Wednesday, May 03, 2006

The Burning House

"A man has an old house, large, but very infirm; its terraces are decaying and the columns rotten at their bases. The windows and balconies are partly ruined, the wall as well as its coverings and plaster decaying; the coping shows rents from age; the thatch is everywhere pierced with holes.

"It is inhabited by no less than five hundred beings, containing many cells and closets filled with excrements and disgusting things. There are also very malign goblins, who violate human corpses; in several spots there are centipedes, huge snakes, and vipers. Those animals creep into all corners, where they make nests to deposit their brood, which is often devoured by the goblins. And when those cruel-minded goblins are satiated with feeding upon the flesh of other creatures, so that their bodies are big, then they commence sharply fighting on the spot.

"In the wasted retreats are dreadful, malign urchins, some of them measuring one span, others one cubit or two cubits, all nimble in their movements. They are in the habit of seizing dogs by the feet, throwing them upside down upon the floor, pinching their necks and using them ill. There also live yelling ghosts naked, black, wan, tall, and high, who, hungry and in quest of food, are here and there emitting cries of distress. Some have a mouth like a needle, others have a face like a cow's; they are of the size of men or dogs, go with entagled hair, and utter plaintive cries from want of food. Those goblins, ghosts, imps, like vultures, are always looking out through windows and loop-holes, in all directions in search of food.

"Such is that dreadful house, spacious and high, but very infirm, full of holes, frail and dreary. (Let us suppose that) it is the property of a certain man. And that while he is out of doors the house is reached by a conflagration, so that on a sudden it is wrapt in a blazing mass of fire on every side." (Kern, 82-84)

"All of the goblins and ghosts and beasts howled in fear, not knowing how to escape the burning house. When the owner of the house came running up, someone told him his young sons were inside playing games! He ran into the house to save his sons, calling out to them the incredible danger they were in. There were flames all around and the howling ghosts and beasts were on all sides. But the sons were busy with their games and paid no attention to their father or the flames or the howls of pain.

"The man was extremely worried, but then he got an idea. He said to his sons, 'I have wonderful jewelled carts waiting outside - a deer cart, an ox cart, and a goat cart. I have made each one specially for each of you to play with; each one is different and wonderously beautiful. Come outside and choose which one you would like to have as your very own!'

"At this, his sons lept up and raced outside to see the carts. When they got outside, however, there were no carts. The father was happy to see his sons finally out of danger, thanks to his trick. When his sons eagerly asked for the carts, the father replied that actually the carts were not the ones he had described earlier. He brought out large, beautifully decorated carriages for each them. The sons were delighted and spent the rest of the day driving their carts."

- parable attributed to Sakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama Buddha in the Lotus Sutra; translation by Burton Watson



Grahasatya!

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