Sifting the Mind's Soil - Kasi-Bharadvaja's Inquiry to the Buddha

Farming the Fields

Farming the fields of the mind in many ways aptly captures the intricacies of contemplative practice. Indeed, sages have long cultivated the fields of awareness, employing imagery from their former careers as farmers in order to best convey the ecological qualities of meditation, which entails tending the mind's fields with the utmost care and concern. Thus, through skillful use of symbolism, contemplative poetry often evokes the experience of farming the fields of the mind.

The Kasibhāradvāja Sutta from the Sutta Nipāta of the Pāli Canon depicts a particularly vivid instance of cross-fertilization between horticulture, ecology, and permaculture on one hand and contemplative practice on the other.

Here, we examine in detail the Buddha's verses to Kasi Bhāradvāja, illustrating the connection between mental and environmental cultivation in what unfolds as a succinct poem richly permeated with ecological analogies on farming the fields of the mind.

Plow and Sow

The Kasibhāradvāja Sutta recounts the Buddha's encounter with a farmer by the name of Bhāradvāja, a prolific plowman (kasi) who tends a vast plot of land, laboring over the field, reaping a bountiful harvest that he then distributes.

Upon seeing the Buddha begging for alms, however, Bhāradvāja seems taken aback. Not knowing whether this seeming newcomer is worthy of offerings, he states, "I, contemplative, plow & sow. Having plowed & sown, I eat. You, too, contemplative, should plow & sow. Having plowed & sown, you (will) eat." One who has not worked, who has not pulled one's own weight, should not partake of the fruit belonging to others, or so he implies.



The Buddha replies that he indeed plows and sows, not unlike his fellow plowman Bhāradvāja. Confused, Bhāradvāja asks where the Buddha keeps his yoke and plow. In response to the plowman's suspicion, the Buddha describes his version of "plowing" in verse.

Conviction is my seed,
austerity   my rain,
        discernment my yoke & plow,
conscience   my pole,
mind      my yoke-tie,
     mindfulness my plowshare & goad.
Guarded in body,
guarded in speech,
restrained in terms of belly & food,
     I make truth a weeding-hook,
     and composure my unyoking.
Persistence, my beast of burden,
bearing me toward rest from the yoke,
takes me, without turning back,
     to where, having gone,
     one doesn't grieve.
That's how my plowing is plowed.
     It has
     as its fruit
     the deathless.
Having plowed this plowing
     one is unyoked
from all suffering
     & stress.

We find here an elaborate analogy for contemplative practice expressed in horticultural terms. Cultivation is, after all, a word of varied meanings, ranging from mental to environmental, introspective to ecological. This is exactly the sort of contrast that the Buddha aims to collapse through these verses.



In other words, the inner work one undertakes via contemplative practice is no less valuable, no less arduous, no less intensive than that which is performed in the field. While the fruits of one's labor differ significantly, one psychological and the other physical forms of nutriment, they are inextricably intertwined.

To plow and sow thus takes on an additional range of simultaneously existential and ecological meanings in the context of the contemplative path. To illuminate these intertwined aspects of cultivation, we offer a break-down of the symbolism invoked by the Buddha in these verses.

Sifting the Soil

At the outset of the verses, conviction is likened to a seed, the initial and arguably most essential component of one's cultivation. In the field of awareness, the seed of conviction (Pāli: saddhā), variously understood in terms of faith, trust, confidence, is the basis for the rest of the crop, as in its absence, nothing will become of the field. Conviction is thus the seed from which all else grows.

Austerity, likewise, plays a central role in a similar manner as rain. Interestingly, this austerity is from the Pāli word tapa, related to the Sanskrit term tapas, referring to intensive practices and spiritual exercises, conveyed by the term askēsis in Greek, which carry the connotation of heat. Rather than fire, however, this austerity is likened to rain, providing the nourishment required by seeds in order to germinate.



Discernment is then likened to a yoke and plow, providing the means to till the field. Such discernment (Pāli: paññā) is wise and penetrating, capable of sifting the soil in preparation for planting. Once the ground of awareness has been turned over with discernment, ensuring no weeds or rocks are present to obstruct growth, then the crop may take root in a healthy field.

