Three Parables from Lotus Sutra - Research Paper Example

?Parables in Lotus Sutra: The Burning Bush and The Lost Heir Three Parables from Lotus Sutra Introduction Buddhism as a religion has spread throughout the world, gaining popularity as it does. This has been facilitated by Buddhist teachings, for instance, Lotus Sutra, which is considered as the final and utmost teaching of the Buddha. Most of these teachings are in forms of parables, which require interpretations to derive their meanings and relevance in the modern society. Examples of such parables include the parable of the burning house and the parable of the lost heir. This paper seeks to analyze these parables. This analysis will consist of their summary as well as their meanings and applications to the modern society. Expedient means of teaching use everyday life experiences to enlighten people. Buddhism uses expedient means to skillfully device ways of teaching people and leads them to salvation. A Buddhist teaching is referred to as a true teaching only when it leads them to enlightenment and Buddha hood. The reason for applying expedient means of teachings is to reach the close-minded audience, for whom the teachings of Buddha are directed. All these teachings are goal oriented, and aimed at reaching the Truth of the One Vehicle, that is, The Lotus Sutra. Expedient means of teaching are delivered depending on the listeners listening and understanding ability as will be described in this paper. Parable of the Burning House Buddha narrated the parable of the burning house. This narrative was about a rich man who lived in an old large house that was near crumbling. The house was in such poor condition that all forms of creatures roamed around its hallways. The house had many people living in it, about five hundred. The house seemed haunted with pure evil. The rich owner had left the house and gone out for awhile. Upon his return, he found the house on fire (Watson and Kanai, 2010). The worn out partitions crumbled as the fire spread to the rest of the house, burning even the creatures that inhabited it. The most agonizing point is that the rich man’s sons were inside the burning house, playing games. The man sounded an alarm and shouted warnings to his sons to come out of the evil possessed and burning house, but to no avail. Instead, the sons continued playing their games ignoring their father’s pleas. To lure them out, the rich man devised a trick, where he told the boys that there were plenty of gifts waiting at the gate. He named goat carts, deer carts, and bullock carts for his sons. To entice them, he described the gifts as explicitly made for his sons, and the trick worked. His sons came out of the burning house to where their father was. This made their father happy, and he was pleased that his sons were safe. Then the sons demanded the gifts that their father had promised them, which was no problem because their rich father had many gifts in store (Watson and Kanai, 2010). The man offered his sons more magnificent carts that enormous than the ones he had promised them. The carts were ox drawn as opposed to the deer, goat, and bullock carts promised. The sons were extremely pleased and enjoyed their new gifts immensely, much to the satisfaction and content of their father. Meaning and Relevance of the Burning House Parable When the Buddha completes the story, he likens himself to the father in the story. The decaying and crumbling house represents the three-fold world. The old man’s children in the story are the disciples, whereas the ox carts symbolize true liberation. Just like the rich man, Buddha is the owner of all things in the world, and all living things are his children. Buddha remarks that the living, his children, is so attached to worldly possessions that they ignore teachings and instructions. In fact, they lack understanding and wisdom to analyze this world critically and identify the right path. When the man gave his sons the gifts, he did this out of love for his sons. In addition, he had many gifts, so much, that if he distributed to everyone in the country then he would still have some left. That is the status of Buddha, his immense wealth and great love for his people. The man rescued his sons from the fire in the house through an expedient means. The burning house represents the threefold world that is decaying and rotten full of all forms of evil. Just like the rich man’s sons, people are enticed and conformed by the shoddiness, tastes, scents, and sensations of the world. The consequences of such love for the world and worldly possessions include being burnt up or fire. A promise of the three vehicles is made to those who are willing to leave the threefold world, just as the rich man promised his sons precious gifts. Buddha also uses the expedient means to lure the living in the world so that they can act responsibly. Buddha rejoices each time people passing through the gateway of His teachings. He is pleased because such people, who adhere to his teachings, have been rid of the worldly enticements. He rejoices that his people have seen the way and abandoned the three-fold world. The three-fold world is described as being filled with sickness and old age, pains at birth, sicknesses, and death. Buddha’s happiness at people following his teachings is similar to the rich man who marveled at the fact that his sons escaped the burning house without injuries and moved to safe grounds. Moreover, as the rich man rewarded his sons after they were safe, so will Buddha reward those who have rendered themselves free of the three-fold world’s influences. Such gifts include those of emancipation, wisdom, and meditation of the Buddha among others that will provide them with supreme delight. These gifts will be given equally to all his children. Teaching by Expedient Means Buddha affirms his role as the protector of all living in the world. His resort in the use of expedient means to reach his children is caused by the lack of understanding that his children posses. Despite his teachings, very few are willing to adhere to and follow him. A similar case occurred when the rich man pleaded with his sons to get out of the burning house. He had to promise them gifts that he did not have at the time in order to save their lives. Buddha teachings emphasize doing things for the benefit of others, just as the father did for his sons. Buddha describes the three vehicles to his children with the hope of enhancing their understanding of the three-fold world. Falsehood for the benefit of others is not considered a sin according to Buddha teachings. This parable emphasizes the ignorance of the world to the teachings of Buddha. It also illustrates how leaders and those in