Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra

In the pursuit of Buddha’s way,
There are those who strive each day,
To seek the wisdom that is perfect,
Natural, teacherless, and elect.

Compassionate and mindful they remain,
Bringing peace and happiness again,
With a goal to liberate all,
Heavenly gods and humans tall.

These people, on the Great Vehicle ride,
Seeking to be mahasattvas, a righteous guide,
Like children who left the burning house,
To receive ox carriages, a new espouse.

So let us practice the Way with diligence,
And seek the insight, power, and fearlessness,
Of Tathagata, the enlightened one,
And spread the message, for all to come.

Inspired by the Lotus Sutra,
Chapter 3,
Parable,
Section 4, Paragraph 25

The Lotus Sutra, chapter 3, presents a powerful message about the nature of true salvation and the role of the Buddha in guiding living beings towards enlightenment. In this chapter, the Buddha bestows a prophecy of Supreme Perfect Enlightenment to Shariputra, and uses the parable of the blazing house to illustrate the meaning of true salvation.

In the first section, Shariputra rejoices upon hearing the Magnificent Law and expresses regret for his initial lack of faith in the Buddha. He realizes that the Buddha had been using provisional vehicles to save living beings all along, and that the true nature of the Buddha’s teachings was beyond his limited understanding. This regret serves as a reminder that even the wisest of people can sometimes be blind to the truth, and that it takes great effort to awaken to the realities of the world.

In the second section, Shakyamuni Buddha bestows the prophecy of Supreme Perfect Enlightenment to Shariputra. This prophecy foretells that Shariputra will become a Buddha with the name Lotus Light Buddha in the land called Free of Defilement. The lifespan of the Buddha will be twelve small kalpas, and his True Law will last for thirty-two small kalpas. This prophecy serves to reinforce the idea that enlightenment is attainable by all beings, and that the path towards enlightenment is long and requires much effort.

The third section describes the delight of heavenly gods and humans upon hearing the prophecy, who proceed to give offerings to the Buddha. This serves to reinforce the idea that the Buddha’s teachings are widely accepted and valued, and that people from all walks of life can attain enlightenment if they put in the effort.

The fourth section presents the parable of the blazing house, which is used to illustrate the meaning of true salvation. In the parable, a wealthy elder’s house is on fire, but his children are still engrossed with their toys and do not realize the danger they are in. The wealthy elder devises an expedient method to save the children, telling them that if they are able to escape the house, they will receive a reward in the form of goat carriages, deer carriages, or ox carriages. Upon hearing about the reward, the children scramble to escape the house, and when they are safe, the wealthy elder bestows only the white ox carriages to all of them.

The key message of the parable is that the Buddha uses expedient methods to differentiate the One Buddha-Vehicle into three vehicles so as to save living beings with diverse capacities, natures, and desires. The Buddha, represented by the wealthy elder, saves the living beings from the Saha world, which is represented by the blazing house. The goat carriage represents the Vehicle of the shravaka, the deer carriage represents the Vehicle of the pratyekabuddha, and the white ox carriage represents the Vehicle of the bodhisattva/Buddha. Through this parable, the Buddha makes it clear that all living beings have the potential to attain Buddhahood through the Mahayana Vehicle, which is represented by the white ox carriage.

Finally, in the fifth section, Shakyamuni Buddha makes a declaration in poetic stanzas to vividly describe the realities of the blazing house. Through his words, the Buddha emphasizes the urgency of leaving behind worldly attachments and seeking enlightenment in order to escape the cycle of birth and death.

The Lotus Sutra, chapter 3, presents a powerful message about the nature of true salvation and the role of the Buddha in guiding living beings towards enlightenment. The parable of the blazing house serves as a reminder that all living beings have the potential to attain Buddhahood, and that the path towards enlightenment requires following the teachings and guidance of the Buddha. The Buddha uses various expedient methods to differentiate the One Buddha-Vehicle into three Vehicles, tailored to the different capacities, natures, and desires of living beings, so as to help them escape the cycle of birth and death. Ultimately, all living beings are capable of reaching Supreme Perfect Enlightenment with the help of the Buddha’s teachings.