Meanwhile, conscience (hirī) is depicted as a pole, mind (mano) as yoke-tie, and mindfulness (sati) as plowshare and goad, each serving as tools presumably directing the "two oxen" referenced in other contexts, namely samatha and vipassanā, while these complementary sides of meditation further prepare the field.

Unyoking

The next verses tell us that one who is well-guarded in body and speech, one who is restrained in eating, makes truth (sacca) a weeding-hook and composure (soracca) their unyoking. Through keeping a watchful eye over one's impulses and regulating their otherwise thoughtless enaction, one cultivates truth and composure, a keen sense of what is real and a gentle sense of tact on the contemplative path.

At this stage, persistence is compared to a beast of burden, enabling forward progress "toward rest from the yoke...to where, having gone, one doesn't grieve," according to the verses. Such persistence is from the term vīriya, energetic application, etymologically related to vigor. This vigor is what drives one toward the harvest one intends, complete and utter liberation from all bondage.

Ultimately, the fruit of this harvest is "the deathless," from the term amata, which also conveys the meaning "ambrosia" in some contexts. Such a state is free of all suffering, the supreme source of safety and security, liberated from the cycle of further becoming. As the verses aptly conclude, "Having plowed this plowing, one is unyoked from all suffering & stress," completely unbound, free.

Planting the Seeds

As can be discerned from these contemplative verses, the parallels between mental ecology, the whole-systems permaculture of the mind, and environmental ecology run deep. We hope these reflections contribute to planting the seeds for regenerative practices, both mental and environmental, seamlessly amalgamating the two.

To be continued.



Source:

Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Trans.), Kasi Bharadvaja Sutta: To the Plowing Bharadvaja, Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 2013.

Gunditjmara Ecology in Ancient Australia - The Budj Bim Volcano and Aquaculture Complex

Ancient Australia

At the dawn of time, it was the Ancestral Beings – part human, part beast – who brought what was previously barren land to life. At the end of the Dreaming journeys, the Ancestral Being left aspects of themselves behind, transformed into part of the landscape.

Passed down among the Gunditjmara people, supposedly tracing itself to ancient Australia roughly 37,000 years ago, this story is believed by some to describe the origins of the Budj Bim volcano, whose structure is likened to a giant being's head emerging from the earth, replete with cinder cone teeth.

In the wake of the Australian fires emerge the remains of an ancient system of aquaculture carefully crafted by the Gunditjmara, otherwise known as the Dhauwurd Wurrung, who fashioned their economy and spirituality in close connection with Budj Bim.

Such news has recently made headlines, with suggestions that the origin story for the Budj Bim volcano may be the oldest on earth. While this cannot be definitively proven given the difficulty of tracing the story historically, there may be a lesson embedded in it nonetheless. Here, we examine the ecology of ancient Australia through the lens of this account attributed to the Gunditjmara people.

Budj Bim Volcano

The Budj Bim volcano is among Australia's natural wonders, situated in the southwestern part of present-day Victoria. It is otherwise known by the colonial name Mount Eccle, which was subsequently replaced in some contexts with its original name Budj Bim, meaning "high head." Based on the geological record, Budj Bim likely formed approximately 37,000 years ago as lava poured out of the earth's crust, dynamically shaping the land like a being leaving traces of itself behind, thereby transforming into part of the landscape.

While it is unclear whether humans were present to witness its formation, stories about Budj Bim as well as the origins of other volcanic structures and natural landmarks pervade the eco-mythology of indigenous cultures. Budj Bim currently forms a central part of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, the only Australian world heritage location that has been deemed a world heritage site for its aboriginal cultural value exclusively.



Ecologically, the Budj Bim volcano is now covered in vegetation, mostly Manna Gum woodland that characterizes much of the overlapping Tungatt Mirring, or Stone Country, which is marked by rugged stony outcrops, thus preserving prominent lava-flow landscapes. The region's morphology documents Budj Bim's central role in Gunditjmara culture and ecology.

