Parable of Two Rivers and a White Path
by Shan-tao
Quoted by Shinran in the Kyogyoshinsho
Translated by Hisao Inagaki
Cf. Another version in Chinese and English
|
The painting of "Two Rivers and
a White Path" preserved at the
Komyoji temple, Kyoto; produced during the
Kamakura period (1185-1333). |
I wish to say to all aspirants for birth:
I will now present a parable for the practicers
in order to protect their Faith and to guard
it against attacks by those who have wrong, perverted and unauthentic
views. What is the parable?
Suppose a man is traveling a hundred thousand
li toward the west. On the way, he suddenly
comes upon two rivers: one is a river of
fire that extends southward, and the other
is a river of water that extends northward.
The two rivers are each a hundred paces wide
and unfathomably deep, extending endlessly
to the north and south. Where they meet,
there is a white path, four or five inches
wide. This path is a hundred paces long from
the east bank to the west. The waves of the
water splash and the flames of the fire burn
the path. The waves and flames alternate
without ceasing.
This traveler has already journeyed far into
the open plain where there is no one to be
found. Suddenly, there appear many bandits
and vicious beasts. Seeing him alone, they
approach competing with each other to kill
him. Afraid of death, he at once runs to
the west. When he suddenly sees this great
river, he says to himself, "This river
extends endlessly to the south and to the
north. I see a white path in the middle,
but it is extremely narrow. Although the
two banks are close to each other, how can
I get across? Undoubtedly, I shall die this
day. When I turn round to return, I see bandits
and vicious beasts coming closer and closer.
If I try to run toward the south or north,
I see vicious beasts and poisonous insects
vie with each other to attack me. If I seek
the path to the west, I will certainly fall
into one of the two rivers of water and fire.
His horror at this moment is beyond expression.
So he thinks to himself, "If I turn
back now, I shall die; if I stay, I shall
die; if I go forward, I shall die, too. Since
I cannot escape death in any way, I would
rather follow this path. Because there is
a path, it must be possible to cross the
rivers."
When this thought occurs to him, he suddenly
hears a voice from the eastern bank urging
him, "Take this path with firm resolution.
There is no danger of death. If you stay
there, you will die." Again, he hears
another voice from the western bank calling
to him, "Come at once single-heartedly
with right mindfulness. I will protect you.
Do not fear that you may fall into the calamities
of water or fire." Since the traveler
hears this voice urging him from the bank
and the calling from the other, he resolutely,
body and soul, takes the path and proceeds
at once without doubt or apprehension.
As he takes a step or two, he hears the voices
of the bandits on the eastern bank, "Come
back! That path is treacherous. You cannot
cross it. Undoubtedly, you are sure to die.
We have no evil intentions in pursuing you."
Though hearing the calling voices, this person
does not even look back. As he proceeds straight
on this path with singleness of heart, he,
in no time, reaches the western bank and
is now free from all danger. There he meets
his good friend, and his joy knows no end.
This is the parable.
:
The meaning of the parable is as follows.
'The eastern bank' is the burning house of
this Saha world. 'The western bank' is the
Treasure Country of Utmost Bliss. 'Bandits
and vicious beasts calling with feigned friendship'
refer to sentient beings' six sense-organs,
six consciousnesses, six sense-bases, five
aggregates, and four elements. 'The open
plain where there is no one to be found'
refers to always mixing with evil friends
without having a chance to meet a true good
teacher. 'The two rivers of water and fire'
describes sentient beings' greed and lust
which are like water and their anger and
hatred which are like fire. 'The white path
in the middle, four or five inches wide'
shows that a pure aspiration for birth arises
from within sentient beings' evil passions
of greed and anger. Since greed and anger
are intense, they are compared to the water
and fire. Since good mind is faint, it is
compared to a white path. Further, 'waves
always splash the path' describes that greed
always arises and defiles one's good mind.
'Flames always burn the path' shows that
anger and hatred burn the Dharma-treasure
of virtue. 'This man at once takes the path
westward' shows that he, at once, proceeds
westward by turning aside various practices.
'Hearing a voice from the eastern bank urging
him to proceed, he immediately takes the
path to the west' shows that even though
Shakyamuni is already dead and people
cannot see him, his teaching still exists
which can be followed; the teaching is compared
to the voice. 'As he takes a step or two,
bandits call him to return' shows that people
of different understandings, different practices and wrong views confuse him with
their false views, saying, "You will
commit evil karma and fall back from the
Path." 'There is a man on the western
bank calling to him' refers to the purport
of Amida's Vow. "In no time he reaches
the western bank and rejoices at seeing his
good friend" shows that the sentient
beings who have long been sinking in the
state of birth-and-death, transmigrating
from the eternal past and being deluded and
bound by their own karma, from which they
cannot set themselves free, are now urged
by Shakyamuni to proceed to the west
and also summoned by Amida's Compassion;
faithfully following the wishes of the two
sages, they take the path of Vow-Power with
constant mindfulness while unafraid of the
two rivers of water and fire; after their
death, they will be born in his land, where
they will see the Buddha with boundless joy.
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