A blind man is given a torch to light his way on a path at night. He finds it odd, but is told it’s so others on the path don’t crash into him. “Fair enough,” he thinks. Then someone runs into him on his way home. Why is that? Because his torch went out, and it didn’t supply any light to help to others on the path.
As practitioners oof the Great Way, we’re told that once we reach the “other shore,” the raft (of the teachings may be discarded.” Likewise, fair enough, but like the torch, that only counts so far as personal “enlightenment” is concerned. Crossing on the raft is fine, but maybe the bodhisattva would think to share that raft with others so that they may reach the other shoe also, possibly even to the point where they become the ferry boat captain.
The lamp metaphor is interesting on another, more personal level too. We’ll refer to the bind man as already enlightened (sounds contradictory, but it’s a metaphor, so go with it) and doesn’t really need the torch. Of course, he’s effectively a bodhisattva and can carry it for the benefit of others. But, you can point to Jinul’s “sudden awakening/gradual cultivation” here. The torch was lit by coming in contact with someone else’s flame (sudden enlightenment), but in order to keep it lit and be of benefit to others, the lamp must continue to shine, mindfully of it, checking to see that it’s still lit. Maybe adding some fuel from time to time will be required, or maybe coming in contact with another flame.
As practitioners, we can certainly take a lesser Zen vehicle route, and just practice Zen for our own benefit (it happens). Or we can take the greater vehicle—the bodhisattva route—and make sure that we are not the only ones receiving the benefit of our “enlightenment” but all sentient beings are as well. It’s through continuous cultivation of our practice that we can pay attention to the needs of others, and not backslide into complacency.
When we do meet them on the path, we can’t expect them to be as seasoned travelers as we are. We walk at their pace, sometimes pushing a bit and giving them to stretch out and catch up. If they don’t want to get lost, they’ll have to follow where the light is. But we do what we can as bodhisattvas to see that they do, even if it means we have to pull them back onto the road now and then.
Haengdal Citta gave the Dharma talk on July 17, 2024.
