Prodigal Son
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1670
My dear friends,
The parable of the Prodigal Son offers a luminous illustration of the stepwise path of spiritual awakening, much like the lam rim stages taught in Tibetan Buddhism and the transformative return to grace found in the teachings of Jesus. It shows us how we fall from our innate dignity, how suffering awakens us to the deeper call, and how repentance, humility, and love restore us to union with the divine. Let us enter this story as pilgrims of the heart, discerning in each movement the gentle action of the Holy Spirit, the arising of Bodhicitta, the mind of awakening.
The younger of them said to his father,
'Father, give me the share of the wealth
that will belong to me.'
So he divided his assets between them.
A few days later
the younger son gathered all he had
and traveled to a distant region,
and there he squandered his wealth
in dissolute living.
- Luke 15:11b-13
This departure is the soul's descent into samsara, the world of "business as usual", driven by a false belief in the primacy of one's own cravings. Like the Bodhisattva who sees beings wandering in cyclic existence, we witness in this son the illusion of independence, the fragmentation of consciousness that forgets its Source. Yet even this fall is held in divine mystery, for it initiates the journey home.
and he began to be in need.
So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region,
who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.
He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating,
and no one gave him anything.
- Luke 15:14-16
Here begins the recognition of suffering, the First Noble Truth. The famine is both outer and inner, a reflection of the spiritual hunger that arises when we are cut off from our true inheritance. Feeding swine, animals considered unclean, marks the depth of degradation. This is the moment of despair that precedes renunciation, the cry of the soul for liberation.
'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!
I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him,
"Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;
I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."'
So he set off and went to his father.
- Luke 15:17-20a
To "come to one's senses" is the arising of wisdom, the recognition of error, and the seed of Bodhicitta. This marks the turning of the mind (Metanoia), where humility blooms and the pilgrim resolves to return. It is the step of refuge, the movement from pride to repentance, from exile to homecoming.
he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.
- Luke 15:20b
The father running is the image of divine grace, ever watchful, ever ready. This is the compassionate mind of Christ, inseparable from the Bodhisattva's resolve. Before the seeker even arrives, mercy embraces him. This is the non-dual reality: no distance truly separates the child from the Source. The illusion was only in the mind.
I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
But the father said to his slaves,
'Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate,
for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!'
And they began to celebrate.
- Luke 15:21-24
This is the joyous realization of our full human potential. Though the son felt unworthy, the father restores his full dignity. So too does the Holy Spirit awaken us to our true identity as children of the Divine. The robe, ring, and sandals symbolize purification, empowerment, and readiness for the path. The celebration is the bliss of realization.
he heard music and dancing.
He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.
He replied, 'Your brother has come,
and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.'
Then he became angry and refused to go in.
- Luke 15:25-28a
The elder son reflects the shadow of the practitioner—righteous in appearance but inwardly bound by pride and jealousy. He represents the near enemy of discipline: self-righteousness. The temptation to envy and resentment of the joy of others is a subtle obstacle on the path. This is why the Bodhisattva trains in sympathetic joy (mudita, the Third Immeasurable).
For all these years I have been working like a slave for you,
and I have never disobeyed your command,
yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.
But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes,
you killed the fatted calf for him!'.
- Luke 15:28b-30
Here we see how attachment to merit can veil the heart. The elder son has mistaken obedience for love. The voice of the ego cries out: "I deserve more." Yet the divine path is not a transaction, but a transformation. It is not by merit but by mercy that we are saved. The elder son too is invited into awakening.
But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life;
he was lost and has been found.'"
- Luke 15:31-32
This closing word is the great Mahayana affirmation: all beings are always embraced by the compassion of the Awakened Ones. This is karuna, the Second Immeasurable. The father's heart is vast, like the sky, holding the returning and the resentful alike. Awakening is not a reward for the few, but a homecoming for all. This is the eternal rejoicing of the awakened heart.
May we too see our own journey within this parable. May we renounce the illusions that lead us far from home. May we arise with the mind of Christ, the Bodhicitta that embraces all beings, and rejoice as the Father rejoices, for the lost shall be found, the dead shall be raised, and the whole world shall come home at last.