The Burning House, Retold in Verse
譬喻品第三（下）
The Buddha retells the parable just given in prose, but the verse does not simply repeat it — it lingers where the prose moved quickly, filling the decaying house with vultures, jackals, and flesh-eating spirits before the fire ever starts. Once the children are safely out and given their single great cart, the Buddha explains directly what the story means, warns that what the arhats called their own final extinction was not yet the true one, and closes with a stark passage on exactly who this sūtra should — and should not — be taught to.
- This part covers
- The verse retelling of the burning house parable, considerably more vivid than the prose version — a decaying house crowded with vultures, venomous snakes, corpse-eating jackals, and flesh-eating spirits, then engulfed in fire; the father's rescue of his children with the promise of three carts, and his gift, once they are safe, of one identical great cart to each; the Buddha's own explanation that he is this father and all beings are his children; a warning that even arhatship, called "extinction," was not the true and final one; and a closing passage naming exactly who this sūtra should, and should not, be taught to.
- Why it matters
- The verse does something the prose parable did not attempt: it names, in the Buddha's own voice, what every element of the story stands for, and states outright that the "extinction" many in this very assembly believed they had already reached was not yet real. It also marks a turn this site's commentary will need to track going forward — the sūtra's own instructions about who is, and is not, ready to receive it.
1. The House Full of Terrors
佛欲重宣此義，而說偈言： 「譬如長者， 有一大宅， 其宅久故， 而復頓弊， 堂舍高危， 柱根摧朽， 梁棟傾斜， 基陛隤毀， 牆壁圮坼， 泥塗褫落， 覆苫亂墜， 椽梠差脫， 周障屈曲， 雜穢充遍。 有五百人， 止住其中。 鵄梟雕鷲、 烏鵲鳩鴿、 蚖蛇蝮蠍、 蜈蚣蚰蜒、 守宮百足、 狖貍鼷鼠， 諸惡蟲輩， 交橫馳走。 屎尿臭處， 不淨流溢， 蜣蜋諸蟲， 而集其上。 狐狼野干， 咀嚼踐蹋， 䶩齧死屍、 骨肉狼藉。 由是群狗， 競來搏撮， 飢羸慞惶， 處處求食。 鬪諍[齒*查]掣， 嘊喍㘁吠， 其舍恐怖， 變狀如是。 處處皆有， 魑魅魍魎、 夜叉惡鬼， 食噉人肉。 毒蟲之屬， 諸惡禽獸， 孚乳產生， 各自藏護。 夜叉競來， 爭取食之， 食之既飽， 惡心轉熾， 鬪諍之聲， 甚可怖畏。 鳩槃荼鬼， 蹲踞土埵， 或時離地， 一尺二尺， 往返遊行， 縱逸嬉戲， 捉狗兩足， 撲令失聲， 以腳加頸， 怖狗自樂。 復有諸鬼， 其身長大， 裸形黑瘦， 常住其中， 發大惡聲， 叫呼求食。 復有諸鬼， 其咽如針。 復有諸鬼， 首如牛頭， 或食人肉， 或復噉狗， 頭髮蓬亂， 殘害凶險， 飢渴所逼， 叫喚馳走。 夜叉餓鬼， 諸惡鳥獸， 飢急四向， 窺看窓牖。 如是諸難， 恐畏無量。 是朽故宅， 屬于一人。 其人近出， 未久之間， 於後舍宅， 欻然火起， 四面一時， 其炎俱熾。 棟梁椽柱， 爆聲震裂， 摧折墮落， 牆壁崩倒。 諸鬼神等， 揚聲大叫。 雕鷲諸鳥、 鳩槃荼等， 周章惶怖， 不能自出。 惡獸毒蟲， 藏竄孔穴。 毘舍闍鬼， 亦住其中， 薄福德故， 為火所逼， 共相殘害， 飲血噉肉。 野干之屬， 竝已前死， 諸大惡獸， 競來食噉， 臭烟熢㶿， 四面充塞。 蜈蚣蚰蜒、 毒蛇之類， 為火所燒， 爭走出穴， 鳩槃荼鬼、 隨取而食。 又諸餓鬼， 頭上火燃， 飢渴熱惱， 周章悶走。 其宅如是， 甚可怖畏， 毒害火災， 眾難非一。」
The Buddha, wishing to restate this same meaning once more, spoke in verse: "Suppose there was an elder, who had a great house. That house had grown old, and had further fallen into sudden ruin; its halls and chambers stood high and perilous, the roots of its pillars crushed and rotten, its beams and ridgepoles leaning and tilted, its foundation steps crumbled and broken, its walls cracked and split, its plaster peeling and falling, its thatched roof scattered and dropping, its rafters and eaves out of joint, its enclosing walls crooked and bent, filled everywhere with filth. Five hundred people dwelt within it. Owls and horned owls, eagles and vultures, crows and magpies, doves and pigeons, vipers, snakes, adders and scorpions, centipedes and millipedes, house lizards and hundred-leggers, martens, weasels, and shrews, and every kind of evil creature ran back and forth across it. Places foul with excrement and urine, overflowing with filth, dung beetles and worms swarming upon it. Foxes, wolves, and jackals gnawed and trampled, chewing at corpses, scattering bones and flesh about; and because of this, packs of dogs came competing to seize and snatch them, starved, gaunt, and frantic, seeking food in every direction. Fighting and snarling, snapping and howling, the house was a place of terror, its condition changed to this. Everywhere there were goblins and monsters, yakṣas and evil spirits, devouring human flesh. Venomous creatures, and every kind of evil bird and beast, bred and gave birth, each hiding and guarding its own young. Yakṣas came