The Buddha’s compassion is useless unless all living begins can realize it. For this reason, he purposely does not use his divine power.

If we penetrate further beneath the surface of this meaning, we can see that if the Buddha were to lead all living beings straight to enlightenment, they could not understand his teachings and would lapse because they are so absorbed in pleasures of the senses and material things. Therefore, he desires to lead them from the first step, which is to cause them to realize the dreadful state of this world.

In spite of the compassionate consideration of the Buddha, living beings often only glance at their father’s face (the Buddha’s teachings); they do not consider how these teachings concern their own lives, and they do not listen to them wholeheartedly. We have often experienced this, which shows clearly the mental state of ordinary people.

Then the Buddha as a final measure displays goat carts (the śrāvaka-vehicle), deer carts (the pratyekabuddha-vehicle), and bullock carts (the bodhisattva-vehicle). Now all living beings are attracted to the Buddha’s teachings for the first time. Hearing his words, “Take whichever teaching of these three that you like; I will give you any of them,” they run out of the burning house while imagining these attractive playthings to themselves.

To imagine attractive playthings to oneself means that one has already entered into the mental state of śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, or bodhisattva. To run out of the burning house means that one is already seeking after the Buddha’s teachings. When living beings remove illusions from their minds, they can immediately escape from the burning house of suffering in this world.

However, they do not yet think of being saved from the burning house. Their minds are filled with the desire to obtain one of the attractive carts—the enlightenment of a śrāvaka, a pratyekabuddha, or a bodhisattva. Then they ask the Buddha for these carts. This means that each asks for his own enlightenment. Then quite unexpectedly, beyond the enlightenment of the three vehicles, they see the supreme teaching, that is, the enlightenment of the One Buddha-vehicle (the great white-bullock cart), shining brilliantly.

The Buddha really wishes to give this great cart to all living beings. So he gives the same thing unsparingly and equally to anyone who has advanced to the mental state of seeking supreme enlightenment. How wonderful the Buddha’s consideration is! All can attain the Buddha’s enlightenment equally — this is the great spirit of the Lotus Sutra.