“Having thought this, he said to his children as he had thought, ‘Come out quickly!’ He warned them with these good words out of his compassion towards them, but they were too much engrossed in playing to hear the words of their father. They were not frightened or afraid. They did not wish to come out. They did not know what a fire was, what a house was, and what they would lose. They ran about happily. They only glanced at their father occasionally.”

Though the Sage has introduced them to the teaching [of the One], yet the children are too stupid to realize it, and they fall back again “to love of the playthings” of the five desires, and “they may fall victim to the fire” of the three evil paths. Even though [the Buddha] wants to teach the One, they are not capable of making use of it. Therefore, it (the teaching of the One) is abolished temporarily.

Traveling through the five ways of existence is what is meant by [the word] run. Revolving around and wandering in the six kinds of defilements is referred to as play. Looking at [the Buddha] in his [transformation body (nirmāṇakāya)] sixteen feet tall, not advancing a single foot, that is what [the phrase] merely looking at their father means.

But he thought again, ‘This house has only one gate [doorway]. Worse still, the gate is narrow and small.’

This is the fourth segment. He wants to offer the happiness of the three carts later. He first tells them about the frightening and dreadful happening in the house in order to terrify them. [The place] where various delusions are concealed is the “house.”

The doorway to [the Buddha’s] teaching is dark and deep. Those who have traveled to enlightenment are very few; few have advanced toward the doorway.

He also thought, ‘I am strong-muscled [powerfull body and arms]. I will put them in a flower-plate or on a table and bring them out [I might, in the folds of my robe or on top
of a table, take them out].’

This is the third segment. The theme substantiated here is that the Buddha, in combination with [his own awakening, wishes to] save [other beings]. Having been awakened himself to [the truth of] suffering, he intends to cause other beings to become [awakened] like him. Thus with great compassion [mahākaruṇā] arising in him, he has come to their aid. Originally the two kinds of transformation did not exist, but by going astray from the truth, they (beings) underwent suffering. [The Buddha] himself has to return to the use of the One Vehicle in order to teach them. Therefore he wants to set forth the doctrine of the One Vehicle. Body means the trace-body. The trace-body in essence (li) has the functional ability [of] holding and making contact [with beings]: it is [like] the “hands”. Essential ability is “strength.”

A “robe” can be bent to wrap the sons. [The Buddha] appears [in the world] like a supernatural power, able to help beings out of the rugged mountains.

[A table with four legs symbolizes] the four virtues [which he manifests] equally to all. [All the diverse] talk about li is universally similar and equal.

[The children] do not know that the fires are coming towards them. They are not frightened or afraid. They are about to suffer, but do not mind. They do not wish to get out.’

They don’t think that [desires] harm the [wisdom] life: they are “unaware and ignorant.” Being “ignorant and unaware,” how can they be made perturbed and afraid?

Injury pressing in upon the wisdom-life is not taken as a calamity. Without being told of what has happened, how can they have any wish to leave?

The rich man was very frightened at the great fires breaking out from the four sides of the house. He thought, ‘I am able to get out of the gate of the burning house safely, but my children are still inside. They are engrossed in playing.’

This is the second segment. The Buddha is awakened to the suffering [of the other beings]. [The fact] that [these living beings] are originally transformed does not correspond with the fact that suffering exists: he is “alarmed.” Perceiving suffering makes his mind confused and he fears that the wisdom-life may be burned up in the fire; hence, he is “terrified.”

The Buddha has his manifested form present in the house, also showing that he is in the state of suffering. The moment one enters nirvāṇa, the wisdom-life is [mobilized] to produce the power of [nirvāṇa] with remnants [upadhiseṣa-nirvāṇa), which enables one to reach [nirvāṇa] without remnants. That is what [the word] able implies. To follow before everything else the Buddha’s teaching is also what [the phrase] able to get out [safely] through this burning doorway means.

[The Beings’] minds roam in the five these are “games.” Never discarding them at any moment, they are “attached” [to desires].

In this house lived children of the rich man, numbering ten or twenty or thirty.

Those who have already been converted are “sons.” There is the differentiation of the three vehicles: it is “three” [of thirty or three tens]. There are so many [of those who have been transformed]: thus “ten” [of three tens].

“All of a sudden fires broke out at the same time from all sides of the house, and it began to burn.”

Various sufferings are compared to burning. There is no place where there is no suffering: it is “throughout the house.” It has come of [the path of] aberration; thus “quite suddenly.” The thing proper (or cause, shih) has arrived: it “breaks out.” It burns “the apartments” of the five aggregates (skandhas), [the constituents of ‘self’]

The buildings [halls] were in decay, the fences and walls corrupt, the bases of the pillars rotten, and the beams and ridgepoles tilting and slanted.

The realm of sensuous desire (kāmadhātu) is the “hall.” The two upper realms are “chambers.” Gradual decay is “rotting.”

Various delusions are prevalent in the four directions: they are referred to as walls. To do what is not good and what must be overcome is referred to as crumbling.

False views dwell in it: they are “pillars.” Going astray from li, one is not stable: one has “decayed.”

[The beings] are brought to realize that they are in a state of ignorance and [self-]love; they [ignorance and self-love] are “beams and ridgepoles.” li can easily take them off: they are “precariously tipped.”

His manor house was large [broad and great], but had only one gate. In that house lived many people, numbering a hundred or two hundred or five hundred.

They take delusions as their original source and are settled in them: this is what house represents. Delusions are everywhere: they are “broad and great.”

The Buddha teaches the passage to enlightenment: he is the “doorway.” Only these people have passed through it, they are “one hundred or two hundred”: gods (devas) account for “one hundred”; men, “two hundred”. The three evil paths (gati) of transmigration account for “five hundred.” They rely on the [three] realms: they are “dwelling in it.”

“Śāriputra! Suppose there lived a very rich man [great elder] in a certain country, in a certain village, in a certain town. He was old [advanced in years]. His wealth was immeasurable. He had many paddy fields, houses, and servants.”

The Buddha is certainly in charge of them, and rules over them, being the one whom they pay respect to: he is “the elder”

[The Buddha] reincarnated himself and advanced to the later stage of his life in order to set forth the doctrine of the three vehicles.

In preaching the Dharma, [the Buddha] uses wisdom-life as its source: it is “wealth.” li is inexhaustible and limitless: it is “incalculable.”

Transformative teaching removes their defilements and produces shoots of the Tao in them; it is “fields.” They come to reside in it [Tao]: it is “house.” They comply with the teaching in their conduct: they are “servants.” There is no place where it does not exist: it is “many.”