The Lotus Sutra ,"The Three Chariots of the Fire House"—sentient beings cling to the cycle of birth and death

There are seven famous metaphors in the Lotus Sutra, known as the "Seven Parables of The Lotus Sutra", and if you can observe it thoroughly, you will be able to grow wise and enlightened, and you will benefit a lot. One of the most important metaphors comes from the "Metaphorical Product", called the "Three Cars Metaphor".

It is said that once upon a time there was a village, and there was an elder in the village, who was very old, but who had an incomparable family wealth, a large area of fertile land, and countless servants. The elderly live in mansions with high and wide doors, and enjoy the envy of their glory. However, in the blink of an eye, decades have passed, and even the most luxurious houses cannot resist the erosion of the sun and the moon, and the roof ridges, pavilions, beams and pillars and walls have long been exposed to a state of decay.

One day, the fire of impermanence came to the door without concealing it! The whole mansion was suddenly caught in flames, and flames burned everywhere, violently engulfing the corners of the house, and the fire was uncontrollable. The elder anxiously guarded the courtyard gate, the only way out of the mansion, and he commanded the servants of the family to quickly alienate, but he never saw his beloved young child.

The elderly panicked, the mansion was about to burn down, if the son could not escape the day, he would be buried in the fire! He eagerly searched for the child's figure in a cloud of smoke, and after a long time, he saw a small person in the distance and shouted, "Dabao, is it you?" Come on, the house is on fire, run away! But then came the child's voice: "Daddy, don't lie to me!" We're playing, so we won't be fooled by you! Then, the figures of several children disappeared as soon as they slipped away.

The elderly are anxious like ants on a hot pot, this group of playful children, where do they understand the horror of fire? How can I get them to listen to me? He stood outside the door, looking at the raging fire, impatient, and as soon as he moved, he pulled a string of bells on the carriage and shouted into the house: "Dabao! Two treasures! Three girls! Dad bought you a toy car, hurry up and see it! There are ox carts, deer carts, sheep carts, all parked outside the gate, come out and see! Don't regret if you move too slowly..."

Before the voice fell, several children had rushed out, shouting happily around their father, one said to pull the deer's car, one said to want the goat to pull the car, one said to want the scalper to pull the car... Seeing that the child escaped from the fire house safely, the elder finally breathed a sigh of relief and said happily:

"Dad has countless treasures, better than ox carts, deer carts, and sheep carts." Come on man, pull the most beautiful white bullock cart over! ”

Finally, the child, with a burst of joy, sat on the most solemn and noble white ox cart, and happily distanced himself from the threat of the fire house.

What is the metaphor of this story? In the Lotus Sutra, Buddha Yun: "I am for all sentient beings, and in this metaphor, I say that a Buddha is multiplied." If you can, believe in the word, everything is deserved, and you will become a Buddha. ”

Countless children are trapped in the fire house, how can the loving father have a moment of slackness? Here the Loving Father represents the Buddha, and the child represents the suffering beings in the three realms of samsara, who, because of their ignorance, indulge in pleasure, but do not know that they are deeply in suffering. The fire house is used as a metaphor for the suffering of the three realms, the three realms are all fire houses, and no place is safe. The house is burned by fire, just as the body of the five aggregates suffers from eight sufferings, and sentient beings are obsessed and unable to renounce themselves in the cycle of birth and death.