MindYourBuddha

In keeping with the Buddha's assertion that he teaches by tactful means, his teaching strategy now switches from teaching by theory to teaching by story telling.  What following is the first of several parables taught by the Buddha.  The story of the burning house is about an old man, very wealthy with a large family dwelling in a very large run-down house.  The house is not only inhabited by his family but all manner of animals, hungry spirits and demons.  The house is in such disrepair it is on the verge of collapse.  When the story begins, the elder from outside sees a fire start simultaneously in all parts of the house.  He is told that his children are at play in the house, and comes into the house, through the only opening a narrow gate, to save his children.  He confronts the children warning them of the impending danger, but the children absorbed in their play, and with no concept of fire, pay no mind to him.  The objects of their play are three carts; a goat cart, a deer cart and a bullock cart.  The elder, reconsiders how to get the children to leave the house.  He consider physically rescuing them, but thinks he may loose one or two, which is unacceptable.  After some thought, he realizes that the children are self-motivated by their play and with this in mind tells the children that beautiful new playthings await them outside the house, and they will surely be sorry if they don't leave immediately.  Thereupon the children scramble over themselves to pass through the gate to the outside.  The elder relieved his children are safely outside, provides all the children with the finest bullock cart, richly adorned, and drawn by a large white cow.

The Buddha asks Sariputra if it was wrong that the elder gave the finest cart equally to each child.  To understand the question we must understand the metaphors in the story.  We can readily see that the house represents our view of reality and the all-consuming fire, the damaging nature of our attachment to cravings - the children unaware in their play being an example.  The elder is of course the Buddha who has taken a vow to lead all people from their suffering.  The three carts, being a means of transport, represent the three vehicles described in previous chapters.  The goat cart refers to the teaching, or spiritual understanding of a shravaka, the deer cart symbolic of the spiritual understanding of a pratyekabuddha, and the great bullock cart, the teaching amassed by a bodhisattva.  By these the teachings the father leads his children through the gate, beyond which suffering is abated and wisdom may be attained.  Its important to note that the buddha doesn't simply use his divine power to deliver his children to safety but instead tactfully puts in their mind an idea they follow naturally, by their own desire.  There is but one gate, like the truth that we pursue.

Sariputra, being the astute pupil, and having been tormented by self-doubt that he wouldn't reach enlightenment, realized that the Buddha’s previous teachings, although claiming extinction, only led to freedom from the cycle of rebirth which is not real extinction.  It is only through the one great vehicle (the figurative bullock cart) that one may become a Buddha.

The sutra concludes by the Buddha admonishing Sariputra not to teach to those who slander the sutra in any way.