competing to seize and eat them, and once they had eaten their fill, their evil minds grew only fiercer still, and the sound of their fighting was exceedingly terrible to hear. Kumbhāṇḍa spirits crouched upon mounds of earth, sometimes rising a foot or two above the ground, wandering back and forth, indulging themselves in play, seizing a dog by its two hind legs and beating it until it lost its voice, pressing a foot against its neck, terrifying the dog for their own amusement. There were other spirits besides, their bodies tall and huge, naked, black, and gaunt, dwelling there constantly, sending up great and evil cries, howling in search of food. There were still other spirits, whose throats were as narrow as needles. There were yet other spirits, with heads like the heads of oxen, some devouring human flesh, others devouring dogs, their hair disheveled and wild, cruel and vicious, driven by hunger and thirst, howling and running about. Yakṣas and hungry ghosts, and every kind of evil bird and beast, starving and desperate, peered in on every side through the windows. Dangers such as these were fearful beyond measure. This decayed and ancient house belonged to a single man. That man had stepped out not long before, when, in the house behind him, a fire suddenly broke out, and on every side, all at once, its flames blazed up together. The ridgepoles, beams, rafters, and pillars cracked and split with a bursting sound, breaking and crashing down, and the walls collapsed and fell. Every spirit within raised its voice and cried out in alarm. The vultures and other birds, and the kumbhāṇḍas, were thrown into panic and terror, unable to escape by themselves. Evil beasts and venomous creatures hid themselves away in holes and burrows. Piśāca spirits dwelt there too, and, having scant merit of their own, were pressed by the fire, and turned on one another, drinking blood and devouring flesh. The pack of jackals had already died before this, and now the greater evil beasts came competing to devour them, while the stench of smoke and fire filled every side. Centipedes, millipedes, and venomous serpents, burned by the fire, raced from their holes, and the kumbhāṇḍa spirits seized and ate them as they came. And other hungry ghosts, with fire blazing on their very heads, driven mad by hunger, thirst, and heat, ran about in frantic distress. Such was that house — fearful beyond measure, its poison, harm, and fire a multitude of dangers, not merely one."
Almost none of this menagerie of owls, jackals, and flesh-eating spirits appears in the prose telling of the parable two chapters back — the verse adds it wholesale. Zhiyi reads even the architectural decay described at the very start in exhaustive, one-to-one allegorical detail: the hall for the realm of desire, the tower above it for the realms of form and formlessness, the walls for the four elements that compose a body, the crumbling plaster for aging, the rotted pillar-roots for a shortening lifespan, the leaning ridgepole for consciousness itself. He offers a second, parallel reading built on the human body rather than the cosmos — the hall as the lower body, the tower as the head, the walls as skin and flesh, the twisting corridors as the intestines — and presents both without insisting that only one is correct.
He is more literal, and more severe, about the "five hundred people" who dwell in the house without ever being named as anyone's children. He reads them as beings across all five destinies generally — simply present, background figures, never rescued by name — in contrast to the "thirty sons" who alone are addressed directly and who alone escape by cart. On this reading the parable's warmth is not extended evenly to everyone inside the burning house; it is extended specifically to those with some prior connection to the Buddha's teaching, the "capacity" (機) the text elsewhere calls having "the nature of wisdom" within. What becomes of the five hundred who are never called sons is a question the parable itself does not address, and neither does Zhiyi.