authority are supposed to act in order to get people back to Buddha’s ways. Parable of the lost heir This parable talks about a young man who, after being abandoned by his father, runs away from home. After the son goes away from home, he suffers and languishes in poverty as he ages. This sends him wandering in every city and state in search of livelihood until he heads back towards his hometown. His father, on the other hand, had done well with himself, acquiring immense wealth in the process (Corless 2009). He owns immense riches and treasures, and many servants are at his disposal in his huge mansion. The father starts searching for his son, with an aim of offering him his estate and wealth upon his death. This he did because he felt regretful and longed for his son. He wondered about the whereabouts of his wealth once he died, having no heir. He kept this story a secret even as he searched for his son. As coincidence would have it, the father and the son encountered each other in the new city. They were reunited, but the son does not recognize his father. The father summoned him, but when he refused because he felt unworthy to be in the presence of the king, the father sent his men to arrest him. He was then released, and the father still did not reveal his identity to his son. While the son was wondering why he had been seized, the father pretended not to know him. In this instance, the father used an expedient means by failing to tell his son that he was his father. The son left, after which, the father used another expedient means to get close to his son. He sent his workers disguised as poor workers to offer his son a place to work (Corless 2009). That is how the son got the job of cleaning the toilets. When the son saw the large estate, he regretted being there because he did not see himself worthy of the lavish estate. To gain the trust of his son, the father disguised himself as an old worker. This he did in order to know his son better and gain his trust. He even told the son that he was like his father. Additionally, the Father sent some of his servants to encourage the son. The son enjoyed his work as a toilet cleaner because he felt that that was his worth. The father eventually promoted the son to the place of the chief steward. Since the father did not want to die without an heir, he revealed his identity to the son on his deathbed and made his son the sole heir of his estate. Meaning and relevance of the Parable of the Lost Heir The father symbolizes the Buddha, who looked for his son after a long time. He lowered himself to the level of his son in order to show the Buddha mind in a way that would be understandable for the son. Human beings are always steered towards their desire by the Buddha mind. Buddha enfolds people in compassionate concern while they are still ignorant. The son did not come from a rich family, so he did not have anything to return to at home. Even if he had, his father had left. In his representation of Buddha, the father recognizes his son's ignorance and employs him (Corless 2009). The son had no privileged place to return to, he, therefore, did not understand the sudden interest in him by the father. Karma makes people move from one rebirth to another. The son tries to run away again, but his father sends his men to arrest him. Until people accept that the only solution is nirvana, they will always suffer. The father was filled with compassion, but he could not reveal his identity to his son until he earned his place back in the home. He helps him regain his place through encouragement and promotes him. This is illustrated in the way he disguised himself as an old worker so that he could work with his son. While they worked, he encouraged him and even sent other workers to do the same. The son had to work his way up and show that he loved his work. When he arrived at his father’s mansion, he started by working as a mere toilet cleaner, after which he was promoted to the place of a steward. This occurs progressively, and he eventually inherits his father’s wealth as the heir. A father shows his son that the comfort will not be handed to him just because he was his son. To achieve the status of Buddhahood, one has to work relentlessly and acquire wisdom, leave ignorance and suffering and achieve nirvana to become a bodhisattva. Buddhahood is gradual and involves effort and training the mind to overcome obstacles. One also has to forsake the worldly possessions and wholly embrace the teachings of Buddha. To achieve nirvana, the father acted for the benefit of his son. He was striving to achieve a higher position than that of a bodhisattva. The Buddha disciplines represented by the son are precept, enlightenment, and Samadhi. Precept stipulates that people to stay away from all bad behavior and human lusts and desires. These are some of the characteristics of the three-fold world, which is full of sexual lusts and appetites. The son refused to go meet his father because he thought he was not worthy. He could have gone to the fathers’ palace, but he declined. He kept himself away from temptation and instead settled for the toilet-cleaning job. Buddhism teaches against wanting what u cannot have. It is wrong to desire other peoples’ things. The son takes his place in his father’s house, believing that that is what he deserves. In the discipline of enlightenment, the son begins to wander from one city to the other, looking for menial jobs. He accidentally gets to his fathers’ city but does not recognize his father. He is ignorant, and the father tries to enlighten him by hiring him and even send some of his workers to encourage him. The father also disguises himself and encourages the son to work hard at his work. In the process, he excelled, and his father promoted him to a steward. He is made to look at his status differently and realize that he has to learn the job and do it well. Buddhahood cannot be attained instantly; it is a gradual process and one has to learn and practice to achieve Bodhisattva through enlightenment. The son was finally enlightened and realized the truth about his identity. This is the ultimate practice of Buddhism; to get enlightenment by practicing. When the son wondered and lived in poverty, he experienced Samsara. The son’s wandering from one city to another in search of a job defines samsara (Khantipalo, 2006). The son lived in abject poverty and used to move around looking for jobs. Samsara represents a world that is filled with suffering and sorrow. It is of the process through which karma gives forth an opportunity for rebirth. While nirvana is a state of completeness, Samsara is the opposite and is characterized by turbulence, dissatisfaction, and ignorance. The son