Referring to Saichō’s 最澄 discussion, this paper traces the development of interpretations of “the garment and the desk” in the Sino-Japanese Faxiang 法相 school.
In the parable of the burning house 火宅喩 in the Lotus Sūtra, there is a scene in which the affluent man ponders whether he should take his children out of the burning house by using his garment 衣裓 and desk 几案, before he prepares the three chariots 三車 for them.
East Asian monks commenting on the Lotus Sūtra interpreted “the garment” and “the desk” in various ways. In particular, it is the interpretation of Kuiji 窺基, the founder of the Faxiang school, that has left interpretive challenges for later generations. He gave two different interpretations of “the garment and desk.” Chinese and Japanese monks of the Faxiang school have attempted to solve this problem and have generally developed two conclusions.