2. The Father's Rescue, and the Cart Given to All
「是時宅主， 在門外立， 聞有人言： 『汝諸子等， 先因遊戲， 來入此宅， 稚小無知， 歡娛樂著。』 長者聞已， 驚入火宅， 方宜救濟， 令無燒害。 告喻諸子， 說眾患難， 惡鬼毒蟲， 災火蔓延， 眾苦次第， 相續不絕。 毒蛇蚖蝮， 及諸夜叉、 鳩槃茶鬼， 野干狐狗、 雕鷲鵄梟， 百足之屬， 飢渴惱急， 甚可怖畏。 此苦難處， 況復大火。 諸子無知， 雖聞父誨， 猶故樂著， 嬉戲不已。 是時長者， 而作是念： 『諸子如此， 益我愁惱。 今此舍宅， 無一可樂， 而諸子等， 耽湎嬉戲， 不受我教， 將為火害。』 即便思惟， 設諸方便， 告諸子等： 『我有種種， 珍玩之具， 妙寶好車， 羊車鹿車、 大牛之車， 今在門外。 汝等出來， 吾為汝等， 造作此車， 隨意所樂， 可以遊戲。』 諸子聞說， 如此諸車， 即時奔競， 馳走而出， 到於空地， 離諸苦難。 長者見子， 得出火宅， 住於四衢。 坐師子座， 而自慶言： 『我今快樂！ 此諸子等， 生育甚難， 愚小無知， 而入險宅。 多諸毒蟲， 魑魅可畏， 大火猛炎， 四面俱起。 而此諸子， 貪樂嬉戲。 我已救之， 令得脫難。 是故諸人， 我今快樂。』 爾時諸子， 知父安坐， 皆詣父所， 而白父言： 『願賜我等， 三種寶車。 如前所許： 「諸子出來， 當以三車， 隨汝所欲。」 今正是時， 唯垂給與。』 長者大富， 庫藏眾多， 金銀琉璃、 車璩馬腦， 以眾寶物， 造諸大車。 莊校嚴飾， 周匝欄楯， 四面懸鈴， 金繩交絡。 真珠羅網， 張施其上， 金華諸瓔， 處處垂下， 眾綵雜飾， 周匝圍繞， 柔軟繒纊， 以為茵蓐。 上妙細㲲， 價直千億， 鮮白淨潔， 以覆其上。 有大白牛， 肥壯多力， 形體姝好， 以駕寶車。 多諸儐從， 而侍衛之。 以是妙車， 等賜諸子。 諸子是時， 歡喜踊躍， 乘是寶車， 遊於四方， 嬉戲快樂， 自在無礙。」
"At that time the master of the house was standing outside the gate, when he heard someone say: 'Your sons, having gone in before to play, have entered this house; young and without understanding, they are delighting themselves in play.' The elder, hearing this, rushed in alarm into the burning house, seeking by every means to save them, so that they would not be harmed by the fire. He warned his sons, telling them of the many dangers — the evil spirits and venomous creatures, the spreading disaster of the fire, sufferings following one after another without end. 'Venomous snakes, vipers, and adders, yakṣas, kumbhāṇḍa spirits, jackals, foxes and dogs, vultures, owls and horned owls, and every kind of centipede, starving, thirsting, and desperate — these are fearful beyond measure; and this place of danger and suffering is now, besides, engulfed in a great fire!' But his sons, in their ignorance, though they heard their father's warning, still clung to their play, and would not stop. At that time the elder had this thought: 'My sons, being as they are, only deepen my sorrow and distress. There is nothing at all to delight in, in this house now — yet my sons are so absorbed in their games that they will not accept my teaching, and will be harmed by the fire.' He then thought further, and devised a skillful means, telling his sons: 'I have all kinds of rare and marvelous playthings — fine, precious carts — goat-carts, deer-carts, and great ox-carts, now outside the gate. Come out, all of you, and I shall make these carts for you, whatever you desire, for you to play with.' When his sons heard him speak of such carts as these, they at once rushed forward in competition, running out as fast as they could, until they reached the open ground, free of every danger. The elder, seeing his sons come out of the burning house and settle at the crossroads, sat down upon a lion's seat, and said to himself with joy: 'Now I am happy! These sons of mine were so hard to raise, foolish and small and without understanding, and yet they went into that perilous house, full of venomous creatures and fearful goblins, its fierce flames rising on every side — and yet these sons of mine went on delighting in their play. I have now rescued them, and caused them to escape this danger. This is why, before you all, I am happy now.' At that time the sons, knowing their father was sitting there at peace, all went to where he was, and said to him: 'Please give us now the three kinds of jeweled carts, as you promised before: "When my sons come out, I shall give them three carts, whatever they desire." Now is exactly the time — please grant them to us.' The elder, being greatly wealthy, with many storehouses, made great carts out of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, giant clam-shell, and carnelian, out of every kind of treasure. He adorned and decorated them, encircled them with railings, hung bells on every side, and strung them with cords of gold. He spread nets of pearls over them, hung garlands of golden flowers here and there, and decorated them all around with every kind of colored ornament, spreading soft silk and cotton within for cushions. Fine, precious, delicate cloth, worth a thousand koṭis, pure white and clean, he laid over the top. He harnessed them with great white oxen, sleek and strong, of handsome form, drawing the jeweled carts, and gave them besides many attendants for their escort. With carts as fine as these, he gave to each of his sons alike. His sons, at that time, leapt with joy, and, riding these jeweled carts, roamed in every direction, playing and delighting themselves, free and unhindered."
