Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land Teachings
淨土宗妙喻
Metaphor 2B: Saving the Drowning Kid First
During a flood, a man saw that his three sons had fallen into the water. The eldest son learned to swim from his father and enjoyed playing in the water. The second son didn’t learn as well, and had difficulty handling big waves. However, he was able to hold onto a piece of wood so that he could float in the water and was not in danger. The youngest son was too lazy to learn to swim at all and his head was bobbing up and down in the flooding water.
He called out for help because he knew his life was in danger. The father, who was on the shore, knew he must save his youngest son first, even though he was in danger due to his own laziness.
The three sons represent three kinds of people with different aptitudes and capacities. The eldest son is a wise person with superior virtuous roots. He can learn and practice the Buddha’s teachings and fight against afflictions(waves) if they come.
The second son is a person with mid-level virtuous roots. Though he is unable to adequately contemplate and eliminate his afflictions, he can abide by the Five Precepts and practice the Ten Wholesome Deeds (the piece of wood) without falling into the Three Wretched Realms.
The youngest son is an ignorant person with inferior virtuous roots. He cannot practice the Three Learnings and fails to cut off the Three Poisons. He has difficulty in practicing the Five Precepts and the Ten Wholesome Deeds. He commits karmic offenses and sinks into the water when the waves come. He can only cry out and ask for help. From the West Amitabha Buddha, the compassionate father, must come to save and deliver suffering sentient beings. They don’t need to wonder whether they are worthy of saving because of their heavy karmic offenses. It is the original intent of their compassionate father.
2B. 彌陀大悲，急救苦者- 先救小兒喻
若起大水，一人三子皆落水中，長子遵父之教誨，平日習水精進，於水中無憂；二子學而不佳，難以抵擋大水，但幸遇一木，緊抱手中，浮於水上，隨波逐浪，並無急險；然小兒不聽父言，不習游泳，現於洶湧大水中，僅露一頭，時沒水中，苦苦呼救，生死一線間。父親岸上所見，定當急救小兒，縱然平日，懶惰不聽父之教。
三子如眾生三種根機：長子為上根利智之人，煩惱一起來，能依世尊教法如實修行，對治煩惱（風浪），能夠搏擊；二子中根之人，雖不能觀照煩惱、止息煩惱，但能夠修持五戒十善（木頭），不至墮於三惡道； 小兒指下根劣智眾生，既不能修戒定慧、斷貪瞋癡，亦難行五戒十善，且造罪造業，無量罪業，風浪一來，便沉沒其中，只能呼救。
阿彌陀佛慈父，從西而來，定當救度，苦罪眾生。無需懷疑自身罪業，此為慈父本懷！
Namo Amituofo!
