Parables

What is a Parable?

• A short, realistic story that teaches about ideas, usually with a religious basis.
• They differ from culture to culture, but also retain some similarities.
• The Biblical parable "Parable of the Prodigal Son" and and the Zen Buddhist "Chasing Two Rabbits" will be the focus of this presentation.

Beliefs

Christianity Beliefs

• Christians believe in a single God and hold Jesus to be the true Messiah who was sent to earth to help people achieve salvation.
• Despite their wrongdoings, God loves and forgives his people ("Christianity").

Christianity Beliefs

• By holding faith in God, one can discover himself or herself and achieve happiness ("Biblical and Buddhist Parables").

Zen Buddhism Beliefs

• Zen Buddhism is a specific branch of Buddhism.
• Adherents do not believe in any deities, and some even consider it a philosophy over a religion.
• The goal is to achieve enlightenment ("Biblical and Buddhist Parables").

Zen Buddhism Beliefs

• Zen Buddhists work toward this by exercising strict meditation and concentration.
• Emptying oneself of desire and thought, which block the way, is an important step ("Biblical and Buddhist Parables").

Purpose

Similarities: Purpose of Parables

• Typically, regardless of religion, parables are stories designed to teach a lesson that is usually centered around a religous belief.
• Parable stories are realistic and possible, which illustrates the concept being taught in an form that is understandable and applicable to life ("Biblical and Buddhist Parables").

Similarities: Purpose of Parables

• Superficially, they will seem like a mundane story; however, the true meaning is hidden between the lines ("Biblical and Buddhist Parables").
• These two parables are no exception.

Differences: Purpose of Parables

• The topic of a parable differs depending on the values of a group of people.
• Biblical parables usually teach about God and his way.
• Emphasis is sometimes placed on the benefits of following God ("Biblical and Buddist Parables").

Differences: Purpose of Parables

• On the other hand, Zen Buddhist parables concentrate more on ethics and life lessons.
• They normally relate to emptying oneself of desire or exercising discipline, which are common beliefs among Zen Buddhists ("Biblical and Buddist Parables").

Purpose

• The Biblical parable "Parable of the Prodigal Son" explores God's love for his people, a common belief of Christians.
• Even though the younger son and older son both lose their ways, they are able to come back to their senses and recieve God's love and forgiveness.

Purpose

• In "Chasing Two Rabbits," a lesson that will be of use in life is taught. Attempting to "chase two rabbits" or concentrate on multiple activities will lead to failure.
• This reflects the Zen Buddhist idea of concentration and discipline.

These two parables both teach lessons, but they differ in topic!

Structure and Style

Similarities: Symbolism

• Oftentimes, parables will use symbols to represent larger concepts that they are attempting to communicate.
• In "Chasing Two Rabbits," the rabbits represent the split pursuits of the student.
• Attempting to "chase both rabbits" or complete both with divided concentration will result in failure.

Similarities: Symbolism

• In "Parable of the Prodigal Son," the two sons symbolize the people of God, who are loved and forgiven by Him.
• Overall, most parables contain some type of symbolism that connects the story to the moral.

Differences: Structural Complexity

• Biblical parables are generally longer than Buddhist parables, which tend to be short and simple.
• This makes Buddhist parables more ambiguous and more open to individual interpretation than Biblical parables.

Differences: Literary Devices

• Moreover, Biblical parables employ more rhetorics than Buddhist parables to demonstrate the idea in question.
• The longer length allows for this.

Differences: Repetition

• "Parable of the Prodigal Son" uses repetition of words such as "lost and found" and "merry" to emphasize that the young son has found his way and that God forgines and loves him, in spite of his errors.
• It is seldom seen in Buddhist parables because its focus on simplicity limits the use of repetition.

Differences: Assonance

• Furthermore, Biblical parables use assonance from time to time to create a somewhat flowing and mythical feeling.
• This feeling effectively complements the message about God.

Differences: Assonance

• Assonance in "Parable of the Prodigal Son:" "But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him" ("Biblical and Buddhist Parables").
• Again, Buddhist parables do not usually implement assonance in an effort to maintain simplicity and allow the significance to speak for itself.

Differences: Style

• Each religion's parables has its own distinctive elements.
• Zen Buddhist parables use basic words and simplicity to turn the spotlight to the lesson and eliminate other redundant details unessential to expressing the meaning.

Differences: Style

• Additionally, Zen Buddhist parables usually contain a wise master figure who makes a statement at the end of the parable that directly appeals to the meaning

Differences: Style

• Contrarily, Biblical parables contain words of more complexity and use rhetoric devices to make the story more vivid and amplify the atmosphere of divinity associated with God.

Thank you!

Citations

• "Biblical and Buddhist Parables"*
• History.com Editors. “Christianity.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 13 Oct. 2017, www.history.com/topics/religion/history-of-christianity.
• All images come from the internal image gallery in HaikuDeck
• *Refers to the Day 7 lesson