Budj Bim's last eruption was some 8,000 years ago, making it presently inactive. Most significantly, with a documented history of eel farming that dates back over 6,000 years, the region's terrain preserves traces of the earliest aquaculture system presently known to exist on earth.

Aquaculture Complex

The aquaculture complex of Budj Bim consists of a sophisticated network of channels intentionally engineered to divert water inland, much like its origin story which tells of ancient beings bringing previously barren land to life. Utilizing the natural geology of lava flow supplemented by an advanced understanding of hydraulics, these channels were engineered to carry eels and other creatures from the ocean into wetlands where they could be easily captured, such as present-day Lake Condah and others known to the Gunditjmara as Kerup, Tae Rak, and Koon Doom.



As a result of having developed this aquaculture complex, the Gunditjmara were able to form settlements, making further micro-climactic adjustments by utilizing the naturally occurring vegetation as well as the available stone materials for tools and architecture. In both a symbolic and literal sense, the Gunditjmara brought previously barren land to life through their aquacultural expertise.

Gunditjmara Ecology

The Budj Bim aquaculture complex represents an integrated system of landscape planning, reflecting mastery of hydraulics and water ecology, embodying the origin story that describes ancient beings emerging from the earth and bringing previously barren land to life. Gunditjmara land custodianship enabled a period of ecological flourishing until the beginning of colonial pastoralism and intensive settlement in the mid nineteeth century, contributing to significant cultural and ecological disturbances.

Newly exposed channels have come to the attention of geologists, archaeologists, and ecologists after much of the land was razed by the recent fires in Australia, uncovering the sophistication of Gunditjmara ecology. Budj Bim's origin story itself suggests an intimate relationship between beings and the earth, which is itself alive.



In light of the severity of ecological challenges we currently face as a global community, perhaps this ancient system of balanced aquaculture among the Gunditjmara can inspire present conservation and regeneration efforts in the realms of whole-systems permaculture and sustainability at large.

As the story describes, "At the end of the Dreaming journeys, the Ancestral Being left aspects of themselves behind, transformed into part of the landscape." In many ways, this dreaming journey and transformation are ongoing. To re-route the course of events, perhaps we must become lucid in the dream and return ourselves to the landscape. To be continued.

Source:

Gunditjmara and G. Wettenhall. The People of Budj Bim: Engineers of Aquaculture, Builders of Stone House Settlements and Warriors Defending Country. Ballarat: Em Press Publishing, 2010.

Plowing the Mind's Field - Milarepa's Reflections on Contemplative Horticulture

Milarepa's Reflections

One of Tibet's most honored poet-sages, Milarepa is known for his long periods of meditation in mountain caves, spurring a depth of realization with regard to the human mind. His life spanned the eleventh and early twelfth centuries, at the peak of Buddhism's re-introduction to Tibet, a period known in some circles as the Tibetan Renaissance.

The stories that surround Milarepa's contemplative career are preserved in The Life of Milarepa, a biography written by Tsangnyön Heruka in the fifteenth century of the common era, as well as The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa by the same author.


Criminal turned convert, Milarepa underwent a significant shift in perspective during his life. Although born into a wealthy household, his family lost their means to other relatives, leaving them in a state of desperation. Milarepa was called to pursue sorcery and violence as a means to restore his family's wealth, leading to a murderous saga.

Although exceedingly cruel in conduct at one point, Milarepa later expressed remorse for his actions and became a student of the Buddhist translator Marpa. Under Marpa's guidance, Milarepa underwent arduous training in meditation and other austerities, experiencing a complete change of heart.

Interestingly, much of Milarepa's reflections in his later life, after reforming his conduct and perceiving the intricate inner mechanics of the mind, draw on ecological themes and imagery in order to convey the details of mental cultivation. While the body of work left behind by Milarepa is quite vast, we here examine one of his many poems, a particularly striking set of inspired verses he spontaneous sang in response to a dream.

