious) course, will reveal to the disciples the Dharmaparyaya called ‘the Lotus of the True Law,’ this Sutranta, &c.
Again, Sariputra, at a future period, after innumerable, inconceivable, immeasurable Æons, when thou shalt have learnt the true law of hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Tathagatas, shown devotion in various ways, and achieved the present Bodhisattva-course, thou shalt become in the world a Tathagata, &c., named Padmaprabha, endowed with science and conduct, a Sugata, a knower of the world, an unsurpassed tamer of men, a master of gods and men, a Lord Buddha.
At that time then, Sariputra, the Buddha-field of that Lord, the Tathagata Padmaprabha, to be called Virata, will be level, pleasant, delightful, extremely beautiful to see, pure, prosperous, rich, quiet, abounding with food, replete with many races of men; it will consist of lapis lazuli, and contain a checker-board of eight compartments distinguished by gold threads, each compartment having its jewel tree always and perpetually filled with blossoms and fruits of seven precious substances.
Now that Tathagata Padmaprabha, &c., Sariputra, will preach the law by the instrumentality of three vehicles. Further, Sariputra, that Tathagata will not appear at the decay of the Æon, but preach the law by virtue of a vow.
That Æon, Sariputra, will be named Maharatnapratimaṇḍita (i.e. ornamented with magnificent jewels). Knowest thou, Sariputra, why that Æon is named Maharatnapratimaṇḍita? The Bodhisattvas of a Buddha-field, Sariputra, are called ratnas (jewels), and at that time there will be many Bodhisattvas in that sphere (called) Virata; innumerable, incalculable, beyond computation, abstraction made from their being computed by the Tathagatas. On that account is that Æon called Maharatnapratimaṇḍita.
Now, to proceed, Sariputra, at that period the Bodhisattvas of that field will in walking step on jewel lotuses. And these Bodhisattvas will not be plying their work for the first time, they having accumulated roots of goodness and observed the course of duty under many hundred thousand Buddhas; they are praised by the Tathagatas for their zealous application to Buddha-knowledge; are perfected in the rites preparatory to transcendent knowledge; accomplished in the direction of all true laws; mild, thoughtful. Generally, Sariputra, will that Buddha-region teem with such Bodhisattvas.
Now that Tathagata Padmaprabha, &c., Sariputra, will preach the law by the instrumentality of three vehicles. Further, Sariputra, that Tathagata will not appear at the decay of the Æon, but preach the law by virtue of a vow.
That Æon, Sariputra, will be named Maharatnapratimaṇḍita (i.e. ornamented with magnificent jewels). Knowest thou, Sariputra, why that Æon is named Maharatnapratimaṇḍita? The Bodhisattvas of a Buddha-field, Sariputra, are called ratnas (jewels), and at that time there will be many Bodhisattvas in that sphere (called) Virata; innumerable, incalculable, beyond computation, abstraction made from their being computed by the Tathagatas. On that account is that Æon called Maharatnapratimaṇḍita.
Now, to proceed, Sariputra, at that period the Bodhisattvas of that field will in walking step on jewel lotuses. And these Bodhisattvas will not be plying their work for the first time, they having accumulated roots of goodness and observed the course of duty under many hundred thousand Buddhas; they are praised by the Tathagatas for their zealous application to Buddha-knowledge; are perfected in the rites preparatory to transcendent knowledge; accomplished in the direction of all true laws; mild, thoughtful. Generally, Sariputra, will that Buddha-region teem with such Bodhisattvas.
As to the lifetime, Sariputra, of that Tathagata Padmaprabha, it will last twelve intermediate kalpas, if we leave out of account the time of his being a young prince. And the lifetime of the creatures then living will measure eight intermediate kalpas. At the expiration of twelve intermediate kalpas, Sariputra, the Tathagata Padmaprabha, after announcing the future destiny of the Bodhisattva called Dhṛtiparipūrṇa to superior perfect enlightenment, is to enter complete Nirvana. “This Bodhisattva Mahasattva Dhṛtiparipūrṇa, O monks, shall immediately after me come to supreme, perfect enlightenment. He shall become in the world a Tathagata named Padmavṛṣabhavikrāmin, an Arhat, &c., endowed with science and conduct, &c. &c.”
Now the Tathagata Padmavṛṣabhavikrāmin, Sariputra, will have a Buddha-field of quite the same description. The true law, Sariputra, of that Tathagata Padmavṛṣabhavikrāmin will, after his extinction, last thirty-two intermediate kalpas, and the counterfeit of his true law will last as many intermediate kalpas.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following stanzas:
23. Thou also, son of Sari, shalt in future be a Ginas, a Tathagata named Padmaprabha, of illimited sight; thou shalt educate thousands of kotis of living beings.
