/lit/ - Literature

>>20480686
Yep, exactly. Upaya (skillful means) and the parable of the burning house of the rich man, where the kids of the rich man playing games in it are unaware that the house is on fire and do not even understand what a house or fire is, and hence would not listen when told they have to get out of the burning house to save themselves. He doesn’t have the strength or time to literally physically be able to carry them out one by one before they will be harmed, and they won’t listen if he simply tells them, “You have to get out of the house since it’s on fire.” So a lure is placed for them to get them out of the burning house and away from the toys and games they are attracted to and thereby save them, by something like the noble lie — the father promising them they will have three wonderful carts if they get out the house right now, three carts drawn by three different types of animals, even greater toys and games to play with. But when they get out the house, the carts (which might be analogized to the fascination with the occult, the mystical and magical seeming aspects of the teaching, new “games” to play with, the attraction to having what one might consider as a “mystical” or “spiritual” experience, and the like) aren’t actually there. It was simply upaya, skillful means, to symbolically get them out of the burning house and then be able to guide them to self-knowledge and liberation.