Plowing the Mind's Field

Milarepa's contemplative poetry depicts his insights during a particularly challenging period of his life. At this stage, he has already retreated into the mountains, but runs out of provisions and cannot find a generous donor who is willing to support him. His home is still in utter shambles and his family questions why he no longer farms the fields in order to make ends meet. Both his aunt and uncle treat him with hostility, deeming him a disgrace to the family. They set dogs after him to chase him away and bombard him with stones and arrows. Eventually, his aunt agrees to provide for him so he may continue to meditate.

Although hoping for some stillness and clarity, ideally even a blissful reprieve through meditation, Milarepa's efforts prove fruitless. Too much remains unsettled in his mind.



At this point, Milarepa appears to enter a state of delirium, in which he dreams of plowing a field whose ground is too firm to dig. Despite his best efforts, he cannot till the soil. As Milarepa is about to give up, suddenly, the renowned meditation master Marpa appears to encourage Milarepa and rouse his will. Under Marpa's guidance, Milarepa successfully plows the field and procures an abundant harvest. Upon waking from the dream, he finds inspiration to persevere in his meditation and exclaims several verses in song.

I beg you. Compassionate Master,
Bless the mendicant that in solitude he may live.
I cultivate the field of fundamentally non-discriminatory mind
With the manure and water of faith,
And sow the seed of a pure heart.
The powerful thunder of my invocations reverberates,
And the rain of your blessings falls effortlessly.

In these verses, Milarepa likens contemplative practice to farming or horticulture. One's field, the terrain inside which all of one's cultivation transpires, is the mind itself. Most saliently, this mind is fundamentally without discrimination, its soil rich in health. Drawing upon this imagery, Milarepa's meditation entails plowing the mind's field.



Faith, comments Milarepa, serves as fertilizer, the field's source of moisture and nutrition, ensuring the flourishing of one's contemplative practice. In this field, in this fundamentally non-discriminatory awareness, one sows the seeds of a pure heart. Only under such supporting conditions can seeds of compassion sprout.

Upon this field rains the blessings of the Buddhas, summoned by the thunder of one's invocations. If understood in metaphorical terms, then these invocations need not be to any external beings, but may instead represent inward affirmations and aspirations. Contemplative practice relies immensely on the power of mind to redirect one's default mode away from excessive outward preoccupation and external influence and back to a conscientious, inwardly reflecting, yet all the while intersubjectively attuned mode of being. Through one's affirmations and aspirations, one plants the seeds of wholesome intention, shifting the quality of the entire framework, the entire field, in which one operates.

Two Oxen

Reflecting further upon his method of cultivation, Milarepa recites these additional verses upon emerging from his dream-state, perhaps a trance through which he was able to achieve a break-through, restoring his confidence and obliterating all doubt from his mind.

Upon the oxen of a mind free from doubt
I put the yoke and plow of skillful means and wisdom.
Steadfastly I hold the reins without distraction.
Cracking the whip of effort, I break up the clods of the five poisons.
I cast away the stones of a defiled heart,
And weed out all hypocrisy.

In this case, skillful means and wisdom are the methods by which Milarepa is able to guide the "oxen" over the by-now softened terrain of the field, his mind imbued with confidence and free of doubt.

While the exact nature and identity of these oxen is not specified, they appear in other Buddhist contexts as the meditative practices of śamatha and vipaśyanā, calming and contemplation, or tranquility and insight, stabilizing the mind and cultivating clarity, respectively.



These two oxen are often depicted as yoked together by a harness, cooperating seamlessly in the process of plowing the field, with neither going astray. Tranquility and insight are mutually supportive in cultivating the field of awareness. Skillful means and wisdom, the ability to adapt to the constantly shifting terrain while at the same time discerning the proper means of doing so that will ultimately accord with the mind's originally undefiled nature, are the tools that assist in this process, enabling forward progress on the contemplative path.

The whip of effort is invoked by Milarepa to ensure that the mind, otherwise prone to distraction, stays on track. One must remain disciplined through even the most challenging of conditions. Through dedicated practice, whatever obstacles appear to obstruct one's progress are pulverized, like clods of dirt disintegrating into soft soil or rocks tossed out of the way so the path may be cleared. Any hypocrisy is weeded out so that the foundation of the mind-ground remains pristine. One must keep a watchful eye on the field in order to weed out unwelcome qualities of mind and ensure the flourishing of the seeds one plants intentionally.

