This chapter is named “A Parable” because it contains a well-known story called, “The Burning House and the Three Carts” or “The Burning House of the Triple World.” The Lotus Sutra contains seven parables, commonly called the Seven Great Parables, and this is the first of them.
The first half of the Lotus Sutra (“Shakumon” or the “Theoretical Section”) is characterized by three stages of preaching. That is, the same subject is presented in three different ways according to the capacities of the hearers: first by a theory, then by a parable, and finally by means of a story from some previous existence. The teaching of the One Vehicle, for instance, is first presented theoretically in Chapter Two. Then it is illustrated by parables in Chapters Three, Four, Five, and Six. Finally its reason and purpose is clarified in Chapter Seven by a story from a previous existence.
Escaping from the fire is the chief concern of the wealthy father; it is also the concern of the Buddha. The father ponders seriously how he might be able to rescue his children who refuse to exit the burning building. We too, before we began to study Buddhism, were like the children. We did not realize that we could escape the burning fires of pain, greed, anger, and animality. We may not have even realized that we were suffering, especially if we were in a state of tranquility. But just as the gods in heaven will eventually fall to earth, so too tranquility will eventually change and we will be faced with the stark reality of old age, disease, and death. Nothing remains unchanged forever; all things are subject to decay.
We can either be caught up in despair of the cycle of endless suffering or we may be blind to the eventuality of suffering. In either case the Buddha knows there are raging flames all around us and he wants to save us, or rather provide the means whereby we can save ourselves. First though is to exit the burning house.
One question that may come up for some as they read [the parable of the burning house] and think of the Buddha as the old man is why was the house in such bad shape, especially since the man in the story was wealthy. If we think of the house as representing the universe and all the things that make up the universe and we realize that nothing avoids the process of decay then even though the house is now rundown and falling to pieces, at one time it was a very nice dwelling. Everything in the universe is subject to the change and eventual decay. The old man could not stop it from occurring; the Buddha cannot stop it from occurring. But through our Buddhist practice, the practice of the single vehicle taught in the Lotus Sutra we can exit the cycle of birth and rebirth and thereby escape the four sufferings.
The story of the Burning House is a way of retelling the important teaching of the Buddha of this single Buddha way which sets aside various other paths which before were seen as unique. The Buddha wishes for all people to leave the life of suffering and attain enlightenment equal to that of all Buddhas. That is the one great purpose for the appearance of any Buddha in any realm of any time. The Buddha, being a skillful teacher, realized at the beginning that people would not be able to grasp the very complex teaching of enlightenment equal to that of all Buddhas. He also realized people would doubt they had such a capacity. Even today, many people still cling to the notion they are not good enough, or they are not worthy of attaining such an indestructible life of true joy and cessation of suffering.
