On The Parable of the Burning House

Shunryu Suzuki Transcript

Tuesday, December 24, 1968

… second point.

And in the third [possible gap here?] the Buddha addressed to Shariputra's motion. And when Buddha knows that Shariputra has no—or idea of self, no idea of—no or idea of transiency[?] or intelligence is[?], he allowed him, he—he acknowledged his wisdom in its true sense: to observe things as it is.

And to accept his former karma, and what will he be in his future. And he said that after studying Buddhism under two or hundred thousand Buddhas, he attained this state. And in future he will be a Buddha.

And actually, what he meant was because he could see things without any idea of self, he was not – his understanding of his past, or his present is not any more bound by the idea of —bound by the things which actually see by his naked eye. His understanding is not limited by intellectual understanding in the sense of right or wrong, or deep or shallow, or common or rough.

And he says, “You will—you will attain enlightenment after many hundreds of kalpas of millions of time. That is actually means moment after moment with everything, you are studying our way. You know, the things he related. Things to—related to him is numerous, and he’s always studying with numerous of Buddha.

So actually, you know, many kalpas of time is not actually many kalpas of time. [Tapping sound] in this moment he’s related to many Buddhas. And if one related being is Buddha, and if one related Buddha practice his way one—one hour, you know, it may be many eons of time. So, it means actually, in this moment you are Buddha.

That was what he meant, and moreover for him, eons of time, or in this moment, doesn't make any difference! That is the stage Shariputra attained.

And in the next chapter, the parable, he refers to the—what the famous parable[?]—once there were—there were—there was a old wealthy man. This is rather interesting, you know. There were very old, old house in—in which the old, old man, aged man lived. But his children were interested in his old, old home, but that house is actually on fire. From all the sides of the building, fire is devouring the house.

And in the house, there were many curious, you know, beings like snake or spirit of ??? you know, or beings like here it’s described—oh, I haven’t [laughs] original translation.

And as the house was actually burning, the—all the, you know, creatures in that house were in great confusion. Make them rats, and like cats, and, you know, dogs and—and badgers, and wild cat, and many birds, and various kinds of birds. And various kinds of snakes. Usually, you know, they have—they were fighting with each other. Although they are fighting with—with each other, there are some orders, [laughs] but now house is on fire, so, they have—they are in great confusion.

But children there couldn't see, that this is very interesting[?]. And they enjoyed his old house—their old house very much. That is actually we, you know, human being. Actually, this world is on fire, but as we do not see this world thorough[?], and as we do not know our former karma or future karma, we enjoy this world so much. So, we are not interested in true teaching of Buddha.

So, and that is actually what was happening to this, you know, to his old home. But old—but the old man knows, you know, old man who knew that his house is already, you know, very old. Old enough to be destroyed even by the casual wind, or by, you know, the weight of a small, you know, snow.

Moreover, right now, the house is burning. [Laughs] so, he didn't know what to do with his children. He didn’t care treasure in the house or house itself. But he worried because he loved his children so much, so he wanted to save them from the fire. So, he, you know, prepared three, you know, interesting things outside of the house.

To the house there was only one entrance. And in front of the entrance, he prepared deer toys – deer vehicle. And sheep vehicle – vehicle pulled by sheep. Vehicle pulled by bull.

Because children were very much interested in those vehicles pulled by deer, pretty deer, and sheep, which they like, and big, white bull. So, they came out of the house, and he could save all those children. That is the parable.

And the explanation in this sutra say that small vehicle pulled by deer will be vehicle of sravaka. And vehicle pulled by the sheep, may be the vehicle of pratyeka. The white vehicle—vehicle built by jewels may be the Bodhisattva vehicle. But all those—because of all those vehicles, they—he could save his children.

So, from this standpoint, there is no difference between sravakas, and no difference between vehicle pulled by deer, or sheep, or white bull. They are all the same.

And since all of them get out of the burning house, the old man gave—gave them the same vehicle, pulled by white bull. He did not give him three different vehicle anymore. He gave them only white—only vehicle built of jewels and pulled by white bull. This is the parable.

