Śāriputra!
With this parable I expounded
The teaching of the One Buddha-Vehicle
To all living beings.
All of you will be able to attain
The enlightenment of the Buddha
If you believe and receive
These words of mine.

When a statement is lofty [in nature], as a rule, those who follow it are few. li is so deep that certainly very few believe in it. It has been said earlier of the path (tao) of the One Vehicle that its purport is very profound, far-reaching, dark, and signless. It will be pretty difficult for those with a shallow consciousness to have faith in it. The next [verses] illustrate that [the Buddha] cannot commit falsehood by saying, for the sake of men, encouraging words, and by offering rewards. Thus, how could those who are inclined to the [right] direction not drive themselves to believe in and understand them?