Fruits of Harvest

As his cultivation of the mind's field progresses, Milarepa finds himself ready for the harvest. His next verses convey this stage of farming, reaping the fruits of his efforts.

I cut the stalks and reap the fruit of action
Leading to liberation.
I fill the granary with the fruit of excellent instructions,
Without the support of mental concepts.
This excellent grain, roasted and ground by the dakinis,
Is the hermit's food for inner growth.
This is the meaning of my dream.

Here, Milarepa's cutting of stalks and reaping the fruit of action is an allusion to karmic processes. Karma (कर्म), a Sanskrit term meaning "action," is of a particularly volitional sort in Buddhist contexts. Volitional activity directly alters how one experiences the vicissitudes of life.

In other words, volitional activity (anything that one intends through body, speech, or mind) plants a seed in the field of experience which, under proper conditions, ripens into fruit. The quality of that fruit depends on myriad factors, ranging from the quality of the seed (the initial action) to the conditions of the field (mind) in which it is planted to the nutrients (such as faith or confidence) supporting its growth. In Milarepa's case, this fruit is liberation from the suffering and stress he had previously encountered among his family and in his previous career in the realm of magic and murder. He succeeds in completely transforming the field, his own mind.



Milarepa accumulates his harvest with no need for conceptual plotting. The fruit of liberation arises on the basis of the appropriate balance and combination of causes and conditions while cultivating the field, not through meticulous calculation, but through the unfolding of natural processes in accord with his reformed conduct in the transformed field of his mind and meditation.

In handling the fruits of his labor, Milarepa alludes to the assistance of the dakinis, goddesses of high spiritual status in the Indo-Tibetan cosmology. With their help, he is able to accumulate instructions for cultivating the field. Such cultivation procures liberation, enabling all to experience an abundant harvest, feeding off of the fruits of their efforts.

Practice Diligently

Upon reflecting thus, Milarepa utters a final set of verses, emphasizing the experiential over the intellectual, planting the final seeds of inspiration for potential future aspirants of enlightenment who may have struggled like himself.

Realization does not arise out of words.
Understanding does not come from mere suggestions.
I urge all those who work for Enlightenment
To meditate with perseverance and effort.
Endurance and effort overcome the greatest of difficulties.
May there be no obstacles for those who seek Enlightenment.'

Here, Milarepa acknowledges that even the verses he speaks cannot produce realization while the advice he offers cannot produce understanding. He nonetheless conveys his insights through words and suggestions, as they may still set the process in motion for others, perhaps as a spark of inspiration. Much like the Buddha's final words upon his deathbed, Milarepa likewise encourages all who aspire to awakening to practice diligently.

Contemplative Horticulture

With salient analogies embedded throughout, the contemplative poetry of Milarepa provides us with a foundation for additional inquiry into the ecological processes underlying cultivation, both of the mind-ground and the earth on which we live with myriads of other forms of life. Contemplative horticulture may take on both metaphorical and ecologically viable meanings in the face of mental and environmental stressors from both within and without.

Indeed, the quality of the mind, the internal field of practice upon whose ground we stand psychologically, features prominently in a mutual feedback loop with the external world. Mental and environmental interact in every instant. We must sow both fields with wisdom and compassion.

Such reflections by Milarepa on contemplative horticulture help shed light on the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. When the mind seems too hardened, when the intensity of the climate crisis or other conditions show themselves to be seemingly impenetrable, we may use the tools available to us to come up with innovative new methods, breaking through sedimented ways while finding alternative horticultural strategies for regenerating what has otherwise degenerated. Through continued efforts, we may eventually restore the field, the mind itself, to its originally uncorrupted state.



Source:

The Life of Milarepa. Translated by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1984.

Ecological Dynamics in Medicine - Hippocrates on Air, Water, and Places

Whoever Wishes to Investigate Medicine Properly

Whoever wishes to investigate medicine properly, should proceed thus: in the first place to consider the seasons of the year, and what effects each of them produces for they are not at all alike, but differ much from themselves in regard to their changes.

