The Way of Wisdom: The Hitchhiker's Guide to Buddhism

The Lotus Sutra has been a theme over the past month or so. First I read the fabulous new translation by Gene Reeves, then there was my visit to the Thai Rissho Friendship Foundation and reading Nikkyo Niwano's commentary, and last night Phra Cittasamvaro Bhikku completed his final talk in his rains-retreat series with a mention of the famous parable of the burning house.

It came at the end, in response to a question I asked about how he'd have structured the series if the theme had been compassion rather than wisdom, but it was entirely in line with the evening's teaching on the hitchhiker's way to Enlightenment: "an approach where you can jump ship and switch cars at any point, so long as you are travelling in the right direction".

In the parable, of course, a kind father wishes to save his children from a burning house and does so by promising them the carts they wanted. One wanted a goat cart, one wanted a deer cart, one wanted an ox cart, and the father calls to them telling them the carts are waiting outside. The house being, of course, the world of Samsara and the carts the various Buddhist teachings.

And once outside, the children are rewarded not with the carts they were originally after, but with carts that far surpass anything they could have even imagined! The promise of the earlier carts was the compassionate skillful means of the father, suited according to individual differences but all designed to get the children to the very same, unimaginably wonderful, place.

"This place", Phra Pandit said last night, "is the pure mind beyond the six senses, it is a positive goal, the ultimate goal, that goes beyond anything we might have thought we were going to achieve by taking up practice", and he spoke about how that practice is beautiful in the beginning, when we start, beautiful in the middle, when we see the peace of letting go, and beautiful in the end.

And that wrapped up this year's rains-retreat Dharma talks by Phra Pandit with a beautiful affirmation that all those following any of the teachings of the Buddha are travelling what the Lotus calls the One-Buddha-Vehicle, and focusing clearly on the goal. It's been a magnificent eight weeks. Thank you to everyone who made it possible and especially to Phra Cittasamvaro Bhikku for so generously sharing the teachings.

Link:

Littlebang: Notes on The Hitchhikers Guide to Buddhism

Photo: Main Buddha image, and early 18th century murals, in Wat Ko, Phetchaburi.