Section on Parables – Theme Five: The Reality of Life

Parable 1: The Body is the Root of Suffering, the Right Path is Like a Raft
 
We often cherish our physical body, fearing it will suffer from hunger and cold, illness and aging, unaware that it is the source of afflictions and suffering. In the Saṃyukta Āgama (Sutta No. 1172) and the Ekottara Āgama, the Supreme Chapter 6, the Buddha, through vivid parables, led his disciples to realize the truth that this body is constantly oppressed by the four elements, the five aggregates, and the six sense bases (contacts), and the method to transcend this predicament and reach the other shore of cool bliss.
 
Four Poisonous Snakes, Five Enemies, Six Thieves
 
Once, the Buddha was staying in the Ghositarama Garden in the kingdom of Kosambi when he told the monks the following parable: "There were four fierce poisonous snakes placed in a box. Someone said to a wise man, 'You must take this box and put the snakes in it. You must bathe and clean them regularly, feed them as you would your own parents, and take them out regularly. If these four snakes become angry, even if they don't kill you, they will severely torment you. You must be careful!' The man, terrified, fled immediately.
 
Someone then said to the man, 'Now there are five enemies, drawing their swords to pursue you and seek revenge. You must be careful!' The man, wanting to escape the four snakes and fearing the five enemies chasing him with swords, ran even faster.
The others then said, 'There are also six thieves following and watching you, waiting for an opportunity to kill you. You must be careful!’ At that time, the man, terrified of four poisonous snakes, five enemies, and six thieves, fled in panic into an abandoned village. He saw that the empty houses were dilapidated and decaying; nothing was sturdy.
 
Someone told him, ‘There is a band of robbers in this abandoned village; if you encounter them, they will surely kill you.’ The man fled again in fear. Suddenly, a large river blocked his path. The river was deep and swift, and many terrifying things lurked along its banks. He saw that the opposite bank was peaceful, pleasant, and cool, but there was no bridge or boat to cross. He thought, ‘I will gather various plants and trees to make a raft, and use my hands and feet as oars to cross to the opposite side.’ After doing so, the man successfully escaped the four poisonous snakes, five enemies, and six thieves, escaped the robbers from the abandoned village, and crossed the swift river. Far from the threats on this bank, he safely reached the peaceful other shore."
 
Breaking the Wrong View of "The Body is Me"
 
The Buddha said to the monks, "You must understand the meaning of these parables. The box is a metaphor for the body, composed of the four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. This body, created by the four elements and combined with the father's sperm and mother's blood, needs to be nourished with food, bathed, and clothed, but the body is impermanent and fragile. The four poisonous snakes are metaphors for the four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. If the earth element is not in harmony, it can cause death or cause us unbearable pain.
 
The five enemies chasing with drawn swords are metaphors for the five aggregates: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. The six thieves are metaphors for cravings and pleasures of the six senses. The empty village is a metaphor for the six internal sense bases: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Observing the eye sense base, we will find that it is impermanent and subject to change; while the thieves in the empty village are metaphors for the six sense objects: form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects. The eye sense base is constantly disturbed by various visual objects. Similarly, the ear hearing, the nose smelling, the tongue tasting, the body feeling, and even the mind contemplating phenomena are often influenced and hindered by external circumstances."
 
The Buddha continued, "The turbulent river is a metaphor for the four streams: the stream of desire, the stream of existence, the stream of views, and the stream of ignorance. The great river is a metaphor for the three cravings: craving for sense-desire, craving for form existence, and craving for formless existence. The various terrifying things on this shore are a metaphor for the view of self. The peaceful and blissful other shore is a metaphor for Nirvana without remainder. The boat is a metaphor for the Eightfold Path. Crossing the turbulent river with one's hands and feet as oars is a metaphor for courageously and diligently reaching the other shore. The Brahmin dwelling on the other shore is a metaphor for the Tathagata, One Who is Worthy to Be Revered and Offered to, the Perfectly Enlightened One."
 
After explaining this metaphor for the reality of life, the Buddha encouraged his disciples to meditate diligently in open spaces, under trees, in quiet and clean dwellings, or in secluded places such as wilderness or cemeteries, away from noise and distractions, striving to practice without self-indulgence.
 
An ancient saying goes, "Living in the three realms is like living in a burning house. All who have a body suffer; who can find peace?" The Buddha's parable clearly shows us that this body is illusory and unreal, dispelling the wrong view that the body is the self. It also clearly indicates that the way to cross the torrent is the Eightfold Path, awaiting only that people recognize the reality and develop a sense of urgency to escape the cycle of birth and death. (Wei Ziyin魏子茵)