24. After paying honour to many kotis of Buddhas, making strenuous efforts in the course of duty, and after having produced in thyself the ten powers, thou shalt reach supreme, perfect enlightenment.
Now the Tathagata Padmavṛṣabhavikrāmin, Sariputra, will have a Buddha-field of quite the same description. The true law, Sariputra, of that Tathagata Padmavṛṣabhavikrāmin will, after his extinction, last thirty-two intermediate kalpas, and the counterfeit of his true law will last as many intermediate kalpas.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following stanzas:
23. Thou also, son of Sari, shalt in future be a Ginas, a Tathagata named Padmaprabha, of illimited sight; thou shalt educate thousands of kotis of living beings.
24. After paying honour to many kotis of Buddhas, making strenuous efforts in the course of duty, and after having produced in thyself the ten powers, thou shalt reach supreme, perfect enlightenment.
25. Within a period inconceivable and immense there shall be an Æon rich in jewels (or, the Æon jewel-rich), and a sphere named Virata, the pure field of the highest of men;
26. And its ground will consist of lapis lazuli, and be set off with gold threads; it will have hundreds of jewel trees, very beautiful, and covered with blossoms and fruits.
27. Bodhisattvas of good memory, able in showing
The course of duty which they have been taught under hundreds of Buddhas, will come to be born in that field.
28. And the afore-mentioned Jina, then in his last bodily existence, shall, after passing the state of prince royal, renounce sensual pleasures, leave home (to become a wandering ascetic), and thereafter reach the supreme and the highest enlightenment.
29. The lifetime of that Jina will be precisely twelve intermediate kalpas, and the life of men will then last eight intermediate kalpas.
30. After the extinction of the Tathagata the true law will continue thirty-two Æons in full, for the benefit of the world, including the gods.
31. When the true law shall have come to an end, its counterfeit will stand for thirty-two intermediate kalpas. The dispersed relics of the holy one will always be honoured by men and gods.
32. Such will be the fate of that Lord. Rejoice, O son of Sari, for it is thou who shalt be that most excellent of men, so unsurpassed.
26. And its ground will consist of lapis lazuli, and be set off with gold threads; it will have hundreds of jewel trees, very beautiful, and covered with blossoms and fruits.
27. Bodhisattvas of good memory, able in showing
The course of duty which they have been taught under hundreds of Buddhas, will come to be born in that field.
28. And the afore-mentioned Jina, then in his last bodily existence, shall, after passing the state of prince royal, renounce sensual pleasures, leave home (to become a wandering ascetic), and thereafter reach the supreme and the highest enlightenment.
29. The lifetime of that Jina will be precisely twelve intermediate kalpas, and the life of men will then last eight intermediate kalpas.
30. After the extinction of the Tathagata the true law will continue thirty-two Æons in full, for the benefit of the world, including the gods.
31. When the true law shall have come to an end, its counterfeit will stand for thirty-two intermediate kalpas. The dispersed relics of the holy one will always be honoured by men and gods.
32. Such will be the fate of that Lord. Rejoice, O son of Sari, for it is thou who shalt be that most excellent of men, so unsurpassed.
The four classes of the audience, monks, nuns, lay devotees male and female, gods, Nagas, goblins, Gandharvas, demons, Garudas, Kinnaras, great serpents, men and beings not human, on hearing the announcement of the venerable Sariputra's destiny to supreme, perfect enlightenment, were so pleased, glad, charmed, thrilling with delight and joy, that they covered the Lord severally with their own robes, while Indra the chief of gods, Brahma Sahampati, besides hundred thousands of kotis of other divine beings, covered him with heavenly garments and bestrewed him with flowers of heaven, Mandaravas and great Mandaravas. High aloft they whirled celestial clothes and struck hundred thousands of celestial musical instruments and cymbals, high in the sky; and after pouring a great rain of flowers they uttered these words: The wheel of the law has been put in motion by the Lord, the first time at Benares at Rishipatana in the Deer-park; to-day has the Lord again put in motion the supreme wheel of the law.
And on that occasion those divine beings uttered the following stanzas:
33. The wheel of the law was put in motion by thee, O thou that art unrivalled in the world, at Benares, O great hero! (that wheel which is the rotation of) the rise and decay of all aggregates.
34. There it was put in motion for the first time; now, a second time, is it turned here, O Lord. To-day, O Master, thou hast preached this law, which is hard to be received with faith.
