Commentary on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (216)

The Guide in Perilous Places

Bodhisattvas make the vow to become guides in perilous places. Where is it perilous? The three realms offer no peace, like a burning house—nowhere in the three realms is safe and tranquil; all is like a house on fire. As the Lotus Sutra (Saddharma-puṇḍarīka Sūtra) illustrates, the three realms are like a house already engulfed in flames, yet the sentient beings inside are still playing within, unaware that suffering is about to befall them, unaware that they must escape the burning house. Out of compassion for sentient beings unable to escape their suffering, the Buddha returned from outside the burning house into the three realms to rescue and deliver sentient beings. Yet we are still playing games within the three realms, unaware that raging flames are about to spring up and cut off every path of retreat, that ferocious ghosts and wild beasts surround us on all sides, and that the house is on the verge of collapse—we are already in grave danger, yet we remain utterly oblivious. The parables in the Lotus Sutra all speak of the foolishness of sentient beings, who dwell in the perilous realm of birth-and-death without knowing it. From this we can see the Buddha's great loving-kindness and great compassion: He could have abandoned this human body, this bag of skin, yet He donned the shell of a human being and was reborn among humans to come back and rescue us—truly a loving-kindness extended without conditions, a great compassion of shared essence. We should be like the Buddha, resolving that in the future we too will not fear peril and will vow to save sentient beings.

What is the prerequisite for being able to serve as a guide? It is having already crossed through the perilous realm of birth-and-death and possessing the ability to lead others. If one does not know where the dangers lie or where peril is found, one cannot guide sentient beings out of danger. Therefore, we must first understand how to escape the three realms and be capable of escaping them; only then can we turn back to guide sentient beings, helping them avoid peril and head toward a place of peace and bliss.