And what it means is very—the interpretation of what does it mean, actually, by this parable is explained in the chapter four.

And, for a long time, there were various dispute about this parable. The point was, after they came out of the burning house, the old man gave a white, you know, the old man gave them same vehicle, made of jewels and pulled by a bull.

Whether that cart was the same as the third, same as one of the vehicle the old man gave when they are going to—which the old man gave them when they are escaping, you know, the house, or some, you know, special, you know, special—some special vehicle, which is different from, even from the third vehicle pulled by a white bull when they were escaping from the house—burning house. Because in this sutra, there is no, or it is difficult to know whether the vehicle the old man gave them was same vehicle or special vehicle, which is different from the three vehicles or the same ??? vehicle.

This is rather, you know, very—I don't think this is very important point, but if you understand what is—if you understand there is—there was no difference between the three vehicle. Actually, they are different vehicles, but the—the purpose of giving those—providing those vehicles was just to save his children.

So, there should be no—or we should not say the third one is best, the second one is second best, and the first one is worst, you know. This kind of [laughs] dispute—this kind of understanding is not the point.

But anyway, the people who recited this sutra for many hundreds of years in India, in China, and in Japan, had their confidence in the meaning of this parable. Which is for the Buddhist, whatever the teaching are, they are the same. But if you attach to some special teaching, it is not—even though they are reciting it, they do not understand what it means, actually.

And this sutra from this viewpoint, suppose for them, was the best sutra, and that is why they called this sutra, “King of the Kings—sutra of King of All Kings.”

Kumarajiva, you know, concluded—translated the concluding words for this body of fourth, the fourth: “You should know that the old Tathagatas, by means of good experience, provided three teachings in one understanding of one Great Teaching.”

So, it looks like three, but fundamentally there is no difference in three teaching—in the three teaching of sravakakaya, pratyekakaya, and bodhisattvakaya.

Do you have some question?

Student: After accepting our bad karma, is there any way to not ??? to see what’s going on, is there any way to stop it?

SR: Excuse me?

Student: Is there a way to stop our karma that has begun from proceeding? Stop harm once you’re ????

SR: Is there some way to stop it?

Student: Yeah. [Laughter]

SR: No.

You know, the karma, you know, we talk about future and karma, in its true sense is completely different. Because you understand karma, you know, in its ordinary way, it is necessary for you to stop it. But if you see the karma in its true sense, there is no thinking[?].

So, you will not try to stop it. When you don't try to stop it, it means that you can accept it. And you will have seen—you see it as it is, and you do not try to escape from it even because you see that it is. But, why you try to stop it means that, you know, you are seeing it in your own way with, I should say, ever say that I’m[?]. That is why you will try to escape from it. And we may say, karma we should be—our life should be more—more, you will talk about morality; you will talk about righteousness. You know, you will talk about our basic nature of human being.

But all those things are not true version of the reality. It is partially true, which you see from one viewpoint, some special viewpoint. But it is not—it doesn't cover a full understanding of karma.

That is why, you know, when we are able to sit, and when our practice, when we can sit stopping our idea of good or bad, long or short—at that time, because you are free, you are abandoning[?] those one-sided ideal or understanding.

There you have the view, or you—you are in the position to accept things as it is. So, in that areas[?], there is no such karma as you have had. So, in this sense, you may say you can stop your karma. What that says, what is—what is going is—is the same. But when we are—we cannot practice our way, or when we cannot experience this kind of practice, or when you are just, you know, involved in—simply involved with the dialog[?] ???), it is necessary for you to stop of karma. That—that is why, you know, sometime when you say, when you practice our way, you can stop your—your karma. But object will not stop. What if you go is the fate[?]. Then complete it[?].

So I want to stay here with you if it’s all right. Enough[?], you know,—if one[?], you know, if a single tree said a ??? was tree, but that tree will create various problem to the river, to the wood, and we don't know which way the tree will go because of that one tree. Even, you know, chopstick [laughs, laughter] in the river, will change the whole direction of the stream—stop. So that is the karma.

