According to Tendai’s “Branches of the Lotus Sutra,” the parables are divided into two portions, the exposition and the explanation of correspondences.

Correspondences for the Parable of the Burning House

The elder is the Tathāgata, the father of all the worlds. He has already cut off and ended all fear, distress, sadness, ignorance, and darkness; he has perfected his boundless knowledge, powers, and fearlessness; possessing great superhuman power and the power of knowledge, he is endowed with skillful means and the pāramitā of wisdom.

The five hundred people living in the elder’s house represent living beings for whom the Tathāgata is greatly compassionate and tireless, and ever seeks the good, benefiting all.

The thirty children in the burning house are the living beings for whose sake the Tathāgata is born in the triple world (of the desire, form, and formless realms) to save them from the fires of birth, old age, illness, death, grief, sadness, suffering, lamentation, and the three poisons, and to teach them to attain perfect and supreme enlightenment.

Just as the elder sees the conflagration spring up on every side, living beings are scorched by the fires of birth, old age, illness, death, grief, sadness, suffering, and lamentation, and suffer because of the five desires and the greed for gain. They suffer in hell, or as animals or hungry spirits, and experience as heavenly or human beings the sufferings of poverty and distress, separation from loved ones, and meetings with those they hate.

Just as the elder tells the children that there are various carts outside the gate, in order to get them to leave the burning house, the Tathāgata, through wisdom and skillful means, saves living beings from the burning house of the triple world, teaching three vehicles, the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha (“bodhisattva” in the Sanskrit text) vehicles. The Tathāgata by these skillful means brings living beings forth, saying, “This Dharma of the three vehicles is praised by the sages. In them you will be free and unbound, depending on nothing else. Riding in these three vehicles you will gain peace and joy through the roots, the powers, perceptions, ways, concentrations, emancipations, and contemplations.” In the same way the children seeking the goat carts come out of the burning house, if there are living beings who have a spirit of wisdom within, and hearing the Dharma from the Buddha, the World-Honored One, receive it in faith and zealously make progress, desiring speedily to escape from the triple world and seek nirvana for themselves, they will be named the śrāvaka vehicle.

Just as the children seeking the deer carts come out of the burning house, if there are living beings who hear the Dharma from the Buddha, the World-Honored One, and receive it in faith, zealously make progress, seeking natural wisdom, delighting in the tranquility of their own goodness, and know the causes and conditions of the dharmas, these will be called the pratyekabuddha vehicle.

Just as the children seeking the bullock carts come out of the burning house, if there are living beings who, following the Buddha, the World Honored One, hear the Dharma, receive it in faith, diligently practice and zealously advance, seeking the complete wisdom, the wisdom of the Buddha, the natural wisdom, the wisdom without a teacher, and the knowledge, powers, and fearlessness of the Tathāgata, who take pity on and comfort innumerable creatures, benefit gods and men, and save all, these will be called the Great Vehicle. Because bodhisattvas seek this vehicle they are called mahāsattvas.

Just as the elder, seeing his children leave the burning house safely, going to a place free from fear, and, pondering on his immeasurable wealth, gives each of his children a great cart, the Tathāgata is the father of all living beings, and seeing innumerable beings escape from the suffering of the triple world and from fearful and perilous paths by the Buddha’s teaching, and gain the joys of nirvana, he reflects: “I possess infinite wisdom, power, fearlessness, and other Law-treasuries of buddhas. The living beings are all my children. I will give them equally the great vehicle. There will be no one who gains nirvana separately. All will gain nirvana by the same nirvana as the Tathāgata. They are able to produce pure, supreme pleasure.”

Just as the elder at first attracted his children by the three carts and afterward gave them only a great cart and is yet not guilty of falsehood, the Tathāgata first preached the three vehicles to attract the living beings and afterward saved them by the Great Vehicle alone. The Tathāgata possesses infinite wisdom, power, fearlessness, and the treasury of the dharmas, and gives all beings the Dharma of the Great Vehicle. Through their skillful means, the buddhas discriminate the One Vehicle and expound the three.