Offering an insight with an underlying intention, Master Shandao, the de facto founder of the Pure Land school, identified the “Authentication Introduction” in the Contemplation Sutra, as the “Pre-Teaching Introduction” within the “Origination Introduction.” This was related to a prior event, when Shakyamuni Buddha was teaching the Lotus Sutra at Rajagriha on Vulture Peak.
Why did Shakyamuni Buddha introduce the Lotus Sutra before speaking the Contemplation Sutra? The Lotus Sutra is regarded as “the king of all sutras” because in it Shakyamuni Buddha reveals his original intention for appearing in the world: “to open and reveal, in order to awaken sentient beings, and lead them to enter the insights and wisdom of the Buddha.”
A little episode during the teaching of the Lotus Sutra: Five thousand sravakas leave the assembly
In the Chapter on Skilful Means in the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha said, “The words of the Buddhas are never false. There are no other vehicles, only the One Buddha Vehicle.” As soon as the Buddha attempted to start elaborating on this statement, five thousand monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen in the assembly got up from their seats, bowed to the Buddha, and left. Why?
The Buddha explained, “Because the roots of ignorance among this group had been deeply planted. They were excessively proud and arrogant; thinking they had attained what they had not attained, and had realized what they had not realized.”
Because of deficiencies in believing in the “One Buddha Vehicle,” they did not stay. In response, the Buddha remained silent and did not stop them.
Then the Buddha addressed Sariputra: “This assembly is now free of useless twigs and leaves” (sravakas and pratyekabuddhas who only aim at self-liberation to become arhats); only the pure essence remains (bodhisattvas, who are aiming to liberate themselves and liberate others in order to attain perfect enlightenment and become Buddhas).
This brief episode indicates that Shakyamuni’s original intention for revealing the bodhisattva teaching is to “convert” the practitioners of the Two Vehicles, and to urge them to aspire to the Bodhi mind: to transfer or dedicate the merit and virtues attained from their Hinayana practices, and pursue the Mahayana practices and goals, in order to become bodhisattvas rather than arhats.
The expedient teaching versus the true or real teaching in Buddhism
With respect to the merit-dedication from the Hinayana teaching and advancing to the Mahayana teaching; the former is regarded as an “expedient means” to guide, lead and inspire sravakas and pratyekabuddhas to the latter (the “true” teaching). In other words, between the two different kinds of Buddhist teachings, the true teaching is “superior” as compared to the expedient teaching.
The classification of the teachings also includes a process of “abandonment” and “advancement,” which means to abandon the Hinayana teaching and advance to the Mahayana teaching. In other words, the Buddha did not appear merely to teach people how to live better lives, or to liberate themselves from individual suffering to become arhats, such as escaping from the cycle of birth and death.
Shakyamuni Buddha described sravakas and pratyekabuddhas as “useless twigs and leaves” who are only concerned with the self-benefiting practices that “hinder them from pursuing great compassion.” The Buddha intended to guide, lead and inspire those practitioners of the Two Vehicles to enter the Bodhisattva Vehicle, so as to liberate and benefit themselves through liberating and benefitting others.
Then Sariputra replied: “Indeed, I greatly desire to hear it.”
Shakyamuni Buddha said, “Tathagatas lead and inspire only bodhisattvas. All the acts of a Buddha are always for one purpose.”
In addition: “Tathagatas appear in the world for one great matter and causal condition.”
Then he explained it as a process with four steps: to open, reveal, awaken, and enter the insight and wisdom of the Buddha.
The parable of the three realms in the Lotus Sutra
Using the metaphor of “a burning house,” the Buddha related the story of how a wealthy father notices that his children are playing inside a house that has caught fire. However, the children do not realize the danger, as they are engrossed in their games. They ignore their father’s call to escape from the burning house. Then the father skillfully tells the children that there are various wonderful carts outside the house: goat carts, deer carts, and ox carts (representing the Buddhist teachings of the Three Vehicles—sravaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva). He then promises to let them play with the better carts.
Thrilled by their father’s promise, the children rush out of the burning house quickly and safely. Ultimately, the wealthy father (representing the Buddha) gives all his children the Great White Ox-Cart (representing the One Buddha Vehicle). Subsequently, they are led toward Buddhahood.
In this respect, Shakyamuni Buddha intended to “convert” the sagely beings of the Three Vehicles, and advised them to dedicate the merit and virtues attained through all of the teachings of the Three Vehicles (whether benefitting themselves, others, and/or ordinary beings), and advance to the “One Buddha Vehicle.”
The Buddha’s ultimate purpose is to enable all sentient beings to fully awaken
The teaching of the Three Vehicles is regarded as an “expedient means” to guide, lead and inspire sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas to return to the One Buddha Vehicle: the “true” teaching. Thus, the practitioners of the Three Vehicles are required to dedicate all the merit and virtues attained in the past towards the “One Buddha Vehicle.”
When teaching, sagely beings should “move on from” the teachings of the Three Vehicles, and “focus on” the teaching of One Buddha Vehicle. This means that the Buddha does not appear merely to teach people how to “attach” to the “expedient teachings,” but urges them to “move on” to the insight and wisdom of the Buddha, and dwell in the Buddha Realm.
Being present in the “burning house,” the Land of Saha, Shakyamuni Buddha has a “hidden secret” within the parable in the Lotus Sutra. He “demonstrated” to his disciples how to “convert” people there (benefitting them) by guiding them to follow Buddhist teachings to escape from the suffering in the endless cycle of birth-and-death, even if the Buddha entered Nirvana.
This can be read as another version of the Buddha’s original intent, as stipulated in the Infinite Life Sutra, showing how his disciples, by doing so, “benefit themselves by benefitting others,” and thus all enter the One Buddha Vehicle together by attaining assured rebirth in Amitabha’s Land of Bliss through exclusive practice of Amitabha-recitation.
Related features from BDG
The Secret of Establishing the “Pre-Teaching Introduction” in the Contemplation Sutra
The Teaching That Accommodates Sentient Beings of All Different Aptitudes
How Shakyamuni Introduced Amitabha Before His Parinirvana
