Lecture Notes 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? There is no peace in the three realms—it is like a burning house; nowhere in the three realms is safe and tranquil, for everything is like a burning house. 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 and unaware that they should escape the burning house. Out of compassion for sentient beings who cannot escape their suffering, the Buddha returns to the burning house of the three realms from outside it to rescue and deliver sentient beings. Yet we are still playing about in the three realms, not knowing that raging fires will soon break out everywhere, cutting off every path of retreat, while evil ghosts and fierce beasts surround us on all sides and the house is on the verge of collapse—we are already in the midst of danger, yet we remain utterly oblivious. The parables in the Lotus Sutra all speak of the ignorance of sentient beings, who dwell in the perilous place 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 humanity and was reborn among humans to come back and deliver us—truly this is unconditional loving-kindness and great compassion of the same essence. We should be like the Buddha, and in the future also fearlessly face peril, vowing to rescue sentient beings.

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