The parable goes: there was a person who wanted to go west, on a long journey hundreds of miles away. Suddenly in the middle of the journey, he saw two rivers that cut off his way. The one on the south was the River of Fire, and the other flowing north is the River of Water. Looking southwards, the River of Fire had no end, and looking northwards, the River of Water also had no end. The width was not really wide, one hundred steps; the depth was indeed very deep, and the bottom cannot be seen. There was a white path between the River of Water and the River of Fire, about four or five inches wide. This path bridged the east bank and the west bank.
Where the River of Water met the narrow white path, waves of water constantly drenched the path, and from the River of Fire raging flames constantly scorched it. Either it was doused by water, or licked by fire, both attacking in turn, or at the same time, there was not a moment where it lulled.
The person came to this place, which was a deserted wilderness, with no companions, no weapons, no belongings, bare-handed, and alone. There were many bandits, as well as jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, poisonous snakes, and beasts. Seeing this person alone without weapons and companions, they all wanted to kill him.
Surrounded by bandits, poisonous snakes, and ferocious beasts, he was very scared, fearing death, he ran away to the west. Seeing the two rivers of water and fire before him, he thought: I see no end to the River of Water towards the north, and no end to the River of Fire towards the south; there is only a small white path, four or five inches wide, between the two rivers. It is just too small, too narrow. I want to escape from the east bank to the west bank. Although the distance is not long—only a hundred steps away, this white path is just too narrow. How could I cross safely? Oh, no! I’m done. It seems that I must die here today.
What to do then? He must find a way, as survival was foremost on his mind, so he was thinking of a way out, “I should retreat and go back.” At this moment, the killers were shouting and screaming from behind, and he didn’t dare to retreat. If he did, the knives would have slashed him immediately, so it would be impossible for him to retreat. An alternative is to head south, but it’s impossible to go around the river, as he can’t see the end of the river. While he pondered going south, the tiger had already fully opened its mouth full of fangs. Then he pondered going north, but the snake had already flicked its tongue out. So he wanted to go west, “I want to take this path across this river, but I am afraid of falling into the water and drowning, and I am afraid of being burned to death by the fire.”
At this time, he couldn’t escape even if he grew a pair of wings, as he was trapped from all sides without a solution. He was so frightened and terrified that he could not breathe a word.
So he thought to himself, “Since there is this path, however slim the chance, I will take it. If I cross the river, I may burn to death or drown along the way, but I would rather die like that than die staying here. I don’t want to go back.” He then made such a deliberation: Since such a bridge existed, it must be meant for people to cross, and therefore it must be possible to cross it.
While he was deep in thought, on the east bank where he was standing, he suddenly heard someone advising him: “If you have decided to go forward by this path, go for it. Surely it’s not dangerous; you won’t fall into fire or water and die. If you stay here in place, you’ll surely be dead.”
As soon as the voice on the east bank ended, someone on the west bank called to him: “Focus your mind and come straight forward, don’t be afraid, and don’t worry, I will protect you.” This lonely person felt comforted. With his spirit raised, and nerves calmed, he decided to follow this path. Before, he had no choice, so he took the white path as the last resort, but now, with the protection of the guide from across the rivers, he has bolstered his confidence. There was no doubt, no fear, and no retreat. Furthermore, the voices of guidance from the east and the west banks were very gentle, sincere, and compassionate.
Just when he took two steps onto this white path, the gang of bandits from the east bank arrived and said, “Come back, good man. This path is too perilous. The water is so turbulent and the fire is so fierce. There is no way you can cross safely. If you follow this path, you will surely die! Please come back as we do care about you. We do not have any animosity, only compassion toward you. Please come back!”
This person received two kinds of calls: One was made by the guide on the other side who said, “Focus your mind and come straight forward, I can protect you, and you will not fall into the fire or water. Another was made by the people behind who shouted at him, “Come back, this path will definitely not work, it is too narrow, you will surely die, come back! It’s too dangerous, we don’t feel animosity toward you.”
He listened only to the call from the other side. Even though he heard the bandits’ call behind him, he was not deceived, and not swayed by them. He did not look back, not even to catch a glimpse, just as if he did not hear them. So, he went straight to the west along this little white path wholeheartedly, and did not think of giving up at any moment.
Soon, the one hundred steps were traversed fully. Under the protection of the guide from the other side, he was not burnt by the fire, nor drowned in the water. In this way, he left behind the gang of bandits, poisonous snakes, evil beasts, and the risks of water and fire in an instant. All these dangerous and difficult conditions were left behind. When he arrived at the other side, he was reunited with his friends and family members, feeling supremely happy. They greeted him and said, “You really came. We knew you would come. We were afraid that you would be influenced to turn back halfway through, and the gang of bandits and evil beasts will get you!” They all celebrated happily for his achievement.
(An excerpt from an article written by Master Jingzong)