went full cycle from home to wandering in far off lands and back home again. The son was not satisfied with the situation at home; his ignorance leads him to leave. Therefore, he decides to leave home and look for a better life than the one at home. He soon discovers that it is not easy out there and lives in poverty and suffering. His father also leaves home maybe because he is dissatisfied. He goes to another city becomes rich but worries that he will die without an heir. He is also suffering and anxious to find his chance. Karma gives him a chance of meeting his son, but the son does not recognize him. To escape from Samsara, both the father and the son had to follow the Buddhist path. The father had to encourage his son to work hard at his job and trust him while the son had to begin from the lowest level and make his way up. They finally escape Samsara when the son knows his identity and the father finds his heir. Buddhism teaches people to liberate themselves from Samsara by following the Buddhist teachings. This parable also implies that for one to achieve nirvana, a lot of sacrifice and effort has to be offered. The menial jobs that the son did are a presentation of Buddhist teachings, which requires believers to practice Buddhism and apply them in their lives. Believers have to commit to change their patterns through speech and actions. The teachings of Buddhism state that the mind and body are interconnected and have an effect on each other. The actions of the body and the mind should be aligned to avoid violation of the precept, which prohibits the sin. In the parable of the lost heir, the father was committed to changing the life of his son. He wanted to make him his heir even though the son did not recognize him. The son was also committed to changing his life and worked towards that. Buddhism also advocates compassion towards people. The father showed compassion and acted for the good of his son. Both the father and son are committed to their course the father to find an heir and son to find a job. When the son gets the job, he not only works to be paid, but he also works hard and is promoted. A father teaches his son and enlightens him about his identity on his deathbed. The nature of Buddha is represented by the inheritance given to the son. The Buddhist nature believes that human beings have to practice to achieve the highest level of enlightenment. When people become enlightened, they experience self-awakening and peace. Enlightenment is one of the most important factors in Buddhism. Buddhist teaching state that human beings are always looking to find out something, they become anxious, confused, and dissatisfied in their quest to find their purpose. The undergo suffering referred to as Samsara and eventually achieve nirvana when they become enlightened. In the parable of the lost son, both the son and the father took a journey in their own ways and attained nirvana. However, it is not easy to achieve nirvana. One must be able to practice it and apply it in their day-to-day life. Buddhists achieve nirvana by going through rounds of rebirths and suffering and finally get enlightened. In the parable of the lost son, the father got enlightened when he got his son who became his heir while the son got self-awakening when he learned of his identity. Teaching by expedient means When a person receives two comments from two people one positive and the other negative, they suspect that the one who gave a positive comment is being nice to get something from them and see the negative person as telling the truth. When the father invites the son to the palace, he refuses. The father had to offer him a job, send his servants to persuade him to take the job and even disguise himself as the sons’ immediate supervisor in order to get close to him (Khantipalo, 2006). The father uses the most appropriate method to reach his son. Expedient means of teaching are a fundamental element in Buddhism. The father figured out that he had to deceive his son because if he had told the truth, the son would not have believed him. Children are also taught by expedient means. This sometimes means telling a lie. When parents want their children to avoid bad behavior, they tell them that Santa will reward them for good behavior on Christmas Day. When the children grow up, they realize that that was just a way of teaching them to be good boys and girls. Another expedient means used on children occurs when they are told that eating their vegetable makes them tall. When they outgrow that lie, they realize it was just a way of making them love their greens vegetable. The parable of the lost heir uses expedient means to bring father and son who had been separated for a long time together. It also brings to light the how Buddhism makes use of parables to enlighten people and bring them to Buddha hood. Conclusion The application of expedient means in teaching of Buddhism is critical in the understanding of such teachings. As aforementioned, expedient means are aimed at getting people to contend to things that they would otherwise not agree to if asked directly. The use of promises, as in the burning house parable, or withdrawal of identity as the father did in the parable of the lost heir is such examples. In Buddhism, such expedient means are necessary in bridging the gap between Buddha and his children, thus getting them a step closer towards nirvana. For instance, if the father had revealed his identity to his son immediately, they met; the son would have shunned and rejected him, or worse, taken his new possessions for granted. Similarly, if the father had failed to disguise himself as a worker, then his son would not have developed trust in him. The same goes for the parable of the burning house. If the father had failed to trick his sons into coming out of the burning house, then all of them would have perished in the fire. The application of parables in Buddhism teachings is helpful as they provide easier illustrations that people can relate with, especially in the modern world. All these teachings are aimed at warning the inhabitants of the three-fold world about the enticing and tempting nature of it. In addition, the teachings also lure the living towards Buddha and Bodhisattvas in order to enjoy nirvana and Buddha’s immense wealth. Bibliography Corless, R. Healing internalized self-hatred: Meditation of Lotus Sutra. Gay Buddhist Fellowship. (2009): 2-10. Khantipalo, B. The Buddhist Monk’s discipline: Some points explained for laypeople. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society, 2006. Watson, Burton, and Shokai Kanai ed. & trans. The Lotus Sutra: Translation and Lecture Notes Los Angeles: Buddhist Temple Associates, 2010 Read More