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

“Moreover, Kassapa, the Tathagata’s guidance of beings is impartial, free from bias. Just as the sun and moon shine equally upon the virtuous and wicked, high and low, fragrant and foul, their light indiscriminately illuminating all, so too does the enlightening wisdom of the Tathagatas, the omniscient ones, illuminate the true law for all beings in the five states of existence.

This wisdom equally encompasses those who are inclined towards the Great Vehicle, the Hermit Buddhas, or the disciples, based on their unique dispositions. The brightness of the Tathagata’s wisdom does not vary until one becomes fully acquainted with the law.

Kassapa, there aren’t truly three separate vehicles. The notion of ‘three vehicles’ arises only due to the diverse actions of beings.”

“When the Lord had finished speaking, the venerable Mahakassapa asked, ‘Lord, if there aren’t truly three separate vehicles, why do we still refer to disciples (Sravakas), Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas as distinct categories in our present time?’

In response, the Lord said to Mahakassapa, ‘Consider, Kassapa, a potter who crafts various vessels from the same clay. Some of these vessels are designed to hold sugar, others ghee, others curds and milk. Others, of a lesser quality, are used for impure substances. The clay is the same across all vessels; the perceived differences come from the contents they are meant to hold. Similarly, Kassapa, there is only one true vehicle: the Buddha-vehicle. There is no second vehicle, no third.’”

“After the Lord had spoken, the venerable Mahakassapa asked, ‘Lord, if beings have different dispositions, once they’ve transcended the three realms, will there be one, two, or three Nirvanas for them?’ The Lord responded, ‘Nirvana, Kassapa, results from understanding the equality of all phenomena. Therefore, there is only one Nirvana, not two, not three. Now, Kassapa, I will share a parable, as those with a keen understanding often find it easier to grasp the meaning of teachings when they’re presented as stories.’”

“Kassapa, consider the case of a man born blind, who asserts: ‘There are no attractive or unattractive shapes; no one can see such shapes; the sun and moon do not exist; there are no stars or planets; no one can see these things.’ But others tell the blind man: ‘There are indeed attractive and unattractive shapes; people can see these shapes; the sun and moon do exist; stars and planets exist; and people can see these celestial bodies.’ Despite this, the blind man does not believe them or accept their words.

Then comes a doctor who knows all diseases. Seeing the blind man, he reflects: ‘This man’s blindness is the result of past misdeeds. All possible diseases are of four kinds: arising from wind, bile, phlegm, or a combination of these humors.’ The doctor realizes that common medicine won’t cure this blindness. But he knows of four herbs in the Himalayas, the king of mountains: the herb ‘All-Color-and-Taste’, the herb ‘All-Disease-Curing’, the ‘All-Poison-Removing’ herb, and ‘Happiness-for-Those-in-the-Right-Place’ herb.

Driven by compassion for the blind man, the doctor makes his way to the Himalayas. There he finds the four herbs. He administers them in various ways: one chewed, another pounded, another boiled with another substance, another mixed with a raw substance, one given after a vein is opened, one seared in fire, and one mixed with various substances for a compound potion or food. Through these treatments, the blind man regains his sight. With his new vision, he can see far and near, the light of the sun and moon, the stars, planets, and all phenomena.

He then exclaims: ‘How foolish I was not to believe what they told me! Now I see everything. I am free from blindness and have regained my sight. There is no one in the world superior to me!’ At that moment, seers with the five transcendent faculties [the five senses], possessing divine sight and hearing, knowledge of others’ minds, memory of past lives, magical science, and intuition, address the man: ‘Good man, you have merely regained your sight. You do not know everything. Why are you so arrogant? You lack wisdom, you are not a clever man. Even sitting in your room, you cannot see or distinguish forms outside, or discern the kind or hostile intentions of others. You cannot hear from a distance of five leagues the voice of a man or the sound of a drum or conch trumpet. You can’t even walk a league without lifting your feet. You grew and developed in your mother’s womb without memory of it. So, how can you claim to be clever or assert that you see everything? Good man, you mistake darkness for light, and light for darkness.’”

The seers are then questioned by the man: “How might I gain such wisdom and, with your guidance, obtain these virtues?” The seers reply: “If that is your desire, retreat to the wilderness or dwell in mountain caves, meditate on the teachings and let go of harmful passions. In doing so, you will cultivate the virtues of an ascetic and attain transcendent abilities.” The man heeds their advice and adopts the ascetic life. In the solitude of the wilderness, with a singular focus, he frees himself from worldly desires and acquires the five transcendent faculties. Upon gaining these abilities, he reflects: “In the past, I did not act wisely, so I reaped no benefits. Now, however, I can go wherever my mind leads me; I was once ignorant and lacked understanding, in truth, I was blind.”

Kassapa, the term ‘born blind’ symbolizes beings trapped in the cyclic existence of the world, across its six realms. These beings, ignorant of the true Dharma, accumulate the profound darkness of negative passions. Their blindness stems from ignorance, which gives rise to various thoughts and conceptions. These thoughts, in turn, give rise to phenomena such as name and form, and so forth, ultimately leading to the emergence of this vast mass of suffering.

Beings, born blind from ignorance, continue to swirl in the cycle of life. But the Tathagata, free from this tripartite world, feels compassion, just like a father feels for his beloved, only child. Witnessing this, he descends into the world and with his wisdom eye observes beings spinning in the cycle of existence, toiling ceaselessly, yet failing to find the right way out of this cycle. On seeing this, he understands: these beings, based on their past deeds, have varying degrees of aversions and attachments; some possess little wisdom, others are clever; some hold sound views, while others cling to misguided ones. To each of them, the Tathagata skillfully presents three paths, or vehicles.

The Seers in the parable, those possessing the five transcendent faculties and clear sight, represent the Bodhisattvas. These Bodhisattvas generate enlightened thoughts and, by accepting the immutable law, awaken to supreme and perfect enlightenment.

The great physician in the parable represents the Tathagata. The blind-born are similar to beings blinded by infatuation. Attachment, aversion, and infatuation are likened to rheum, bile, and phlegm. The sixty-two false theories can also be seen in this light, as faults or corruptions. The four herbs are comparable to emptiness, purposelessness, impermanence, and reaching Nirvana. Just as different diseases are healed by using different drugs, the development of the ideas of emptiness, purposelessness, and impermanence – principles of liberation – can suppress ignorance. This suppression of ignorance leads to the cessation of misconceptions and so forth, until the entire mass of suffering is extinguished. Thus, one’s mind no longer lingers on good or evil.

The man who regains his sight in the parable can be likened to the follower of the disciples’ vehicle or the Hermit Buddha’s vehicle. He breaks the bonds of destructive passions within the world’s cycle of existence. Freed from these bonds, he is liberated from the three realms and their six states of existence. Thus, the follower of the disciples’ vehicle may consider and declare, ‘There are no more truths to be realized; I have attained Nirvana.’ Then, the Tathagata teaches him, ‘How can one who has not comprehended all truths claim to have reached Nirvana?’ The Lord inspires him towards enlightenment, and when the awareness of enlightenment is stirred in him, he no longer resides in the worldly cycle, but also has not yet achieved Nirvana. As he attains true insight, he perceives the entire three realms in every direction as empty, like illusions, akin to a dream, a mirage, an echo. He sees all phenomena as unborn and indestructible, not bound and not free, neither dark nor bright. Anyone who sees the profound truths in this way perceives the entire three realms full of beings of diverse and varied beliefs and dispositions as if they were not seeing them at all.