One small but pointed difference from the prose telling is worth noticing. In the earlier chapter, the father's inner monologue about the three carts is followed almost immediately by the children racing out; here, the verse inserts a moment where the children, even after hearing the danger named directly and in vivid detail, "still clung to their play, and would not stop" (猶故樂著，嬉戲不已) — and only the mention of the carts moves them. The elder's grief at this ("my sons, being as they are, only deepen my sorrow") is new to the verse as well. Where the prose version moved quickly from danger to rescue, the verse lingers on the gap between a true warning, honestly delivered, and a promise of pleasure — and lets the danger alone fail before the skillful means succeeds.
3. The Meaning of the Parable, and the Dharma Seal
「告舍利弗： 『我亦如是， 眾聖中尊， 世間之父。 一切眾生， 皆是吾子， 深著世樂， 無有慧心。 三界無安， 猶如火宅， 眾苦充滿， 甚可怖畏。 常有生老、 病死憂患， 如是等火， 熾然不息。 如來已離， 三界火宅， 寂然閑居， 安處林野。 今此三界， 皆是我有， 其中眾生， 悉是吾子。 而今此處， 多諸患難， 唯我一人， 能為救護。 雖復教詔， 而不信受， 於諸欲染， 貪著深故。 以是方便， 為說三乘， 令諸眾生， 知三界苦， 開示演說， 出世間道。 是諸子等， 若心決定， 具足三明， 及六神通， 有得緣覺、 不退菩薩。 汝舍利弗！ 我為眾生， 以此譬喻， 說一佛乘。 汝等若能， 信受是語， 一切皆當， 得成佛道。 是乘微妙、 清淨第一， 於諸世間， 為無有上， 佛所悅可。 一切眾生， 所應稱讚、 供養禮拜。 無量億千， 諸力解脫、 禪定智慧， 及佛餘法， 得如是乘。 令諸子等， 日夜劫數， 常得遊戲， 與諸菩薩， 及聲聞眾， 乘此寶乘， 直至道場。 以是因緣， 十方諦求， 更無餘乘， 除佛方便。』 告舍利弗： 『汝諸人等， 皆是吾子， 我則是父。 汝等累劫， 眾苦所燒， 我皆濟拔， 令出三界。 我雖先說： 「汝等滅度。」 但盡生死， 而實不滅； 今所應作， 唯佛智慧。 若有菩薩， 於是眾中， 能一心聽， 諸佛實法。 諸佛世尊， 雖以方便； 所化眾生， 皆是菩薩。 若人小智， 深著愛欲， 為此等故， 說於苦諦。 眾生心喜， 得未曾有， 佛說苦諦， 真實無異。 若有眾生， 不知苦本， 深著苦因， 不能暫捨。 為是等故， 方便說道。 諸苦所因， 貪欲為本， 若滅貪欲， 無所依止， 滅盡諸苦， 名第三諦。 為滅諦故， 修行於道， 離諸苦縛， 名得解脫。 是人於何， 而得解脫？ 但離虛妄， 名為解脫； 其實未得， 一切解脫。 佛說是人， 未實滅度。 斯人未得， 無上道故， 我意不欲， 令至滅度。 我為法王， 於法自在， 安隱眾生， 故現於世。 汝舍利弗！ 我此法印， 為欲利益， 世間故說， 在所遊方， 勿妄宣傳。 若有聞者， 隨喜頂受， 當知是人， 阿鞞跋致。 若有信受， 此經法者， 是人已曾， 見過去佛， 恭敬供養， 亦聞是法。 若人有能， 信汝所說， 則為見我， 亦見於汝， 及比丘僧， 并諸菩薩。 斯法華經， 為深智說， 淺識聞之， 迷惑不解。 一切聲聞， 及辟支佛， 於此經中， 力所不及。 汝舍利弗！ 尚於此經， 以信得入； 況餘聲聞。 其餘聲聞， 信佛語故， 隨順此經， 非己智分。」
"He said to Śāriputra: 'I too am likewise so — honored among all the holy ones, the father of the world. All beings are my own children, deeply attached to the pleasures of this world, without any mind of wisdom. The three realms have no peace; they are just like a burning house, filled with every suffering, fearful beyond measure. There is always birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, and affliction — fires such as these, blazing without cease. The Tathāgata has already left the burning house of the three realms, dwelling in quiet solitude, at peace within the forest and the wild. Now these three realms are entirely my own; the beings within them are all my own children. And now, in this place, there are many dangers and hardships, and I alone am able to save and protect them. Though I have taught and instructed them, they do not believe and accept it, so deep is their greedy attachment to their own desires. For this reason, by skillful means, I teach the three vehicles, causing beings to know the suffering of the three realms, opening, showing, and expounding the path that leads out of the world. These sons, if their minds become resolved, will be complete with the three insights and the six spiritual powers; some will attain the state of a pratyekabuddha, or of a bodhisattva who never turns back. Śāriputra, you should know: for the sake of beings, by means of this parable, I teach the one buddha vehicle. If you are able to believe and accept these words, every one of you shall attain the buddha-path. This vehicle is subtle and wondrous, purest and foremost, unsurpassed among all the worlds, delighted in by the Buddha. All beings should praise it, make offerings to it, and bow before it. Immeasurable koṭis of powers, liberations, meditative