Then the winds, the hot and the cold, especially such as are common to all countries, and then such as are peculiar to each locality.

We must also consider the qualities of the waters, for as they differ from one another in taste and weight, so also do they differ much in their qualities.

In the same manner, when one comes into a city to which he is a stranger, he ought to consider its situation, how it lies as to the winds and the rising of the sun; for its influence is not the same whether it lies to the north or the south, to the rising or to the setting sun.

These things one ought to consider most attentively, and concerning the waters which the inhabitants use, whether they be marshy and soft, or hard, and running from elevated and rocky situations, and then if saltish and unfit for cooking; and the ground, whether it be naked and deficient in water, or wooded and well watered, and whether it lies in a hollow, confined situation, or is elevated and cold; and the mode in which the inhabitants live, and what are their pursuits, whether they are fond of drinking and eating to excess, and given to indolence, or are fond of exercise and labor, and not given to excess in eating and drinking.

On Air, Water, and Places

This is no modern medical text. Thus begins an ancient treatise originating some 2400 years ago, in approximately 400 B.C.E. Such insights belong to Hippocrates. Surprisingly applicable to the modern era, these remarks on the relevance of the natural world to health and wellness, both bodily and mental, may remind us of a connection that seems to otherwise have been forgotten in recent years.

A Greek physician-philosopher living in 460-377 B.C.E., Hippocrates was in many respects ahead of his time. Credited with the discovery that diseases arise due to natural as opposed to supernatural causes, he is known as the father of modern medicine. Hippocrates is also author of the first ecological text, a treatise by the name On Air, Water, and Places from which the above quote is excerpted.

How might this ancient wisdom expand our contemporary consciousness around contemplative ecology and medicinal approaches to a sustainable future? Looking to the past in this case provides an indispensable key.

Ecological Dynamics

Throughout On Air, Water, and Places, Hippocrates points directly to the intertwined ecological dynamics between the so-called outer and inner worlds. One who wishes to practice medicine wisely must consider the seasons, winds, waters, and earth, the ecological context in which one practices medicine, as these factors their intricacies inevitably seep into the bodily and mental constitutions of beings.

We are inextricably embedded in contexts, in an ecology whose quality directly impacts our health. Likewise, our activity directly impacts the quality of that ecology, creating a symbiotic cycle of influence.

In his treatise, Hippocrates elaborates on the relevance of these ecological dynamics to medicine, advising the traveling physician to pay close attention to the natural world.

From these things he must proceed to investigate everything else.

For if one knows all these things well, or at least the greater part of them, he cannot miss knowing, when he comes into a strange city, either the diseases peculiar to the place, or the particular nature of common diseases, so that he will not be in doubt as to the treatment of the diseases, or commit mistakes, as is likely to be the case provided one had not previously considered these matters.

And in particular, as the season and the year advances, he can tell what epidemic diseases will attack the city, either in summer or in winter, and what each individual will be in danger of experiencing from the change of regimen.

For knowing the changes of the seasons, the risings and settings of the stars, how each of them takes place, he will be able to know beforehand what sort of a year is going to ensue.

Having made these investigations, and knowing beforehand the seasons, such a one must be acquainted with each particular, and must succeed in the preservation of health, and be by no means unsuccessful in the practice of his art.

And if it shall be thought that these things belong rather to meteorlogy, it will be admitted, on second thoughts, that astronomy contributes not a little, but a very great deal, indeed, to medicine.

For with the seasons the digestive organs of men undergo a change.

While some may dismiss such methods as outdated folk medicine based on divination of the stars, Hippocrates appears to be pointing to proven relationships between environmental conditions, disease, and health. Ecology plays a central role in deciding the difference between illness and wellness. With the changing of seasons, for instance, the body must adapt and has evolved to do so quite well through homeostatic regulation. When human activity disrupts the health of the climate, however, then climate change in turn disrupts the health of life on earth.

This exact sort of pattern can be witnessed all around us. With record high emissions, temperatures (as well as stress) rising beyond levels most lifeforms can withstand, and worldwide ecosystem collapse extending from the Amazon to Antarctica, it may be time to recall the advice of Hippocrates and other ancients who realized the ecological dynamics of our existence long before it seems to have clicked for many of us.