And on that occasion those divine beings uttered the following stanzas:
33. The wheel of the law was put in motion by thee, O thou that art unrivalled in the world, at Benares, O great hero! (that wheel which is the rotation of) the rise and decay of all aggregates.
34. There it was put in motion for the first time; now, a second time, is it turned here, O Lord. To-day, O Master, thou hast preached this law, which is hard to be received with faith.
35. Many laws have we heard near the Lord of the world, but never before did we hear a law like this.
36. We receive with gratitude, O great hero, the mysterious speech of the great Sages, such as this prediction regarding the self-possessed Arya Sariputra.
37. May we also become such incomparable Buddhas in the world, who by mysterious speech announce supreme Buddha-enlightenment.
38. May we also, by the good we have done in this world and in the next, and by our having propitiated the Buddha, be allowed to make a vow for Buddhahood.
Thereupon the venerable Sariputra thus spoke to the Lord: My doubt is gone, O Lord, my uncertainty is at an end on hearing from the mouth of the Lord my destiny to supreme enlightenment. But these twelve hundred self-controlled (disciples), O Lord, who have been placed by thee on the stage of Saikshas, have been thus admonished and instructed: ‘My preaching of the law, O monks, comes to this, that deliverance from birth, decrepitude, disease, and death is inseparably connected with Nirvana;’ and these two thousand monks, O Lord, thy disciples, both those who are still under training and adepts, who all of them are free from false views about the soul, false views about existence, false views about cessation of existence, free, in short, from all false views, who are fancying themselves to have reached the stage of Nirvana, these have fallen into uncertainty by hearing from the mouth of the Lord this law which they had not heard before. Therefore, O Lord, please speak to these monks, to dispel their uneasiness, so that the four classes of the audience, O Lord, may be relieved from their doubt and perplexity.
36. We receive with gratitude, O great hero, the mysterious speech of the great Sages, such as this prediction regarding the self-possessed Arya Sariputra.
37. May we also become such incomparable Buddhas in the world, who by mysterious speech announce supreme Buddha-enlightenment.
38. May we also, by the good we have done in this world and in the next, and by our having propitiated the Buddha, be allowed to make a vow for Buddhahood.
Thereupon the venerable Sariputra thus spoke to the Lord: My doubt is gone, O Lord, my uncertainty is at an end on hearing from the mouth of the Lord my destiny to supreme enlightenment. But these twelve hundred self-controlled (disciples), O Lord, who have been placed by thee on the stage of Saikshas, have been thus admonished and instructed: ‘My preaching of the law, O monks, comes to this, that deliverance from birth, decrepitude, disease, and death is inseparably connected with Nirvana;’ and these two thousand monks, O Lord, thy disciples, both those who are still under training and adepts, who all of them are free from false views about the soul, false views about existence, false views about cessation of existence, free, in short, from all false views, who are fancying themselves to have reached the stage of Nirvana, these have fallen into uncertainty by hearing from the mouth of the Lord this law which they had not heard before. Therefore, O Lord, please speak to these monks, to dispel their uneasiness, so that the four classes of the audience, O Lord, may be relieved from their doubt and perplexity.
On this speech of the venerable Sariputra the Lord
Have I not told thee before, Sariputra, that the Tathagata, &c., preaches the law by able devices, varying directions and indications, fundamental ideas, interpretations, with due regard to the different dispositions and inclinations of creatures whose temperaments are so various? All his preachings of the law have no other end but supreme and perfect enlightenment, for which he is rousing beings to the Bodhisattva-course. But, Sariputra, to elucidate this matter more at large, I will tell thee a parable, for men of good understanding will generally readily enough catch the meaning of what is taught under the shape of a parable.
Let us suppose the following case, Sariputra. In a certain village, town, borough, province, kingdom, or capital, there was a certain housekeeper, old, aged, decrepit, very advanced in years, rich, wealthy, opulent; he had a great house, high, spacious, built a long time ago and old, inhabited by some two, three, four, or five hundred living beings. The house had but one door, and a thatch; its terraces were tottering, the bases of its pillars rotten, the coverings and plaster of the walls loose. On a sudden the whole house was from every side put in conflagration by a mass of fire. Let us suppose that the man had many little boys, say five, or ten, or even twenty, and that he himself had come out of the house.
Have I not told thee before, Sariputra, that the Tathagata, &c., preaches the law by able devices, varying directions and indications, fundamental ideas, interpretations, with due regard to the different dispositions and inclinations of creatures whose temperaments are so various? All his preachings of the law have no other end but supreme and perfect enlightenment, for which he is rousing beings to the Bodhisattva-course. But, Sariputra, to elucidate this matter more at large, I will tell thee a parable, for men of good understanding will generally readily enough catch the meaning of what is taught under the shape of a parable.