concentrations, wisdom, and every other quality of a buddha — all of these one attains through this vehicle. It causes these sons, day and night, for kalpas without end, to constantly enjoy themselves, together with the bodhisattvas and the assembly of śrāvakas, riding this jeweled vehicle straight to the seat of enlightenment. For this reason, seek truly throughout the ten directions, and you will find no other vehicle, except the buddhas' own skillful means.' He said to Śāriputra: 'All of you are my own children, and I am your father. Through kalpa after kalpa you have been burned by every suffering, and I have rescued and drawn out every one of you, bringing you out of the three realms. Though I said before, "You have attained extinction" — this meant only the ending of birth and death, and was not the true extinction. What you should now attain is the Buddha's own wisdom alone. If there are bodhisattvas within this assembly, able to listen with one mind to the true Dharma of the buddhas — for even though the buddhas, the world-honored ones, make use of skillful means, the beings they transform are, every one, bodhisattvas. If a person of little wisdom is deeply attached to craving and desire, for the sake of such a one I teach the truth of suffering, and that person's mind rejoices, gaining what he never had before — the Buddha's teaching of the truth of suffering is true, and no different from what it says. If there are beings who do not know the root of suffering, and are deeply attached to the cause of suffering, unable to let it go even for a moment — for the sake of such as these I teach, by skillful means, the truth of the path. The cause of every suffering is rooted in craving; if craving is extinguished, there is nothing left to depend on, and the utter extinguishing of every suffering is called the third truth, the truth of cessation. For the sake of the truth of cessation, one practices the path, and, freed from every bond of suffering, this is called attaining liberation. But in what does this person attain liberation? Only in being freed from what is false is it called liberation; in truth, he has not yet attained liberation in every respect. The Buddha says that such a person has not yet truly attained extinction. Because this person has not yet attained the unsurpassed path, it is not my own intention that he should be said to have reached extinction. I am the king of the Dharma, sovereign over the Dharma, and I appear in the world in order to bring peace to beings. Śāriputra, you should know: this Dharma seal of mine, I teach for the benefit of the world; wherever you go and teach it, do not spread it carelessly. If there is one who hears it and, rejoicing, receives it reverently, know that such a person is avaivartika, never turning back. If there is one who believes and accepts the Dharma of this sūtra, this person has already, in the past, seen buddhas, honored and made offerings to them, and heard this same Dharma as well. If there is a person able to believe what you teach, he thereby sees me, and sees you as well, and the assembly of monks, and the bodhisattvas besides. This Lotus Sūtra is taught for those of deep wisdom; those of shallow understanding, hearing it, are confused and do not comprehend it. All the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are, within this sūtra, beyond the reach of their own power. Śāriputra, even you yourself have entered into this sūtra only through faith — how much more so the other śrāvakas. The other śrāvakas, because they trust the Buddha's words, follow and accord with this sūtra, though it is not a matter of their own wisdom.'"
