Than Hsiang's Pu Men Pin Online Gong Xiu Dharma Sharing ( 21/02/2025 )

Teaching Assistant of International Buddhist College, Sis Wong Ping Ling shared on "The Parables of The Lotus Sūtra ( Part 2 )".

There are altogether 7 parables in the Lotus Sūtra.

These parables illustrate the core teachings of the Lotus Sūtra.

Sister Suan Bee earlier explained 2 of the parables:-

1. Parable of the Burning House (Chapter 3)
where a father saved his children by tricking them out of the house with the promise of different toy carts.

2. Parable of the physician (Chapter 16)
who fakes his own death to entice his poisoned sons into taking an antidote so that they can be cured.

And, two months back in December 2024, I shared on another two parables:-

3. The Parable of the Father and His Lost Son (Chapter 4)

4. The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs (Chapter 5)

So today, I should continue and share the other three Parables of the Sutra, and so we will finish with a parable.

The first parable we will share here is The Parable of the Imaginary City, found in Chapter 7 of the Sutra.

The Parable of the Imaginary City ( Chapter 7 )
This story of this Parable tells of a guide who is in charge of leading a group of travellers to a far-off place, in search of a great treasure. But the way is long and tiresome. Along the way, some travellers get tired, some of them get weary. They don’t want to go any further. The guide says, “Look, we are almost there! Just a little way ahead, there is this marvellous city. That is where we are going.” So, he leads the tired and weary travellers to the marvellous city. The marvellous city actually is an illusion, a magical city created by the guide. So, the tired and weary travellers rested, relaxed and restored their energy, health and strength. At that point, the magical city vanishes. The guide then tell the travellers that the treasure is near. The real goal is little further on. By that time, the travellers are ready to follow the guide, because they have rested and their energy have been restored. They are ready to continue to find the real treasure nearby.

Meaning
In this parable, the guide represents the Buddha who leads his group of disciples. The imaginary city is the provisional nirvana – the attainment of the Arhats. The real treasure destination is the One Buddha-Vehicle – the attainment of Buddhahood (Supreme Perfect Enlightenment).

Message
According to the Lotus Sūtra, the attainment of the Arhats is like reaching this imaginary city. It is a kind of resting place, a half way house on the way to Buddhahood for those people who don’t feel they can go all the way to Buddhahood. They use the illusory city, the magically created city, that we call Arhatship and there they can rest for a while. They rest until they feel capable to undertake the additional effort to gain Buddhahood. Once they have rested and recovered their strength, they go on to become Buddhas. All the Arhats become Buddhas eventually. Thus, the three vehicles are really only one – the One Buddha-Vehicle.

So, This is the message of This Parable of the Imaginary City.

Let's move on to the next parable of the Lotus Sūtra.

The Parable of the Jewel in the Robe ( Chapter 8 )
A poor man visits a wealthy friend. The poor man soon becomes drunk and falls asleep. The wealthy friend has to go on a business trip. Before leaving, he sews a priceless jewel into the lining of the poor man’s robe as a present. When the poor man wakes up, he resumes his life as a vagrant, unaware of the priceless jewel in his robe. With the passing years, the poor man becomes increasingly poverty-stricken.

One day, he meets his wealthy friend who is surprised that he is still poor. The wealthy friend then shows him the jewel which he had sewed into the poor man’s robe. The poor man then sells the jewel and thus frees himself from poverty.

Meaning
In this parable, the wealthy friend is the Buddha while the poor man represents the common people. The jewel represents Supreme Perfect Enlightenment.

Message
We have the Buddha nature in us. Thus, all that is needed is for us to receive the seed of Buddhahood and let it grow within us. We can achieve the Supreme Perfect Enlightenment by following the Buddha’s teachings.

Next parable is The Parable of the Precious Pearl in the Topknot

The Parable of the Precious Pearl in the Topknot ( Chapter 14 )
There was once, a wheel-turning king who would reward his soldiers well when they returned victorious from battle. He would give them lavish gifts of gold, silver, mansions, or other treasures as a sign of gratitude. However, there was a special gift that he would keep to himself. He kept a precious pearl hidden in his topknot. This precious pearl was only to be rewarded to an outstanding soldier that had proven his worth in the constant fight against evils. Eventually, one day, the king found a worthy soldier and gave him the precious pearl from his topknot.

Meaning
In this parable, the king is the Buddha, while the soldiers are his disciples who are fighting the Three Poisons. The gifts that the king confers on his army are the preliminary teachings of Buddhism, while the precious pearl in the topknot, the ultimate gift, is the Law of Supreme Perfect Enlightenment.

Message
This parable tells us that the teachings of Buddhism are all beautiful gifts, but the Buddha only gives his most precious teachings to those who have proven themselves worthy through their effort. To receive the Buddha’s highest teaching, we must first put his lower teachings into practice in our everyday lives. Only when the time and the conditions are right, will we be ready to receive the pearl of supreme enlightenment.

So, as you can see, The Lotus Sūtra encourages us to reach for Supreme Perfect Enlightenment, not to just stop half way, but to go for Supreme Perfect Enlightenment.

The Core Teachings of the Lotus Sūtra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra):-

1. All beings have the potential to become Buddhas, known as Buddha Nature.

2. One vehicle is the supreme and all-encompassing path to Buddhahood. This means the oneness of all practitioners rather than the three traditional paths of śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva. The “One Vehicle” encompasses many different teachings because the Buddha’s great compassion and wish to save all beings.
Buddha uses Skillful means to accommodate different needs of individuals.

3. Buddha’s lifespan is immeasurable and he is still active in this world teaching the Dharma.

For more information, please browse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpeA8pqgtAQ

Spread the Buddha's teachings to guide more people to study Buddhism.

Continue diligently in the path studying the Buddha's teachings and listening to the Dharma.
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