Let us suppose the following case, Sariputra. In a certain village, town, borough, province, kingdom, or capital, there was a certain housekeeper, old, aged, decrepit, very advanced in years, rich, wealthy, opulent; he had a great house, high, spacious, built a long time ago and old, inhabited by some two, three, four, or five hundred living beings. The house had but one door, and a thatch; its terraces were tottering, the bases of its pillars rotten, the coverings and plaster of the walls loose. On a sudden the whole house was from every side put in conflagration by a mass of fire. Let us suppose that the man had many little boys, say five, or ten, or even twenty, and that he himself had come out of the house.
Now, Sariputra, that man, on seeing the house from every side wrapt in a blaze by a great mass of fire, got afraid, frightened, anxious in his mind, and made the following reflection: I myself am able to come out from the burning house through the door, quickly and safely, without being touched or scorched by that great mass of fire; but my children, those young boys, are staying in the burning house, playing, amusing, and diverting themselves with all sorts of sports. They do not perceive, nor know, nor understand, nor mind that the house is on fire, and do not get afraid. Though scorched by that great mass of fire, and affected with such a mass of pain, they do not mind the pain, nor do they conceive the idea of escaping.
The man, Sariputra, is strong, has powerful arms, and (so) he makes this reflection: I am strong, and have powerful arms; why, let me gather all my little boys and take them to my breast to effect their escape from the house. A second reflection then presented itself to his mind: This house has but one opening; the door is shut; and those boys, fickle, unsteady, and childlike as they are, will, it is to be feared, run hither and thither, and come to grief and disaster in this mass of fire. Therefore I will warn them. So resolved, he calls to the boys: Come, my children; the house is burning with a mass of fire; come, lest ye be burnt in that mass of fire, and come to grief and disaster. But the ignorant boys do not heed the words of him who is their well-wisher; they are not afraid, not alarmed, and feel no misgiving; they do not care, nor fly, nor even know nor understand the purport of the word ‘burning;’ on the contrary, they run hither and thither, walk about, and repeatedly look at their father; all, because they are so ignorant.
The man, Sariputra, is strong, has powerful arms, and (so) he makes this reflection: I am strong, and have powerful arms; why, let me gather all my little boys and take them to my breast to effect their escape from the house. A second reflection then presented itself to his mind: This house has but one opening; the door is shut; and those boys, fickle, unsteady, and childlike as they are, will, it is to be feared, run hither and thither, and come to grief and disaster in this mass of fire. Therefore I will warn them. So resolved, he calls to the boys: Come, my children; the house is burning with a mass of fire; come, lest ye be burnt in that mass of fire, and come to grief and disaster. But the ignorant boys do not heed the words of him who is their well-wisher; they are not afraid, not alarmed, and feel no misgiving; they do not care, nor fly, nor even know nor understand the purport of the word ‘burning;’ on the contrary, they run hither and thither, walk about, and repeatedly look at their father; all, because they are so ignorant.
Then the man is going to reflect thus: The house is burning, is blazing by a mass of fire. It is to be feared that myself as well as my children will come to grief and disaster. Let me therefore by some skilful means get the boys out of the house. The man knows the disposition of the boys, and has a clear perception of their inclinations. Now these boys happen to have many and manifold toys to play with, pretty, nice, pleasant, dear, amusing, and precious. The man, knowing the disposition of the boys, says to them: My children, your toys, which are so pretty, precious, and admirable, which you are so loth to miss, which are so various and multifarious, (such as) bullock-carts, goat-carts, deer-carts, which are so pretty, nice, dear, and precious to you, have all been put by me outside the house-door for you to play with. Come, run out, leave the house; to each of you I shall give what he wants. Come soon; come out for the sake of these toys. And the boys, on hearing the names mentioned of such playthings as they like and desire, so agreeable to their taste, so pretty, dear, and delightful, quickly rush out from the burning house, with eager effort and great alacrity, one having no time to wait for the other, and pushing each other on with the cry of ‘Who shall arrive first, the very first?’
The man, seeing that his children have safely and happily escaped, and knowing that they are free from danger, goes and sits down in the open air on the square of the village, his heart filled with joy and delight, released from trouble and hindrance, quite at ease. The boys go up to the place where their father is sitting, and say: ‘Father, give us those toys to play with, those bullock-carts, goat-carts, and