Among the several matched similes commentators have found in this chapter, one recurring scheme names this passage's culminating move the "no-falsehood simile" (無虛妄譬) — the verse counterpart to the prose exchange in the previous part where Śāriputra himself judged that the father had not lied. Here the Buddha states the same conclusion in his own voice rather than asking Śāriputra to reason it through: "I am the king of the Dharma, sovereign over the Dharma" — a declaration of the authority by which his earlier promise of three vehicles can now be followed by the teaching of one, without that sequence being a broken word.
The line most worth not passing over quickly is the one addressed to arhats directly: "Though I said before, 'You have attained extinction' — this meant only the ending of birth and death, and was not the true extinction." This is not a new claim; it is the same distinction Śāriputra's own confession drew in Part 4, where he described believing he had reached "extinction" only to realize, on hearing this sūtra, that it was not the real one. What is added here is that the Buddha states it as a general rule rather than Śāriputra's private realization: the peace attained by ending craving is called liberation only in the sense of being freed from what is false — "in truth, he has not yet attained liberation in every respect." The Four Noble Truths, restated here with each truth's technical outcome named directly, are not being revised or corrected; they are being placed, explicitly, as a real but partial achievement inside a larger one still to come.
4. A Warning Against Teaching This Recklessly
「又舍利弗！ 憍慢懈怠、 計我見者， 莫說此經。 凡夫淺識， 深著五欲， 聞不能解， 亦勿為說。 若人不信， 毀謗此經， 則斷一切， 世間佛種。 或復顰蹙， 而懷疑惑， 汝當聽說， 此人罪報。 若佛在世， 若滅度後， 其有誹謗， 如斯經典， 見有讀誦、 書持經者， 輕賤憎嫉， 而懷結恨。 此人罪報， 汝今復聽。 其人命終， 入阿鼻獄， 具足一劫， 劫盡更生。 如是展轉， 至無數劫， 從地獄出， 當墮畜生。 若狗野干， 其形[乞*頁]瘦， 黧黮疥癩， 人所觸嬈。 又復為人， 之所惡賤， 常困飢渴， 骨肉枯竭， 生受楚毒， 死被瓦石。 斷佛種故， 受斯罪報。 若作馲駝， 或生驢中， 身常負重， 加諸杖捶， 但念水草， 餘無所知。 謗斯經故， 獲罪如是。 有作野干， 來入聚落， 身體疥癩， 又無一目。 為諸童子， 之所打擲， 受諸苦痛， 或時致死。 於此死已， 更受蟒身。 其形長大， 五百由旬， 聾騃無足， 宛轉腹行， 為諸小蟲， 之所唼食， 晝夜受苦， 無有休息。 謗斯經故， 獲罪如是。 若得為人， 諸根闇鈍， 矬陋攣躄， 盲聾背傴。 有所言說， 人不信受， 口氣常臭， 鬼魅所著。 貧窮下賤， 為人所使， 多病痟瘦， 無所依怙。 雖親附人， 人不在意， 若有所得， 尋復忘失。 若修醫道， 順方治病， 更增他疾， 或復致死。 若自有病， 無人救療， 設服良藥， 而復增劇。 若他反逆、 抄劫竊盜， 如是等罪， 橫羅其殃。 如斯罪人， 永不見佛， 眾聖之王， 說法教化。 如斯罪人， 常生難處， 狂聾心亂， 永不聞法。 於無數劫、 如恒河沙， 生輒聾瘂， 諸根不具。 常處地獄， 如遊園觀， 在餘惡道， 如己舍宅， 駝驢猪狗， 是其行處。 謗斯經故， 獲罪如是。 若得為人， 聾盲瘖瘂、 貧窮諸衰， 以自莊嚴。 水腫乾痟、 疥癩癰疽、 如是等病， 以為衣服。 身常臭處， 垢穢不淨， 深著我見， 增益瞋恚， 婬欲熾盛， 不擇禽獸。 謗斯經故， 獲罪如是。』」
"'And Śāriputra! To the arrogant and lazy, and to those who cling to a view of self, do not teach this sūtra. To ordinary people of shallow understanding, deeply attached to the five desires, who on hearing it would be unable to comprehend it, do not teach it either. If a person, out of disbelief, reviles and slanders this sūtra, he thereby cuts off the seed of buddhahood for the entire world. Or if someone frowns upon it and harbors doubt and confusion, you should listen now as I tell you the karmic consequence for such a person. Whether the Buddha is present in the world, or after his parinirvāṇa, whoever slanders a scripture such as this, or, seeing others read, recite, copy, and uphold it, regards them with contempt, envy, and hatred, and harbors resentment against them — listen now further to the karmic consequence for such a person. When his life ends, he shall enter the Avīci hell, and remain there for a full kalpa; when that kalpa ends, he shall be born again there. Turning in this way, on through countless kalpas, when he at last comes out of hell, he shall fall among the animals — becoming a dog or a jackal, his form gaunt and wasted, mangy and scarred, tormented by whoever touches him. He shall also be despised and held in contempt by people, constantly afflicted by hunger and thirst, his flesh and bones withered away, suffering torment in life and, in death, pelted with tiles and stones. Because he has cut off the seed of buddhahood, he receives this karmic consequence. Or he shall become a camel, or