The Conjured City—A Resting Place for the Saints of Hinayana

 The Buddha preached all sutras of the three turnings of the Dharma wheels. He explicitly taught that both of “nirvana with remainder” and the “remainderless nirvana” are mere “nirvana” transformed by the Buddha that serve as temporary places for Hinayana practitioners to rely upon and rest. Meanwhile, cultivating the doctrines of Mahayana is the ultimate path to Buddhahood, which practitioners can depend upon to achieve Buddhahood and become a Buddha. The wisdom level of attainment pertaining to nirvana is different between Hinayana and Mahayana.

The Buddha expounded the following:

“O Sariputra! Since there is no second vehicle in the worlds of the ten directions, how could there be a third!.... all the buddhas illuminate the three [vehicles] with the power of skillful means in order to teach the single buddha vehicle. “O Sariputra! If any of my disciples declare that they are arhats or pratyekabuddhas, and do not listen or comprehend that all the Buddha Tathagatas teach only the bodhisattvas, they are not disciples of the buddhas, nor are they arhats or pratyekabuddhas. " Lotus Sutra, Vol. 1.

 "Because the saravaka (disciple) and pratyekabuddha vehicles [Hinayana] are included in the Mahayana. The Mahayana is the buddha vehicle. Therefore, the three vehicles are the One Vehicle." Lion's Roar of Queen Srimala, Vol. 1

 Based on the quotes, all Dharma of the three vehicles originated from the One Vehicle. The essence of Buddha Bodhi [Mahayana] is essentially the Ultimate Truth—tathagatagarbha, which is the foundation of Mahayana Buddhism. In other words, only by attaining the realization of “One Vehicle”— Mahayana nirvana — can one be regarded as awakening to the Ultimate Truth or attaining enlightenment. Buddhist practitioners must sequentially perfect all dharma after enlightenment to achieve Buddhahood.

 In the Saha [world of endurance] world, the human lifespan is only around 100 years old. The wholesome root of sentient beings is vulnerable and too fragile to allow them to learn the entire Buddha Dharma in one lifespan. For this reason, the Buddha had to establish the three turnings of the Dharma wheels and categorize the One Vehicle [Single Buddha Vehicle] into two cultivation methods, comprising the Path to Liberation and the Path to Buddhahood.

 Through further cultivation on the Path to Liberation, practitioners would inspire deep faith toward the ultimate doctrines of the tathagatagarbha taught by the Buddha. As such, Hinayanaists then convert to practice the Buddha Bodhi [Mahayana] without a strong desire to enter nirvana anymore. After that, they will join the Path to Buddhahood with confidence to become bodhisattva[practitioners].

 The Buddha illustrated with the metaphor of conjured city in the Lotus Sutra, telling us that the Hinayana remainderless nirvana is a convenient way to broaden and strengthen practitioners’ mindsets and let them join the bodhisattva lineage in the future. It was as if a tour guide created a big city for exhausted travelers who could rest halfway along the trip. After they had enough rest and were no longer tired, the tour guide, or in this case, the Buddha, would let the city disappear and tell them: “The treasure you are looking for is not far away, and this city is not real but only a manifestation by me.” At this point, the travelers had the confidence and strength to advance further in their quest for the treasure. 

 It is not difficult to acknowledge that Buddha Bodhi encompasses the Two-Vehicles Bodhi [Hinayana] as stated in both the Lotus Sutra and the Lion's Roar of Queen Srimala Sutra. Hence, both of the teachings are subsumed under the one-and-only Buddha Vehicle. They do not contradict each other.

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