6 pages

WenXin Zhang

East 251

Prof Mana Kobuchi-Philip

3/10/18

In the article The Spider’s Thread, I want to share some opinions and reactions.

The lord Buddha is a spectator, Kandata even didn’t notice the exist of the lord Buddha. He could only see the spider’s thread, rather than the ordeal for him.

When Kandata found other sinners climbing the thread, he just shouted to them, he considered that only he can be saved selfishly, he distinguished himself from other sinners. Facing the chance of redemption, his egoism has been exposed abundantly.

And I found something interesting is that when the spider’s thread was broken, the author just noticed that only Kandata fell down into the hell, by rights, all the sinners would fall down with Kandata. So I think actually the sinners Kandata saw were not existing, they are the phantom which Kandata has imagined. And the lord Buddha wanted to test him if he had any good thoughts.

In the life of Kandata, he is flagrance. The only good deed he has done was to save a life of a spider. So I think the spider’s thread symbolizes how small the philanthropic act he did. And professor asked a question if we were Kandata, what will we do?

I think I will only climb without noticing others. Because the thread is so weak, I don’t want any argue or fight during the climbing.