be born among donkeys, his body always laden with burdens, beaten with rods and whips, thinking of nothing but water and fodder, knowing nothing else. For slandering this sūtra, he shall incur guilt such as this. Some shall become jackals, coming into human villages, their bodies mangy and scarred, and without even a single eye, struck and pelted by children, suffering every torment, and at times brought to death by it. And after this death, they shall receive the body of a great serpent, its form immense, five hundred yojanas long, deaf, dull, and without legs, writhing along on its belly, devoured by every small creature, suffering day and night without any rest. For slandering this sūtra, he shall incur guilt such as this. If he then attains a human birth, his faculties will be dim and dull, his body stunted and deformed, crippled and lame, blind, deaf, and hunchbacked. Whatever he says, people will not believe or accept it; his breath will always stink, and he will be possessed by evil spirits. He will be destitute and lowly, made to serve others, sickly and emaciated, with nothing to depend on. Though he may draw close to others, they will pay him no heed; whatever he manages to gain, he will soon lose again. If he practices medicine, treating illness according to proper method, he will only worsen his patients' sickness, or even bring about their death. If he himself falls ill, no one will come to heal him; even if he takes good medicine, his illness will only grow worse. If others rebel or revolt, or plunder, pillage, or steal, calamities such as these will fall upon him without cause. Such a guilty person will never see the Buddha, king of every sage, teaching and transforming beings. Such a guilty person will constantly be born in places of difficulty, mad, deaf, and confused in mind, never hearing the Dharma. Through countless kalpas, as many as the sands of the Ganges, he will be born deaf and mute again and again, his faculties incomplete. He will dwell constantly in hell as though wandering in a garden, and in the other evil destinies as though in his own house — camels, donkeys, pigs, and dogs will be the forms in which he moves. For slandering this sūtra, he shall incur guilt such as this. If he then attains a human birth, he will be deaf, blind, mute, destitute, and worn with every kind of decline as his own adornment. Dropsy, consumption, scabies, sores, and abscesses, and every illness of this kind will be his own clothing. His body will always be foul, filthy, and unclean; deeply attached to the view of a self, he will only increase his own anger, his lust blazing without restraint, not distinguishing even from the beasts. For slandering this sūtra, he shall incur guilt such as this.'"
This passage is left here without heavy interpretive gloss, on the same principle this site has followed with other difficult passages: it says what it says, and no amount of softening changes that the text itself pairs the sūtra's highest praise with one of its most severe warnings. What can be said plainly is what the passage is and is not doing. It follows immediately after the declaration that "this Lotus Sūtra is taught for those of deep wisdom; those of shallow understanding, hearing it, are confused and do not comprehend it" — the warning is bound to a specific worry about premature or careless transmission, not a general threat aimed at doubt as such. The text is also careful, a few lines earlier, to distinguish outright slander from mere hesitation — "if someone frowns upon it and harbors doubt or confusion" is treated as a lesser matter than active contempt for those who study and uphold the text. Readers arriving at this passage from a modern context will likely find its imagery difficult, and the sūtra offers no argument for why karmic consequence should take this particular shape; it simply asserts it, in the same voice that a few lines later turns to naming, with equal specificity, who this same sūtra should be taught to.