I am—in Zen—I'm not blaming you, you know. That was a very important koan for Zen student. That was—that kind of problem was very important koan for us.
Excuse me [laughs]. I'm not blaming you, so [laughs]…

Student: What future[?] of the chopstick is…

SR: Huh?

Student: What future of the chopsticks is facing water, and doesn’t want to be in it[?]?

SR: Excuse me?

Student: What do you do with chopstick is not intervening[?]?

SR: Is not?

Student: Perhaps the chopstick is not moving[?]

SR: Is not moving? It will change, you know. I—I said sometime, not always, sometime it will change the whole direction of the stream, I said. Don't you think so?

Even one storm, if it doesn't move, you know. Ah, that is just parable, so [laughs]. I don't want to argue about—I don't want to involve in discussion of physics! [Laughs, laughter.]

But, once there, in China, there was a—a monk named Sosan Konin. He was a very good Zen master. But a monk asked him—Sosan Konin wants to talk about—there is—actually everyone has Buddha Nature. And everyone has—there's no need for him to have even teacher, or Buddha because all of us actually Buddha. And there is no need to respect even Buddha, or even your teacher.
He was talking about this kind of truth. “And with this confidence we should practice our way,” he said—the master said.

A disciple, a monk, you know, stood up and asked him, “I have some, you know, question. I have some different understanding about it.”
So, the teacher said, “What is your understanding?”

The monk said, “If you, you know, give your seat to me, and bow three times to me, you know [laughs]. If I—if you give, you know—if I give you instruction as a teacher, and if you listen to me as a disciple, and bow three times to me, I will give you my own interpretation about it!” [Laughter, laughs.]

And he—the master said, “Okay, [laughs, laughter] I will do that.” And he gave him his own understanding.

And—and after listening to it, “Okay, what you said was right. Very correct and right. But I am sorry to say that you will have, you know—you will suffer the same sickness for twenty years more [laughs]. And you will have nothing to—you will not eat—not given any food or any firewood[?]. And you will have hardly something to support yourself,” he said to him.

And he said, “Okay, if it is so, I—I will accept that. I shall be—I shall have same stomachache for twenty years. That is all right,” [laughs] he said. And he left. And after two years, he understood what the teacher said, and he was very ashamed of his, you know, understanding. His own understanding—that he sticked to his own understanding.

And since then, for eight—he had understood what he said in three years, and for seventeen years, he pretended to be a sick man [laughs]! Each time he eat [laughs] he did. But he didn’t—it was not necessary for him anymore to do so, [laughs] but he ashamed of his, you know, stubborn, stubbornness, or rigid understanding, or his confidence in his understanding.

So, he pretended to be sick for seventy [17?] years after he understood completely what his teacher said. This is a famous story.
And in this way, he attained complete understanding. So, it is necessary for—even though you—you think, “This is absolutely true.”

But as Buddha said, “Because you think you attained enlightenment, Shariputra, you are—you don't understand what I—what I say. But now, you don't think you have attained enlightenment. You are not bound by that kind of attainment—idea of attainment. So, you will be able to understand what I will say.”

That is what he said.

I'm not blaming you. I was very much stubborn, [laughs] and—but even though I say so, it doesn't mean you have to change your attitude. Until you really feel something, you should go and go—go on and on.

And I think you should try your best, and you should be always—always faithful to your own confidence and understanding. That is all right.

But tonight I am talking about, you know, Shariputra, so I have to say in this way. For tonight's lecture [laughs] to say so.

Thank you very much.

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Source: digital audio archive from DC. Problem set. Thanks to audio work by Angus Atwell, transcribed March 2012 by Judy Gilbert. Work in progress. Verbatim version created June 2024 by Peter Ford and Wendy Pirsig using audio by EngageWisdom.

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File name: 68-12-24: On The Parable of the Burning House (Verbatim) [Verbatim transcript was not available before. (Sound problem.)] Changed "giggles" to "laughs" 1-5-2017, dc.

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