Teaching Story and Metaphor
In the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (1.33-34), Shakyamuni Buddha relates a profound teaching story on 'vehicles' of conveyance utilizing the sacred river Ganges, all of which may be engaged as a metaphor for "yana" and a gradual or direct path:
1.33 And then the Lord came to the River Ganges. And just then, the river was so full that a crow could drink out of it. And some people were looking for a boat, and some were looking for a raft, and some were binding together a raft of reeds to get to the other side. But the Lord, as swiftly as a strong man might stretch out his flexed arm or flex it again, vanished from this side of the Ganges and reappeared with his order of monks on the other shore.
1.34 And the Lord saw those people who were looking for a boat, looking for a raft, and binding together a raft of reeds to get to the other side. And seeing their intentions, he uttered this verse on the spot:
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- 'When they want to cross the sea, the lake or pond,
- People make a bridge or raft - the wise have crossed already.'
These two verses are meant to teach that all vehicles, teachings and doctrine are skillful means (Skt.upāya).
Read more about this topic: Yana (Buddhism)
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