5. Who May Be Taught This Sūtra
「告舍利弗： 『謗斯經者， 若說其罪， 窮劫不盡。 以是因緣， 我故語汝： 「無智人中， 莫說此經。」 若有利根， 智慧明了， 多聞強識， 求佛道者， 如是之人， 乃可為說。 若人曾見， 億百千佛， 殖諸善本， 深心堅固， 如是之人， 乃可為說。 若人精進， 常修慈心， 不惜身命， 乃可為說。 若人恭敬， 無有異心， 離諸凡愚， 獨處山澤， 如是之人， 乃可為說。 又舍利弗！ 若見有人， 捨惡知識， 親近善友， 如是之人， 乃可為說。 若見佛子， 持戒清潔， 如淨明珠， 求大乘經， 如是之人， 乃可為說。 若人無瞋， 質直柔軟， 常愍一切， 恭敬諸佛， 如是之人， 乃可為說。 復有佛子， 於大眾中， 以清淨心， 種種因緣、 譬喻言辭， 說法無礙， 如是之人， 乃可為說。 若有比丘， 為一切智， 四方求法， 合掌頂受， 但樂受持， 大乘經典， 乃至不受， 餘經一偈， 如是之人， 乃可為說。 如人至心， 求佛舍利， 如是求經， 得已頂受， 其人不復， 志求餘經， 亦未曾念， 外道典籍， 如是之人， 乃可為說。』 告舍利弗： 『我說是相， 求佛道者， 窮劫不盡。』 如是等人， 則能信解， 汝當為說， 妙法華經。」
"He said to Śāriputra: 'If I were to describe in full the guilt of one who slanders this sūtra, I could not exhaust it even in a whole kalpa. For this reason I tell you: do not teach this sūtra among those without wisdom. But if there is one of sharp faculties, clear in wisdom, of broad learning and strong memory, seeking the buddha-path — a person such as this may be taught it. If there is one who has already seen hundreds of thousands of koṭis of buddhas, and planted every kind of good root, his deep mind firm and unwavering — a person such as this may be taught it. If there is one who is diligent, constantly cultivating a mind of loving-kindness, not sparing even his own body or life — he may be taught it. If there is one who is reverent, without any divided mind, who has left behind the foolish and the ordinary, dwelling alone in the mountains and marshes — a person such as this may be taught it. And Śāriputra! If you see a person who has abandoned evil companions and drawn near instead to good friends — a person such as this may be taught it. If you see a child of the Buddha, pure in upholding the precepts, like a clear and shining jewel, seeking the sūtras of the Great Vehicle — a person such as this may be taught it. If there is one without anger, upright and gentle, always compassionate toward all, and reverent toward the buddhas — a person such as this may be taught it. There are children of the Buddha, too, who, in the midst of the great assembly, with a pure mind, through every kind of cause and condition, parable, and word, teach the Dharma without obstruction — a person such as this may be taught it. If there is a monk who, for the sake of the wisdom of all modes, seeks the Dharma in every direction, joining his palms and receiving it reverently, delighting only in upholding the scriptures of the Great Vehicle, and unwilling to accept so much as a single verse of any other scripture — a person such as this may be taught it. Like a person who, with utmost sincerity, seeks the Buddha's relics, so too does such a one seek this sūtra, and, having obtained it, receives it reverently, no longer setting his will on any other scripture, nor ever giving a thought to the writings of other paths — a person such as this may be taught it.' He said to Śāriputra: 'Were I to describe fully the marks of those who seek the buddha-path, I could not exhaust them even in a whole kalpa.' People such as these are able to believe and understand; for them you should teach this Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sūtra."
The chapter closes by turning the previous section's warning into its positive mirror, and the two lists are worth reading side by side. Nothing on this closing list requires prior sophistication in the way the sūtra's own hardest passages might suggest — sharp faculties and broad learning appear, but so does simply having "left behind evil companions and drawn near instead to good friends," or being "without anger, upright and gentle," or dwelling quietly and reverently apart from ordinary distraction. The qualifications named are more often about a person's orientation and sincerity than about doctrinal attainment already achieved. Read against the chapter's opening, where Śāriputra confessed years of private self-doubt before ever receiving this teaching, and against the assembly of twelve hundred still confused even after their own prediction of buddhahood, the sūtra's own criteria for readiness look less like a bar few could clear and more like a description of exactly the kind of listener this text has been addressed to from its very first page.