According to the Buddhist Lotus Sutra, one
of Buddha’s disciples Mahakashyap related this parable in one of his
discourses.
Once upon a time, there was a rich merchant who had a teenage
son. The son fell in bad company and one day took his father’s money and ran
away from home. After he had spent all the money, his friends left him, and he
had to wander from town to town, doing odd jobs to earn a living, and finally
when he could not get any work, he had to beg for a living. All this while, the
merchant had been looking for his son but had failed to find him. Many years
passed, and as the son was getting poorer, his father was getting richer and
richer.
One day, the son came wandering back into his hometown. When
he saw his father’s new big house, and horse-drawn carriages, he hesitated to
approach him and turned away from the gate. But as he was turning to go away,
the father who had just stepped out on the balcony saw and recognised his son.
He immediately ordered his guards to get him. As the guards approached the son,
he got scared and tried to run away. But the guards were stronger and caught
him, tied him up and brought him to see the merchant.
The merchant and his son looked at each other without
saying a word. The father knew that his son had a very strong will and it would
not work if he tried to lure him back with money alone. So, without saying a
word, he ordered the boy’s release and let him go. The son was glad that he was
free, but continued to beg for a living, as he had no work.
The next day, the father sent one of his senior employees
to offer the job of an assistant, to the boy (without disclosing his
relationship) in one of his shops. Having wandered from town to town looking
for work, the son happily accepted the job immediately.
As the son kept on working, the father did not say anything
about their relationship to any other employees, customers, suppliers, friends
or relatives. However, the son proved himself to be a good worker and soon earned
the respect of his fellow employees. As time went by, he was promoted to a
senior position. All this while the son did not know that his father was his
actual employer.
One day, the merchant fell sick, and feeling that his end
was near, he gathered all his employees, friends and relatives to announce his
will. He finally disclosed the father-and-son relationship to everyone. The
son, by this time, had proven his ability to inherit his father’s business.
Mahakashyap concluded
that the father represented Lord Buddha and the son represented the followers.
Although a similar story appears in the Bible (Luke:
Chapter 15, 12-32), there is a very significant philosophical difference. There
the father forgave the son immediately and gave him all his heritage as soon as
the son accepted his sin and asked for forgiveness, implying that success is a
grace from God. Here in the Lotus Sutra,
after the reunion, the son proved his ability to take over his father’s
heritage, implying that success is largely a result of your own effort.
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