In the present day, these ecological dynamics are especially volatile. In order to investigate medicine properly, not merely in formal practice as a physician, but in the ways to which all in the modern world may contribute through global health initiatives at all scales, we must comprehend the intuitively evident connection between nature and health.

Medicine in the Modern Era

While we provide here a mere two sections from the beginning of On Air, Water, and Places, the author's insights nonetheless already shine through, perhaps illuminating ways in which we may reorient our approach to medicine in the modern era.

In order for any amount of wellness to be sustained in the midst of a global onslaught of illness, manifesting in as diverse ways as there are minds and bodies to experience it, the ecological must take priority.

After all, for Hippocrates, the world ecology derives from the Greek oikos/οἶκος, meaning home. This earth, its air, water, and lands, are just as ecological as our own minds and bodies. All must be in harmony to truly be called home.



Source:

Adams, Francis. "On Airs, Waters, and Places." The Genuine Works of Hippocrates Translated from the Greek. London: Wyman, 1849.

The Lotus Sutra - Dousing the Flames of a Burning House

Our House Is On Fire

Alarms brazenly blare amidst the blaze. Plumes of smoke billow upward, blanketing the surroundings in a soot-ridden haze. Toxic fumes sear into the cellular fabric of all, animals and plants alike. Our house is on fire.

Under such dire circumstances, one in their right mind would make every effort to put out the flames or at least escape them. Unfortunately, despite the warnings, regardless of how loudly the alarms blare, it seems that not many have heeded the signs of climate crisis. The intensity of the situation has only grown, leaving many feeling hopeless and disempowered. Meanwhile, the masses seem to prefer to turn away from this reality, distracting themselves with shiny objects that offer the illusion of comfort.

Despite the planet going up in flames, both environmentally and in various other spheres, humanity seems largely unmotivated to act. Our house is on fire, much like a striking scene depicted in the Lotus Sūtra, among the most popular of Buddhist texts. We draw on this scene, known as the "Parable of the Burning House," as an analogy for the present state of affairs. Perhaps some insight may be gleaned from this case study for the sake of expedient responses to the various fires, both literal and metaphorical, spreading across the globe.

The Lotus Sutra

A Buddhist scripture with many layers, in various ways documenting the transition between multiple systems of thought, the Lotus Sūtra often draws on parables and analogies to convey its teachings. Its first few chapters set the stage for a dramatic unfolding of events, both human-worldly and cosmological in scope. The tables are turned when the Buddha announces a completely new teaching, previously withheld on account of the inability of beings to understand. It is revealed that there is but a "single vehicle" (ekayāna, 一乘) to liberation and that all beings are of the nature to awaken. This single vehicle is the means by which they will all become Buddhas, whether they like it or not.



Upon laying the foundations through reference to setting, cast and characters, and a general sense of plot-line, namely to unite beings on the single vehicle bound for ultimate liberation, a revelation which deeply confuses some but infinitely inspires others, Chapter 3 of the Lotus Sūtra introduces the first of the text's major parables. As if from a helicopter above, we are dropped into a disaster zone. Here, we enter the Burning House.

The Burning House

The Parable of the Burning House begins with the Buddha describing to his disciple Śāriputra, foremost in wisdom, a story of an old, wealthy man who lived in a mansion with several hundreds of residents. Perhaps due to wear and tear from so many inhabitants running wild through its halls, the structure begins to rot and crumble. The present state of the earth is much like this decrepit building, overpopulated and treated carelessly, tread upon without concern for sustainability. In his description of events, the Buddha exclaims:

Suddenly and unexpectedly, fires break out everywhere, setting the house swiftly aflame. The children of this man, ten, twenty, or thirty in number are in the house. The affluent man, seeing the fire breaking out everywhere, becomes alarmed and terrified. He thinks:

"I am capable of escaping through the burning entrance in safety, but my children are absorbed in play within the burning house and are not aware [of the fire], do not know, are not alarmed or terrified, and the fire is approaching them! They are not troubled about their suffering nor do they intend to leave the house."

