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.
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