seven parables ［七譬］ ( shichi-hi): The seven parables that appear in the Lotus Sutra. They are (1) the parable of the three carts and the burning house, related in the “Simile and Parable” (third) chapter; (2) the parable of the wealthy man and his poor son, in the “Belief and Understanding” (fourth) chapter; (3) the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees, in the “Parable of the Medicinal Herbs” (fifth) chapter; (4) the parable of the phantom city and the treasure land, in the “Parable of the Phantom City” (seventh) chapter; (5) the parable of the jewel in the robe, in the “Five Hundred Disciples” (eighth) chapter; (6) the parable of the bright jewel in the topknot, in the “Peaceful Practices” (fourteenth) chapter; and (7) the parable of the skilled physician and his sick children, in the “Life Span” (sixteenth) chapter. The first, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh parables are related by Shakyamuni Buddha, and the second and fifth parables, by his disciples. The second parable is told by the four great voice-hearers (Maudgalyāyana, Mahākāshyapa, Kātyāyana, and Subhūti), while the fifth parable is shared by five hundred arhats. See the entry for each of the seven parables for a description of that parable.