The great majority of humankind seem like these children, too absorbed in fun and games to notice or care about the flames that threaten to engulf them. We are like children whose attention is consumed by play-things, ignoring the severity of the situation around us. The father is the only one to notice, reflecting further:

There is only one entrance to this house and it is very narrow. The children, who are immature and still unaware, are attached to their place of play. They may fall into danger and be burned by the fire. I should now tell them of the danger; this house is already burning! They must escape as quickly as they can to avoid being burned by the fire!

Alas, despite beckoning his children to leave the house before the flames consume them, they pay no attention to his pleas. Likewise with our present circumstances. Despite repeated warnings, most have not responded sufficiently to the severity of the ecological crisis for reasons ranging from perceived inability to make a difference given the scope of the situation to sheer ignorance.



Perhaps some children in the burning house are wiser than others, but all are nonetheless small and relatively helpless. Indeed, the Buddha sums up the situation thus:

Although their father in his concern has given them the proper advice, the children are immersed in their play and do not accept it; they are neither alarmed nor afraid and have no intention of leaving [the burning house]. Moreover, they do not even know what a fire is, the condition of the house, or what they may lose. They merely run about, back and forth, looking at their father.

Under such circumstances, what can be done?

Skillful Means

A central theme of the Lotus Sūtra that features explicitly in the Parable of the Burning House is "skillful means," from the Sanskrit upāya, rendered 方便 in Chinese. Such "skillful means" are a pedagogical tool, a teaching device, intended to package and deliver a lesson in a context-appropriate manner.

The effective application of skillful means requires contemplative discernment. How can the teachings be adapted to the context? Given the audience, what does the situation call for? How can one get the message across to beings under these particular circumstances? The Buddha explains:

Since the father already knew that his children were attached to various rare toys and unusual things that each of them liked, he said to them:

"The toys you are fond of are rare and hard to obtain. If you do not take them you will certainly regret it later. Right now, outside the house, there are three kinds of carts. One is yoked to a sheep, one to a deer, and one to an ox. Go play with them. Children! Run out of this burning house immediately and I will give you whatever you want!"

The children, hearing what their father had said about the rare toys, became excited and, in their eagerness to get to them they pushed each other out of the way in a mad rush out of the burning house. Then the affluent man saw that his children had got out safely and were sitting unharmed in an open area at a crossroad. He was relieved, happy, and joyful.

By appealing to their preference for play, the father successfully lures the children safely out of the burning house. His motive is pure — spare their lives and health. The "means" entail giving in to their desires in some capacity. Except once they're out, the father is asked to deliver on his promise.

In place of the exact toys he promised previously, however, the father gives each of his children an even greater prize in return for their cooperation. The toy carts, sheep, deer, and ox, whose images he planted in their minds did not exist in actuality. Instead, each of the carts he bestows upon the children are all the same, larger than imagined, far more impressive. They symbolize the "single vehicle" that brings all beings to ultimate freedom and relief from suffering. We set the intricacies of this vehicle and the social complexities of its implications aside for the time being and instead begin to unpack the possibilities this parable might open up for addressing our present climate crisis.

Dousing the Flames

With the health and lives of billions at risk, the climate crisis and related pandemics of political, economic, and social magnitude demand an urgent response. In our present case, we may even be able to salvage the burning house, though not without first dousing the flames.

Perhaps one solution to the present situation is to appeal to what the masses want. What does the majority of humanity feed off of? If we are to get everyone on board the "single vehicle" that promises to bring freedom to all, some "skillful means" might be necessary to lure the masses on board.

But isn't the promise of toys deceptive? It seems the father had to lie to his children to get them out of the burning house. The Lotus Sūtra, however, maintains that no deception took place, perhaps because the intent was always to lead them to a higher truth than their otherwise myopic version of reality, following a narrow orbit around fun and games while the house was going up in flames. Through what means might we succeed in dousing the flames of our present reality? What skillful means might save us from the burning house? And how can the house itself, the very earth we call home, be rescued and restored? To be continued.