<p>Parables from World Cultures What do parables do? Parables use symbolism to teach a truth about life. They reveal to a complex reality in a simple way. Yet at the same time, parables are rich enough to have multiple layers of meaning. Religions and communities around the globe have used parables to teach religious principles and cultural values to the next generation. As with any piece of literature we study in class, your job is not necessarily to agree with the author, but to understand how and what argument the author is making. Try to figure out what lesson the parable is designed to teach.</p><p>Religious Parables: Mahayana Buddhism </p><p>From the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, translated from the Lotus Sutra By Rev. Shokai Kanai (Shokai Kanai, “The Seven Parables of the Lotus Sutra,” http://lotus.nichirenshu.org/lotus/lectures/7parable.htm, 5/14/03).</p><p>The Parable of Medicinal Herbs from Chapter 5 of the Lotus Sutra: “There are various trees and grasses including herbs growing in the thickets, forests, mountains, ravines and valleys. All these plants are different in size, name and form. They are covered with a dark cloud. Rain starts to fall. The small, middle and large roots, stems, branches and leaves of the trees and grasses are watered. So were tall and short trees, whether they are big, medium, or small. Those plants were given more or less water by the same rain from the same cloud, and grow differently according to their species. They produce different flowers and fruits although they grow on the same ground and receive water from the same rain.” The translator, Shokai Kanai, interprets the parable in this way: “The Buddha is like the cloud. The Buddha appeared in this world just as the large cloud rose. Although he equally expounded the Dharma to gods, people and all living beings, they understood his teachings differently, but they are still able to vitalize the teachings depending on their abilities, characters and specialties. In this world, there are many different races, culture, customs, and education. The Eternal Buddha accepts the differences and applies different teachings to each individual in order to maximize their understanding. It sounds like discrimination, but it is real equality and compassion.” </p><p>The Parable of the Gem in the Jacket from Chapter 8 of the Lotus Sutra “Suppose a poor man visited his old friend. He was treated well with food and drink, and fell asleep. His friend had to go out on official business, so he fastened a priceless gem inside the garment of the poor friend as a gift to him, and went out. The drunken man did not notice what his friend had given him. After a while he got up and went to another country. He had great difficulty in getting food and clothing. He was satisfied as a homeless man. Some time later the good friend happened to see him. He said, "Alas, man! Why have you had such difficulty in getting food and clothing? I fastened a priceless gem inside your garment the last time you came to my house. The gem is still there. You did not notice it! What a fool you are! Trade that gem for what you want! You will not be short of anything you want." The translator, explains the parable as follows: “This parable was told by Arahats of Buddha's disciple who had been assured by the Buddha of their Future Buddhahood. Arahats thought that they had attained Nirvana when they attained Arahatship. All of us have Buddha nature or Buddha seed, but we do not realize it.”</p><p>Religious Parables: Christianity</p><p>From the King James Version of the New Testament, translated and revised in the 1600’s.</p><p>The Parable of the Sower from Matthew chapter 13:1-8 1. THE same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.</p><p>Compiled by L. Clark-Burnell Parables from World Cultures Later in the same chapter, Jesus explains this parable: 18 ¶ Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution• ariseth because of the word, by and by he• is offended. 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth cfruit•, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.</p><p>Oral Tradition Parables: African-American</p><p>From African-American Folktales for Young Readers, by Richard and Judy Dockrey Young. This version of “Three Young Men Who Go Out to Find Death” is a retelling by Sarah McCoy, who learned it from the Ashanti Family Players in 1982. This parable is believed to be the original source of Chaucer’s “Pardoner’s Tale” in his Canterbury Tales from the fourteenth century.</p><p>There once lived three young brothers. They were angry young men, angry because death had taken their mother and father. Death had also taken other friends and relatives. The three brothers were talking one day, when the oldest looked at the younger two and said, “Do you know what we should do? We should go out and find death and kill death. If we find death and kill death, then no one else will ever die.” Now, when the oldest said this to the younger two, they thought this was a good idea. They all packed their bags and started out on a journey to find death and kill death. In those days it was very common for travelers to meet other travelers along the way, and for one to want to know about where another was going. So, someone would see the young men and ask, “Where are you going?” And they would answer, “We are going out to find death and kill death.” Now, some, on hearing this answer, thought it was strange; some laughed thinking it was funny. But everyone who asked was given the same answer. One day as the young men were traveling, they saw an old man sitting on the side of the road. This old man too wanted to know where the three young men were going, so he asked. The oldest of the three looked at the old man and said, “We are going out to find death and kill death.” The old man looked at them and said, “Go home. Live your lives and be happy and forget this thing.” The oldest brother looked at the old man and said, “Can’t you see that death has taken our mother and our father? Can’t you see that he takes our relatives and friends? If we find death and kill death, no one else will ever die.” Looking at the three young men, the old man replied, “It seems to me as if I can say nothing to change your mind. And since I cannot change your mind, let me make the job easy for you. I will tell you where to find death.” When the old man said this, the three brothers listened. “You should go down this road fives miles,” the old man said. “You will come to a fork in the road. Stay to the right at walk another two miles, and you will come to a great tree. Dig underneath the tree and you will find death.” The young men thanked the old man and hurried down the road. They followed his directions and came to the great tree and began to dig under the tree. What they found was a wooden box. Opening it up and looking inside they found seven gold coins. The three young men forgot about finding death and killing death, and started talking about how they could divide the coins. The oldest said, “Well there are three of us and there are seven coins. We could each take two coins and then draw straws. The one with the short straw could take the extra coin and go to town and buy bread and wine. We could eat bread and drink wine, and we would each still have two coins.” They drew straws and the youngest drew the shortest straw, so he took the extra coin and started to town to buy the food, but as he walked he thought, “I could also buy poison and poison the wine. My brothers will drink and I will not. They will die and I will have six coins.”</p><p>Compiled by L. Clark-Burnell Parables from World Cultures The oldest and middle brothers waited at the great tree. The oldest looked at the middle brother and said, “We should hide in the brush and wait for our youngest brother to return. We should kill him, and we will each have three coins.” The youngest brother went into town, brought bread and wine and poison. He poisoned the wine and started back to the great tree. Just as the youngest brother approached, the oldest and middle brothers jumped out of the brush and killed him. After they killed him, they decided to sit down and eat the bread and drink the wine. And then they all found death.</p><p>Compiled by L. Clark-Burnell</p>